Virtual Reality (VR) facilitated cue exposure to reduce craving - FuturiZe discussion and demo

Craving is of great importance in determining and alcohol-drinking behaviour in those with alcohol problems. Cue-exposure therapy (CET) aims to elicit both subjective and physiological craving in a controlled setting, with the goal of extinguishing the urge to drink. VR technology adds effectiveness to CET because of its capacity to induce greater subjective and physiological craving, which in turn prompts the generalization of treatment effects to real world, daily life activities. ALCO-VR is a project led by the University of Barcelona that aims to develop and validate a VR clinical tool to reduce craving and anxiety elicited by the exposure to alcohol-related stimuli. The ALCO-VR device will be exhibited and available to try out throughout the duration of Lisbon Addictions 2019 in the Futures Zone, room F2.

This activity will be run by Alexandra Ghita and Bruno Porras (researchers at the University of Barcelona) who will first review the current evidence, existing applications, potential, and challenges of using VR in addictions. They will then report on the results of the ongoing ALCO-VR project, conducted in patients with AUD with a history of multiple relapses, and offer an on-screen demonstration of the VR environment designed for cue exposure with the help of a volunteer, followed by a question-and-answer based discussion with the participants.

Two workshops: from 15:00 to 15:45 and 15:45 to 16:30.