Control of Anger and Aggressiveness in Addictions.
Sometimes, the person with substance dependence has associated problems of anger and aggressiveness. These, in turn, cause him different problems in his family, social or police environment. If this happens, they can further increase their initial dependency problem or maintain their dependency over time because they do not have a way to solve the other problem. Also, anger and aggressiveness are associated with falling and relapse as negative emotional states (Marlatt et al., 1999).
When this is the case, it is necessary to use anger and aggression control strategies such as the stress inoculation technique, role-playing, assertiveness training, relaxation training, Contingency management, problem-solving or cognitive restructuring.
Drug use is maintained by the positive reinforcement that the substance produces in the person (e.g., euphoria, pleasure) and by negative reinforcement (use to avoid the negative consequences of the withdrawal syndrome). Drug use, therefore, is influenced by learning and conditioning. Also, through the principles of learning and conditioning, we can change this maladaptive behaviour for an adapted one without drug use.
From the operant perspective, it is known that the development of a substance abuse or dependence disorder (Addiction) is due to the reinforcing power of the drug and other factors, such as biological, environmental, and behavioural variables (Becoña, 1999). But, without denying this, about treatment, an intervention mechanism is proposed, the alteration of behavioural contingencies, which is independent of specific etiological factors.
Techniques such as applying aversive stimuli, reinforcing alternative behaviours incompatible with consuming drugs, extinction or several of the above simultaneously facilitate the change in consumption behaviour. Another extension of these is contingency contracts or relapse prevention strategies. The use of contingency management techniques and other techniques often allows us to have a useful and effective approach for many patients who come for treatment. Especially for a person to carry out alternative behaviours to drug use, contingency management is sometimes the main technique for the person to maintain their abstinence. Contingency control techniques, such as the already seen stimulus control.
Self-control techniques
One of the strategies for treating different addictions, both in an abstinence-oriented program and controlled gambling or harm reduction, is to train patients in self-control techniques (Hester, 1995). This can be done after the person has agreed to participate in abstinence-oriented treatment, when they are having difficulty getting it, or when their goal is controlled gambling or harm reduction. Sometimes self-control starts in the middle part of the treatment when the minimum objectives have already been achieved to maintain treatment adherence.
Self-control techniques are aimed at making the person aware of their problem behaviour and being able to deal with it using techniques they have learned without putting it into practice. With self-control, the person is taught strategies to control or modify their own behaviour through different situations to achieve long-term goals. To do this, the person is trained in different techniques so that they do not carry out the behaviour or, if the behaviour occurs, do so unproblematic and with the idea of achieving total abstinence.
Self-control techniques also emphasize maintaining changes, especially through self-reinforcement when the behaviour is carried out in the expected direction and self-punishment when the undesired behaviour is carried out. Finally, the cognitive procedures within self-control are becoming increasingly important, especially due to the ideas, beliefs, thoughts or erroneous attributions that the person has about their game and the game environment, as well as about the result of it.