Contingency Management (CM) is a treatment used for alcohol abuse. Treatment encourages positive behavior change by providing positive reinforcement when treatment goals are achieved and refraining from rewarding or punishing undesirable behavior (Higginsn & Petry, 1999). For example, if the goal is to abstain from alcohol, abstaining from alcohol could result in a voucher to exchange for free time, while drinking alcohol would result in lack of a voucher or the need to work overtime at work. The scientific underpinnings of contingency management come from the framework of operant conditioning, which uses reinforcing and punishing consequences in order to influence (e.g. increase or decrease) behavior. The use of contingency management in cases of alcohol abuse suggests that the behavior is operant. This means that alcohol abuse is reinforced both by the automatic reinforcement of the biochemical effects of the substance on the body and by the positive reinforcement obtained by environmental factors, such as positive attention from peers. Animal research has been conducted on alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment, and results show that not only do laboratory animals exhibit patterns of AOD use and dependence similar to those human individuals, but that their behavior can be successfully manipulated by reinforcing and punishing consequences. In the same way that human individuals addicted to AOD spend time and money to continue abusing AOD, animals heavily dependent on alcohol or other drugs engage in tedious tasks ( e.g., pushing a lever) and ignore other edible reinforcers in favor of engaging in AOD. These results are important because they suggest that... middle of article ...... Second, tangible reinforcement is provided by the clinician based on the demonstration of abstinence. Third, tangible reinforcement is withheld when the patient fails to demonstrate abstinence. Fourth, the patient establishes alternative, healthier activities with the help of the clinician. Usually, but not always, CM is part of larger, more comprehensive treatment programs, but not always (Higgins, 1999). Works Cited Higgins, ST and Petry, NM (1999). Contingency management: incentives for sobriety. Alcohol Research & Health, 23(2), 122-127. Hagedorn, HJ, Noorbaloochi, S., Simon, AB, Bangerter, A., Stitzer, ML, Stetler, CB and Kivlahan, D. (2013). Rewarding early abstinence in Veterans Health Administration substance abuse clinics. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 45(1), 109-117. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2013.01.006