Operant conditioning has a common sense element. When we reward
a behavior, it increases.Addiction is a learned behavior because
the initial pleasure or enjoyment was rewarding. According to the
principles of operant conditioning, rewarded behaviors will
increase.
Punishment is also an important factor when dealing with
addiction. If a major punishment takes place very early on in
substance use, than an addiction may be prevented from
developing.
The basic idea is to reward addicted people for making
healthier, recovery-oriented choices. However, research has made it
very clear: The rewards must have some value, and the reward must
be substantial.
Therapists also use classical conditioning to diminish and/or
eliminate many types of unwanted behaviors. This includes addictive
behaviors. Aversion therapy is one application of classical
conditioning. I
In aversion therapy, we intentionally form a paired association
between an unwanted behavior and an unpleasant experience. For
instance, we can administer a drug that causes someone to become
horribly nauseous and vomit if s/he ingests even the slightest bit
of alcohol. This intentionally forms a paired association between
alcohol and vomiting. Prior to the aversion therapy, a person would
ordinarily associate alcohol with positive feelings. After aversion
therapy, alcohol is associated with nausea and vomiting. For many
aversion therapy patients even the thought of drinking elicits
feelings of nausea.