Control Your Cravings: A Web-Based Transdiagnostic Self-Management Program

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Craving, when viewed as a compelling desire to consume a potentially harmful substance or to engage in a potentially harmful act, has been increasingly targeted for basic research, clinical assessment, and treatment. The management of cravings is a critical component of treatment for self- regulatory problems such as substance and alcohol abuse, overeating, gambling, smoking, or impulsive sexual behavior. The use of technology as an adjunct to traditional treatment is apromising vehicle for the delivery of scientifically sound psychoeducation to large numbers of individuals at relatively low cost. The long-term goal of Phases I and II is the development of the Control Your Cravings Program (CYCP), a web-based, psycho-educational self-help system to supplement treatment for self-regulatory disorders. The CYCP could also serve as a component of a stepped care program providing less expensive care first, as a supplement to traditional interventions, and as a relapse prevention tool. The program is likely to be maximally effective when employed in conjunction with face-to-face Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and/or anti-craving medication. The web- based program will be deployed via our Goalistics Self-Management Software (GSMS), a flexible and customizable web-based framework for the delivery of self-management programs. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The long-term goal of the proposed project is the development and testing of the effectiveness of the Control Your Cravings Program (CYCP), a web-based psychoeducational self-help system for adults with self- regulatory problems that involve cravings, such as smoking, overeating, alcohol and substance abuse, or gambling. The program could serve to supplement traditional interventions or as a standalone product. The CYCP is based on fundamental cognitive-behavioral approaches to the management of cravings that have been effectively applied in clinical practice, group interventions, and self-hel books. The CYCP has the potentialto provide scientifically sound information to large numbers of individuals at low cost.