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Virtual Reality as a strategy for improving the treatment of smoking

Abstract:

Smoking is currently one of the biggest problems of public health. Multicomponent treatments, which incorporate three intervention stages (preparation, quitting, and maintenance), are considered the treatment of choice for this problem. However, the high rates of relapse after the intervention make it necessary to incorporate more effective relapse prevention strategies within this kind of programs. For many authors, craving is the cause of most cases of resuming consumption. Cue Exposure Treatment, CET, consist of controlled and repeated exposure to stimuli associated with substance use, in order to reduce craving associated with these situations. On the other hand, recent studies have shown that exposure through virtual settings seems to be a more efficient strategy to present cues than exposure using other procedures. In this paper, cue exposure treatment through virtual reality enviroments are proposed in order to improve smoking cessation treatments. © Health and Addictions / Salud y Drogas.