Objective: The effectiveness of self-help materials may be constrained by failures to undertake recommended exercises or to deploy the techniques that one has learned at the critical moment. The present randomized controlled trial investigated whether augmenting self-help materials with if-then plans (or implementation intentions) could overcome…

Forty-eight patients undergoing inpatient detoxification for alcohol dependence were assigned to either brief advice (BA) to attend Alcoholics Anonymous or a motivational enhancement for 12-step involvement (ME-12) intervention that focused on increasing involvement in 12-step self-help groups. Attendance at 12-step groups did not differ…

Examined the role of attributions in initial and long-term smoking behavior change. Manipulated the externality of treatment. Subjects receiving nicotine gum were superior to the intrinsic self-help group in initial cessation but were inferior in maintaining abstinence. Subjects in the intrinsic self-help group made fewer external attributions for…

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (n=34) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions for 8 weeks: individualized cognitive treatment, support group, or control. Results indicated significantly greater reductions in gastrointestinal symptoms and amelioration of depression and anxiety for the cognitive therapy group, and these results…

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and behavior therapy have been characterized as having opposing views of alcoholism. This article describes theoretical foundations, view of the change process, and treatment practices of AA and behavior therapy. Theoretical and practice perspectives on integration of the two models are examined, and advantages and…