before results scientific evidence counter conditioning at Schick Shadel Hospital

A First-of-its-kind Brain Study and the Scientific Evidence Behind Alcohol Cravings

The scientific evidence behind this brain study was gathered by Schick Shadel Hospital and the University of Washington. In the study, scans showed reduced craving-related brain activity after chemical-aversion therapy. Functional MRI scans taken before and after treatment showed a significant reduction in craving-related brain activity among 13 subjects. 69% of participating patients reported still being sober 12 months after treatment. Read the full study, The Neurobiological Mechanism of Chemical Aversion Therapy at Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) indicates significantly less craving-related activation in the brain after treatment. The different colors highlight changes between pre and post – but have no meaning beyond that.

The Power of Aversion Therapy, a form of Counter Conditioning

By treating the addiction at both the physiology and psychological levels, Schick Shadel gives patients the ability to spend their time and energy on rebuilding their lives. Schick Shadel’s addiction program is designed to help patients reroute the neuropathways to medically conquer the physical dependency – following by counseling to help heal any emotional damage that may be an underlying cause of the addiction.

Schick Shadel has an overall 65% alcohol addiction success rate.* Our inpatient hospital and medical detoxification facility was founded in 1935 by medical professionals who understood that addiction is a medical problem that cannot be conquered by traditional methods alone. Our patient care team works to treat addiction as a life-threatening disease.