Psychiatr. praxi. 2025;26(3):202-205 | DOI: 10.36290/psy.2025.033

Exposure and cue-exposure therapy in addiction treatment - discussion of reservations

MUDr. Milan Beniš^{1, 2}, MUDr. Jiří Podlipný, Ph.D.^{1, 2, 3}

¹ Psychiatrická klinika Fakultní nemocnice Plzeň, Plzeň

² Univerzita Karlova, Lékařská fakulta v Plzni, Plzeň

³ Psychiatrická ordinace Duševní zdraví, s. r. o., Planá

Techniques using exposure in the treatment of mental disorders are widespread, well-known and usually have well-founded effectiveness. In the treatment of addiction, cue-exposure therapy (CET) based on the principle of exposure is mainly used. However, some therapists and experts from the community of people treating substance dependence criticize the use of exposure treatments. Their reservations have the character of ethical considerations, principled contradictions and doubts. These reservations are most often heard in discussions and have the character of an expert opinion. It is also true that reservations cannot be found in publications, or it is impossible to find what evidence they are supported by. We can suggest narrowing these reservations to an overview of the evidence, including evidence of the effectiveness of individual interventions and therapeutic approaches. However, we do not want to limit the debate on this topic with this article.

Keywords: addiction treatment, exposure treatment, cue-exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy.

Accepted: October 15, 2025; Published: November 6, 2025  Show citation