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What is Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT)?

Dominique Simon October 27, 2014
Craft approach to addiction, Allies in Recovery, AiR, Dominique Simon-Levine, dsl, Craft approach, addiction, drug use, drug addict, loved one

Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) is a scientifically proven alternative approach to Al-Anon, for families struggling with the addiction of a loved one. It was developed by researchers at the University of New Mexico and it uses social learning and behaviorism.

CRAFT Al-Alnon Family Intervention Addiction Allies in Recovery
Illustration © Eleanor Davis

The Ingredients of CRAFT

Social learning is the idea that humans develop by observing in a social context. An individual comes across something new in their environment, perhaps something they see being modelled. This provides a reciprocal feedback that affects their thinking and behaviour going forward.

Behaviorism is a psychological principle based on how humans interact when faced with a stimulus. That stimulus might be a positive reinforcement, the removal of a positive reinforcement, or a negative reinforcement.

The CRAFT method draws on these principles and ideas to teach family members what to say, what to do, and how to behave when faced with a loved one’s drug or alcohol abuse. It’s an essential skill-set that a family member needs when they have a loved one struggling with addiction, regardless of where the loved one is with their addiction.

Finding out what works

As a family member, you get concrete suggestions based on sound psychological principles. This will help you put down what isn’t working and put that energy towards what does.

The CRAFT method includes preparation to conduct your own alcohol or drug intervention. So, in addition to knowing what to say and do, it trains the family on how to get your loved one into treatment. This includes how to deal with and overcome the resistance that many people have to getting help.

Finally, CRAFT teaches family members essential self-care skills. It helps you to become aware of the negative thought patterns and other difficulties that can chip away at the quality of your own life.

CRAFT: More Than Tough Love or Detachment

When families look for help for dealing with a loved one in active addiction, there is very little information available.  Often they don’t know how to behave or intervene. TV shows such as Intervention and Dr. Phil portray one style of intervention: a professional swoops in and works with the family to convince the person with the problem to go into treatment.

Typically, this type of process costs thousands of dollars, and demands that the treatment be already booked and paid for.

Alternatively, CRAFT teaches the family how to recognize the moments when they can do an intervention themselves, at no cost. Families learn what they need to do to get the treatment door open before they try and intervene.

Recovery is a process that takes time

The reality is, your loved one may need treatment once, or twice, or three times. Studies show it can take repeated treatment episodes for there to be any real traction in recovery. Knowing what to say and do when faced with a loved one’s addiction doesn’t end when they get into treatment. You need help dealing with your fear and anxiety at every stage of the process. You need help knowing what you are seeing, and how to react.

This isn’t tough love or simply detaching from your loved one as Al-Anon would have you do. The CRAFT method is what science shows is the most effective way to act when faced with drug or alcohol abuse. Six federally-funded clinical trials have shown that Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) outperforms anything it is compared with – including other types of alcohol or drug intervention.

CRAFT gets two-thirds of loved ones to enter treatment; drug and alcohol use is reduced by 50%; and you, the family member, will see your sadness, worry, and anger drop significantly.

CRAFT educates the family and turns them into an agent of change.

Here’s a 3 1/2 minute video from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, that highlights CRAFT for parents with a child struggling with SUD:

Learn more about how the CRAFT method can help you and your loved one.

Join our member site today to take full advantage of Allies in Recovery’s program, including 8 video modules, three blogs, and dialogue with experts in the field of treatment and recovery.

Categories: CRAFT, Learn to facilitate your own intervention
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Dominique Simon
Dominique launched Allies in Recovery in 2003. Her work has been featured on HBO and NPR. She is a facilitator and a trained speaker on issues of addiction and the family. She has worked extensively developing and evaluating federally-funded substance abuse programs for organizations and clinics throughout Massachusetts and New York. With an interest in recovery and substance abuse that spans 20 years, she sees a huge need to help families develop the skills to help a loved one recover fully in a supportive, whole, and lasting way in their families and in their communities. Her mission is to have Allies in Recovery fill that gap.

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In-Person & Virtual Recovery Resources for Your Loved One

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (AA World Services, Inc.) Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other, that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. This is an informational website for anyone interested in learning more about their organization, 12-step program of recovery, and how to find local meetings. PHONE: 212.870.3400 Click here for Online AA Meetings What is AA? What to Expect in an AA Meeting  What is Anonymity in AA?  AA INTERGROUP ONLINE MEETING FINDER IN THE ROOMS In The Rooms offers over 150+ weekly live online meetings, a variety 12-Step and Non-12- Step Fellowships, and Specialty meetings. Some of our most popular meetings are AA, NA, ACA, Al-Anon, and Nar-Anon meetings, and much more. In The Rooms has 69 live online AA meetings weekly, so there’s bound to be one that fits your schedule! We have specialty AA meetings too, like AA Pride (LGBTQ). We also have an Agnostic AA meeting, if you’re seeking a meeting without a secular approach to recovery. We have 30 NA meetings on ITR weekly. Like AA, there’s also an NA Pride meeting (LGBTQ) and an Agnostic NA meeting. For support for the family, friends, and allies of those in recovery, In The Rooms has both Al-Anon and Nar-Anon meetings, which each meeting, 1-3 times a week. We also have many other 12-step fellowship groups, like Gamblers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, and Sex Addicts Anonymous, CODA, Dual Diagnosis, and much more. If you can think of a Recovery fellowship, we probably have it.  FULL LISTING of LIVE VIRTUAL/ONLINE MEETINGS  12Step.Org We strive to provide information, tools, and resources for working a 12 Step program (or any program using 12 step principles for recovery) in as simple and effective way as possible. Online Meeting Calendar Online Video Meetings Phone Meetings Forums, Text Chats, and Email Meetings List RECOVERY DHARMA Recovery Dharma is a peer-led movement and community that is unified by our trust in the potential of each of us to recover and find freedom from the suffering of addiction. We believe that the traditional Buddhist teachings, often referred to as…