Jaime L. Milford’s research while affiliated with University of New Mexico and other places

The Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) and Community reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) are both highly effective and empirically validated psychosocial approaches to the treatment of addictions whose unique designs may help achieve certain public health objectives. Literature will be reviewed to examine the potential impact of CRA and CRAFT on the dissemination ofevidenced-based practice at a public policy level. Through developing relationships with one another, practitioners, social scientists and policy makers may find that they can assist each other in advancingpublic health through the de-stigmatization of addictions and the promotion of evidence-based practices.

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 onthe 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.