CRA and CRAFT: Behavioral Approaches to Treating Substance-Abusing Individuals‪.‬

The Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) and Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) are behavioral treatments for substance abuse problems that have received widespread empirical support. CRA, a treatment intended for the drinker him- or herself, was introduced 30 years ago (Hunt & Azrin, 1973). It is based on the belief that a drinker's "community" (e.g., family, social and job environment) plays a critical role in supporting or discouraging drinking behavior. Consequently this environment needs to be restructured such that a sober lifestyle is more rewarding than a drinking lifestyle. CRAFT, an outgrowt h of CRA, is a highly successful method for working with concerned family members in order to get a treatment-refusing substance abuser to enter treatment (Meyers & Wolfe, 2004; Sisson & Azrin, 1986). The components of both CRA and CRAFT are outlined in this paper, and the scientific support is summarized. Keywords: Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA); Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT); alcohol treatment; behavioral treatment