title: Cue-exposure therapy to decrease alcohol craving in virtual environment.
abstract: During abstinence from alcohol, craving is elicited by the cues and contexts previously associated with alcohol, which contribute to relapse. To prevent the craving and relapse experienced by alcoholics, cue-exposure therapy (CET) has been used to extinguish the association between alcohol and alcohol-related cues and contexts. This study applied CET, using a virtual reality (VR) system, to eight members of an Alcoholics Anonymous group for eight sessions. Cues and contexts most likely to elicit an urge to drink were selected through a preliminary survey in order to compose VR-CET scenarios: a glass, a bottle, food, and a bar were judged to be the most tempting for people in alcohol dependence and abstinence. Using these cues and contexts, a Japanese-style pub and a western bar were created. Each session was administered for 30 minutes by a psychiatrist and included an introduction, immersion, VR navigation, interviews about feelings, and self-report questionnaires about cravings. The eight sessions consisted of initial and closing sessions and person-, object-, and situation-focused sessions. As a result, a reduction in cue-elicited craving after VR-CET was reported. A mean score of 15.75 (SD = 10.91) on the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire in the first session decreased to 11.50 (SD = 5.76) in the final session. This study suggests that using virtual reality can enhance the effectiveness of CET.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jang-Han
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyoseok
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Joonho
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Byung-Hwan
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001245:Association Learning; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003463:Cues; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic / Q000379:methods*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013695:Temperance / Q000523:psychology; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014584:User-Computer Interface