Published November 12, 2021 · Reviewed by Sergey Litvinov, MD · ~653 words

You have asked and argued and probably threatened, and the person you love still will not go. The community reinforcement approach, or CRA, was built for that situation. It works through the family, who learn how to move the person toward accepting help, and it has done well with adolescents. At Pines Recovery Life Detox we run a community reinforcement and family training (CRAFT) program. You can learn more about the community reinforcement approach for addiction treatment from our team by calling 800.263.3869 or filling out our online form.

What is the community reinforcement approach?

Families have usually been handed two options: keep covering for the person, or withdraw all emotional and financial support and hope that works. CRAFT is the middle ground, and it makes it far more likely your loved one agrees to drug and alcohol detox.

The approach teaches family members what actually triggers the substance use, and how to talk to each other differently once they can see it.

What does CRAFT involve?

You and your therapist set goals and look hard at what the substance is doing for you. Then you work out what else could do the same job.

CRAFT brings family into the sessions and the goal setting, so the household is working as one instead of against itself.

Some of the transferable skills learned in CRAFT include:

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Job-hunting skills

Clinicians have used the community reinforcement approach since the 1970s. It is an accepted evidence-based technique.

CRAFT at Pines Recovery Life Detox

The approach comes out of operant conditioning, which works with rewards and consequences. In the CRAFT program at Pines Recovery Life Detox, you build your days around people and activities that reward staying sober, until those rewards start to stand in for what the drinking or the drug use gave you. Real friendships are one of them.

Does the community reinforcement approach for addiction treatment work?

The short-term results are strong. With your therapist you go through what the drinking or the drug use has cost you, and you learn the disease model of substance use and how to stay away from it. The core principles hold up against the data.

At Pines Recovery Life Detox we look at the whole family, so CRAFT runs alongside our other detox therapies:

• Inpatient detox
• Group therapy
• Individual therapy
• Women’s detox
• Men’s detox

Used with the other programs, it lowers the chance of relapse.

Learn more about the community reinforcement approach for addiction treatment

Bringing the family in matters most with adolescents and teenagers, and it has worked for families we have treated. If you are ready to start, contact Pines Recovery Life Detox through our online form or call 800.263.3869 to ask what CRAFT would look like for your family.