Drug Effect Expectancies and Addictive Behavior Change

While expectancies are considered an important factor in the etiology of addiction, less is known about expectancies for drugs other than alcohol, and there has been little effort to systematically incorporate expectancies into programs designed to change addictive behavior. This report reviews the expectancy construct and the role of expectancies in the development of substance abuse. Cognitive and behavioral strategies for changing substance use expectancies and the means by which expectancies may facilitate changes in addictive behaviors are described. Examples of strategies to incorporate expectancy-based change efforts into clinical intervention for addictive behavior are presented.