Contingency Management Intervention in Quitting Substance Abuse: A Literature Review

Abstract

Contingency management (CM) intervention is a commonly used and highly effective method in treating substance abuse. In CM intervention, customers are positively reinforced if they follow the combined treatment and make progress in quitting substance abuse. The type of positive reinforcers is usually monetary based. Sometimes other types of positive reinforcers are also used. Since the reinforcers are monetary-based, it is important to analyze the cost-effectiveness of these various reinforcers. Previous researches have developed many kinds of reinforcers and new types of reinforcers are under development. Researchers have combined CM intervention with many other treatment methods to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. In this literature review, the author analyzed previous studies on CM interventions, including CM and smoking, CM and binge drinking, and CM and drug abuse. In conclusion, CM intervention is effective and recommended in treating substance abuse, and is useful to various groups of people. Some problems that occurred when using CM intervention need further researches to answer. For instance, the efficacy of CM intervention can be decreased if the intervention is not directly addressed to the drinking behaviour.