Implicit processes and drug addiction: Theory, assessment and future directions

Abstract

Recent studies have investigated the implicit cognitive mechanisms that influence the decision to use drugs and drug use behavior, such as attentional bias and reactivity to cues. Those responses are automatically elicited and can increase vulnerability to addiction and relapse. This review aimed to present theoretical perspective of dual-process models of addictive behaviors and to discuss the influence of automatic processes in drug intake, how they can be assessed, and techniques to directly modify them. The results suggest that implicit measures can assess the automatic mechanisms more accurately than explicit measures. Therefore, it is suggested that interventions aimed at the transformation of implicit cognitions can be effective alternatives for the treatment of addictive behaviors.