Overcoming Addictions: Skills Training for People with Schizophrenia

Treating substance abuse in people who have schizophrenia is difficult even when hallucinations and delusions are under control. Residual symptoms, poor interpersonal skills, and learning disabilities make it hard to learn to cope with situations that promote drug use. Overcoming Addictions tackles these obstacles to successful treatment. This manual helps therapists teach groups of individuals with schizophrenia how to avoid drugs and alcohol, recognize signs that they may be headed toward relapse, and build healthy habits and healthy pleasures into their daily routine. The book emphasizes an attitude of acceptance, tolerance, and optimism toward patients. Each chapter includes suggested scripts for use in training sessions. Patients attend three types of training: basic training, which consists of eight 45-minute sessions designed to engage and motivate new patients while teaching basic relapse prevention concepts; skills training, which includes twenty-seven 45-minute sessions in which patients role-play nine specific skills (e.g., how to say "no" to a pushy dealer) after viewing the Substance Abuse Management Module (SAMM) Skills Illustration Videotape; and practice sessions, in which group members apply the concepts they have learned to real-life situations.The Substance Abuse Management Module Skills Illustration Videotape is used during the skills training and is designed to accompany Overcoming Addictions. In realistic settings, actors model the nine skills taught during the skills training sessions.