Alcohol exposure therapy: generalisation and changes in responsivity

Fifty male alcohol-dependent individuals presenting for treatment were randomly assigned to either a cue exposure (CE) or control group. The experimental group were presented with 10 exposure trials to the sight and smell of alcohol, whilst the control group were presented with a neutral beverage. Following this, subjects received exposure to alcohol in a different room to examine whether extinguished responses generalised to a different environment. Results showed that only those subjects presented with the alcohol cue showed a significant reduction in cue-elicited swallowing, subjective withdrawal symptoms, arousal and urge to drink alcohol and that these extinguished responses remained diminished in magnitude in a different environment. These results provide additional support for the effectiveness of CE in reducing responsivity to alcohol cues.