Computer-Based CBT as a Stand-Alone Therapy for Substance Abuse

A commercially available form of computer-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an effective add-on treatment for substance use disorders. In a first-of-its-kind, controlled, 12-week study, researchers examined its efficacy as a stand-alone approach in 137 patients with assorted substance use disorders (chiefly, cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol; combined alcohol and drug use, 82%). One author is a member of the commercial entity for the product.

Randomization groups were balanced for demographics, primary substance, and familiarity with computers. Treatment arms were computer-based CBT (weekly sessions including 10 minutes of clinician monitoring), weekly manual-based clinician-delivered CBT, and standard treatment (we…