Cue exposure therapy for opiate dependent clients

Abstract

Cue exposure therapy is seen as a potentially effective treatment for addictive disorders. Drug‐dependent clients are repeatedly exposed to drug‐related stimuli and prevented from using drugs in an attempt to reduce reactivity to these stimuli. The present article gives an overview of cue reactivity models on which cue exposure therapy is based. An example of cue exposure practice is given, with a focus on opiate addiction. It is concluded that the few controlled studies that have been done do not show support for cue exposure therapy as an effective treatment for addictive disorders.