Definition for View source for Aversion therapy

Aversion therapy is a form of therapy that is used to reduce a behaviour through associating it with punishment. In other words, operant conditioning is used to decrease the frequency of an undesirable behaviour by following it with unpleasant consequences. Aversion therapy can be used in the treatment of alcoholism. The alcoholic is treated with a drug that makes it such that they will get sick if they drink. If they drink while on the drug they get ill, thus drinking will come to be associated with the nausea and vomiting that occurs.