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Self-Control is Now as Close as your Computer
Westsider - Vitality Health Care -
Fitness - Nutrition
By Veronica Jauriqui
Dr. Marc Kern, a recovering alcoholic himself, is providing a new way to
help early stage drinkers recover from their addiction - with the help
of their PC.
It is a new, up-and-coming field in clinical psychology. Rather than the
patient going to the psychologist, treatment center or support group,
the treatment program comes to them. And it is as close as a personal
computer.
For the first time, a new computer program is available to help problem
drinkers in abstaining or moderating their drinking habits. "Behavioral
Self-Control Training for Windows 3.1" is an interactive software for
PCs that combines various treatment programs into an alternative
approach to treatment that is customized to the individual. It
determines whether or not there is a problem, keeps track of the user's
alcohol intake, shows the user how to curb his or her use of alcohol and
determines safe levels of drinking depending on the person's age,
weight, gender and other vital statistics.
The program is available through Dr. Marc E Kern, Ph.D., a clinical
psychologist in the Beverlywood area of West Los Angeles, who
specializes in addictive behavior.
"This program helps people achieve moderation using scientific
principles," Kern says, "and it is a first step, the most important step
to moving people to recovery."
Before Kern became an internationally recognized psychologist, he, too,
had a problem. His use of alcohol and drugs had begun to destroy his
work as an architect as well as his marriage.
Referred to various 12-step programs, he found the effects to be
unsuccessful and developed his own. Now his therapy program, Addiction
Alternatives, offers a customized recovery process for alcohol, drug
abuse and spending addictions.
According to Kern, as opposed to other treatment programs, Addiction
Alternatives focuses on teaching people self-management skills: how to
deal with uncomfortable mood states, how to overcome peer pressure and
how to balance time and one's schedule more efficiently.
The new software is one of the many treatment options Kern provides
through his therapy program, and is most beneficial to those people who
are in the beginning stages of their addiction, he says.
"Many people out there are ambivalent, should they stop or not," Kern
says. "But they know they have a problem."
Also, AA and other programs are designed for severe alcoholics and
provide rigid, "one size fits all" programs, according to Kern.
The software is designed for a 10-week program, with access gained
through a secret code word to ensure privacy. Users then input personal
information, age, weight, etc.
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Through a series of levels, the user will learn how to monitor drinking,
printing out graphs to chart his or her progress, how to determine
suitable alcohol intake, how to reduce the rate of drinking, how to
refuse alcohol in social situations gracefully, determine what personal
problems trigger drinking and discover alternative methods for dealing
with stressful situations.
A person can also design a contract with him or herself, using rewards
and punishments to control their addiction.
With the program, Kern provides three counseling sessions, either in
person or over the phone, where a specialized support group or
particular readings or medication can be prescribed to assist in
recovery.
"The computer program doesn't hit the nail on the head," Kern says.
"There is the drinking problem, and then there are associated problems.
We can discuss problems related to their drinking."
At the end of the process, a diploma can be printed out, and if the user
feels him or herself falling back into old patterns, the program can be
used again.
"[Treatment] is available when you want it and not when your therapist
can see you," Kern says. "If you need help, pop it into your computer at
two in the morning."
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The program was developed by Dr. Reid Hester at the University of New
Mexico, 20 years ago. The program has been tested in more than 30
controlled studies, and six months ago it was put into this computer
program.
Kern so far has exclusive rights to use the program Los Angeles and
Orange ties and provides the program to all of his patients who in for
moderation.
"We live in a health-conscious society," he says." If people are going
to be drinking and if they want to keep alcohol in their life, they need
honest scientifically-based feedback."
Also, programs designed to control anxiety and assist in depression will
be on the market soon. Kern foresees many more of these computer therapy
programs out in the coming year.
"Unlike a self-help book, these programs can adjust to a person's
demographics and history," he says. "Software can be customized."
Dr. Marc Kern, a recovering alcoholic himself, is providing a new way to
help early stage drinkers recover from their addiction - with the help
of their PC.
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