OBESITY & CODEPENDENCY Treatment Breakthroughs...
A Consumer's Guide to Psychological Treatment
Obesity, Alcoholism and Codependency
OBESITY. Obesity is an even more intractable problem than alcoholism.
The simple fact is that it is quite easy to take off weight, but very difficult to
keep it off (Schachter and Rodin, 1974). Thus, many reports of diet and
treatment "breakthroughs" prove to be premature when clients are followed up.
There seems to be a Psychological connection
to and between Obesity and Codependency...
Modestly successful self-help programs for obese people, such as TOPS
and Weight Watchers, have included behavioral techniques to augment
their efficacy. Like AA, these programs provide members with information,
achieved and, as a result, a multiplicity of behavioral and cognitive approaches
to the addictive disorders have been suggested.
For alcoholism, a program called Individualized Behavior Therapy for Alcoholics (lETA) seemed especially promising. In contrast to most other programs, the goal of this program was not complete abstinence, but rather controlled drinking.
Clients were encouraged to select alternative behaviors to drinking, especially
for drinking that occurred under stress. Once selected, those alternatives
were carefully rehearsed, in the hope that they would become habitual
and eventually replace drinking. lETA recognized that it was probably impossible
to eliminate drinking entirely for most alcoholics, and sought
rather to control it by reducing intake and ultimately, its effects.
The original results were heartening. Those who were encouraged to control
their drinking reported significantly more abstinent days than those for
whom the treatment goal was total abstinence (Sobell and Sobell, 1976;
1980). But early on, some writers suggested that the apparent success of the
IBTA program might be due to the enthusiasm of its practitioners (Nathan,
1980), an observation that makes sense in light of our earlier observations of
the "common ingredients of treatment." Later reports were even more pessimistic,
casting serious doubt on the original findings themselves, and suggesting
that those findings might have resulted from insufficient follow-up of
those who participated in the lETA program (Pendery, Maltzman, and
West, 1982; but see Marlatt, 1983, for a more supportive view).
Treatments that evoke enthusiasm, hope, and commitment from participants
are seen again in the help provided by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
AA describes itself as "a fellowship of men and women who share their experiences, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common
problem and help others to recover from alcoholism." By the time an
alcoholic makes first contact with AA, he or she has already acknowledged
that alcohol is a problem-an enormous first step. Subsequently, two
members of AA meet with the alcoholic and invite him or her to join the
group. The group stresses self-help, underscoring that the alcoholic controls
the drinking problem, and not vice versa. It offers group support during the
struggle to control drinking, and hope-for after all, many of the other
members of the group were once alcoholics and are now entirely abstinent.
And while receiving support from others enables one to better control the
urge to drink, giving support to people with similar problems serves much
the same purpose. Indeed, in looking back over the AA experience, reformed
alcoholics rate altruism and group cohesiveness as two of its most
helpful aspects (Emrick, Lassen, and Edwards).
Data on the effectiveness of AA, CODA, OEA and other 12 step programs, as well as the drop-out rate, are sparse and hard to come by, but what is available suggests that AA is better than no treatment at all (Emrick, Lassen, and Edwards).
Obesity, Alcoholism and Codependency
OBESITY. Obesity is an even more intractable problem than alcoholism.
The simple fact is that it is quite easy to take off weight, but very difficult to
keep it off (Schachter and Rodin, 1974). Thus, many reports of diet and
treatment "breakthroughs" prove to be premature when clients are followed up.
There seems to be a Psychological connection
to and between Obesity and Codependency...
Modestly successful self-help programs for obese people, such as TOPS
and Weight Watchers, have included behavioral techniques to augment
their efficacy. Like AA, these programs provide members with information,
achieved and, as a result, a multiplicity of behavioral and cognitive approaches
to the addictive disorders have been suggested.
For alcoholism, a program called Individualized Behavior Therapy for Alcoholics (lETA) seemed especially promising. In contrast to most other programs, the goal of this program was not complete abstinence, but rather controlled drinking.
Clients were encouraged to select alternative behaviors to drinking, especially
for drinking that occurred under stress. Once selected, those alternatives
were carefully rehearsed, in the hope that they would become habitual
and eventually replace drinking. lETA recognized that it was probably impossible
to eliminate drinking entirely for most alcoholics, and sought
rather to control it by reducing intake and ultimately, its effects.
The original results were heartening. Those who were encouraged to control
their drinking reported significantly more abstinent days than those for
whom the treatment goal was total abstinence (Sobell and Sobell, 1976;
1980). But early on, some writers suggested that the apparent success of the
IBTA program might be due to the enthusiasm of its practitioners (Nathan,
1980), an observation that makes sense in light of our earlier observations of
the "common ingredients of treatment." Later reports were even more pessimistic,
casting serious doubt on the original findings themselves, and suggesting
that those findings might have resulted from insufficient follow-up of
those who participated in the lETA program (Pendery, Maltzman, and
West, 1982; but see Marlatt, 1983, for a more supportive view).
Treatments that evoke enthusiasm, hope, and commitment from participants
are seen again in the help provided by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
AA describes itself as "a fellowship of men and women who share their experiences, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common
problem and help others to recover from alcoholism." By the time an
alcoholic makes first contact with AA, he or she has already acknowledged
that alcohol is a problem-an enormous first step. Subsequently, two
members of AA meet with the alcoholic and invite him or her to join the
group. The group stresses self-help, underscoring that the alcoholic controls
the drinking problem, and not vice versa. It offers group support during the
struggle to control drinking, and hope-for after all, many of the other
members of the group were once alcoholics and are now entirely abstinent.
And while receiving support from others enables one to better control the
urge to drink, giving support to people with similar problems serves much
the same purpose. Indeed, in looking back over the AA experience, reformed
alcoholics rate altruism and group cohesiveness as two of its most
helpful aspects (Emrick, Lassen, and Edwards).
Data on the effectiveness of AA, CODA, OEA and other 12 step programs, as well as the drop-out rate, are sparse and hard to come by, but what is available suggests that AA is better than no treatment at all (Emrick, Lassen, and Edwards).
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Alcoholism, Codependency or Love Addiction...Issues?
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http://food-addiction-treatment-cure.webs.com/
Alcoholism, Codependency or Love Addiction...Issues?
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http://codependency-treatment.weebly.com/