How Aversion Therapy Works

Schick Shadel understands that sufferers of alcoholism and drug addiction do not lack morality or willpower. Addiction is a physiological problem affecting the brain. From this premise, hospital founder Charles Shadel pioneered the Aversion Therapy Treatment used for drug and alcohol addicion. This therapy is based on the principles of classical conditioning of the subconscious mind responsible for addiction.

Alcohol and other drugs cause false feelings of well-being. More and more confidence is placed in the substance while other survival feelings are ignored and bypassed. The result is a lack of concern for and confidence in other areas of life, compounded by physical dependence on the drug. The repetitious act of drug or alcohol use strengthens the memory. Like a cassette or video recorder, physical experiences stored in the memory can be played back when signaled. Addiction messages to the brain become embedded in short and long-term memory.

Drug and alcohol rehab Aversion Therapy works because it targets the signals for those memories with an aversive response. Environmental stimuli - like taste, smell, sight and setting, generally make the brain think of impending pleasure when alcohol or drugs are used. These stimuli are used with a medically supervised stimulus to create an aversion, or an unpleasant motor response such as nausea.

Brain and Body Conditioning

Many people have probably experienced this same principle in their lives. For example, you really love cherries. One day you eat too many cherries and make yourself sick from eating them. Then for some time later, the thought of cherries makes you nauseous because you associate them with getting sick.

The Aversion Process

The aversion process is similar to this principal, working with the subconscious rather than the conscious brain. Aversion conditioning works directly at the brain’s craving areas (stem) to enact an automatic or subconscious aversive response. This response precedes the craving for the drug of choice.

For the aversion to work, the conditions that would trigger the craving are instead conditioned to trigger the motor response of nausea and discomfort. Aversion treatment acts to create this aversive (sensory/motor) response at the threat of relapse. When the patient is exposed to environmental cues that used to bring on the craving, the aversion is in effect, blocking the desire to use.

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