Kill the Craving

Exposing people to the things that they try hard to avoid - things like fears, and phobias, and painful memories - has long been a standard therapeutic technique. The same kind of exposure response prevention (ERP) has now become a major theory in addiction treatment. Even though ERP conflicts with traditional approaches, breakthrough studies have begun to appear that find that ERP has an impressive long-term effectiveness rating. This text aims to help addicts learn to deal with real world temptations directly and safely through a technique called photocard ERP, which makes use of colour photographs of the readers' drugs of choice or of persons using these drugs. Readers prepare to view the photographs by exploring their motivation for using and their readiness to stop. Deep breathing and body tension scanning techniques help readers endure the uncomfortable feelings and the deep cravings that the photographs stir and ultimately help them ride out their craving.