background Acceptance and commitment therapy (act) is a recent form of cognitive behavioural therapy, based on the relational frame theory (rft). act is being used to treat a wide range of problems, including addiction.
aim To review the literature on the use of act to treat addiction.
method We searched the literature systematically using PubMed en Psycinfo.
results We found 16 studies, 10 of which were rct’s. Eight studies dealt with drug problems or mixed substance problems, 7 studies focused on cigarette smoking, and only 1 publication concerned alcohol treatment. The majority of studies reported positive results for act following treatment and at follow-up.
conclusion Although more research is needed, act is shown itself to be a promising treatment for addiction.