What is CRAFT?

Mother and sons on bench swing laughing

What is CRAFT?

CRAFT is a system for helping friends and family members change the way that they interact with someone they love who is drinking or using drugs too much. CRAFT teaches family members how to stay connected, increase communication, and effectively encourage their loved one towards treatment, while taking care of themselves in the process. Unlike family therapy which would include the loved one, this approach is just for the friends and family members...that’s YOU!

The amazing thing about family members is that they know a ton about their loved one who uses drugs or drinks alcohol. They know when the person drinks, what they are like when using drugs or alcohol, what the person's moods are when they are intoxicated, what the person is like when they aren’t, and what is important to them in the long run. The family member has tons of information, but doesn't know what to do with it.

That's Where CRAFT comes in.

CRAFT (Community Reinforcement Approach to Family Training) originated at the University of New Mexico and was developed by Robert Meyers, Ph.D. and colleagues. Research on CRAFT shows that approaching 70% of families who receive CRAFT are able to help their loved ones start treatment within a year (Miller, Meyers, & Tonigan, 1999). CRAFT also helps family members improve their own lives, whether their loved one ends up seeking treatment or not.

 

CRAFT teaches family members how to:

  1. Understand why their loved one is drinking or using they way that they are… and how to use that information to encourage a new path forward.

  2. Improve communication skills to more effectively express their needs and requests.

  3. Improve empathetic listening skills to increase connection, collaboration, understanding, and respect.

  4. Have conversations about use and treatment in a way that ultimately encourages recovery.

  5. Help their loved one access effective addiction treatment resources once they express interest in treatment.

  6. Notice when things are going well, even if it is just 1% or 2% change in a positive direction, and encourage their loved one to continue that small, sustainable change.

  7. Discern which world consequences of using or drinking they are willing to have their loved ones experience… and which ones they are not.

  8. Set and maintain boundaries in ways that are both effective and kind.

  9. Learn or re-learn how to take care of themselves and reconnect with their values so that, regardless of their loved one’s use, they can still lead a life that is centered on their values and not their loved one’s drug/alcohol use.

  10. Help family members identify triggers for violence and develop plans to keep themselves (and their children) safe, if violence or the potential for violence exists.

Mug of coffee with word "begin"

How does this sound so far?

Ready to start? Jump to the bottom of the page to learn about the many ways to learn these skills and perspectives.

Want to read more? Keep scrolling to learn more about CRAFT!


How is CRAFT different from other approaches for dealing with someone who is addicted to alcohol or substances?

CRAFT vs. Interventions

The most common type of intervention used is the Johnson Intervention, which was developed by Vernon Johnson in the 1960s. The basic ideas behind this type of intervention are:  1.) a person with addiction is in extreme denial about their use of substances; 2.) only direct confrontation with family members about the negative effects of their use will enable the person to seek treatment (Jaffe, 2010; Meyers et al., 2005).

In an intervention, an interventionist or counselor meets with family members and concerned others (e.g., friends, partners, employers of the loved one) prior to the actual intervention and helps them prepare for the meeting (i.e., the intervention). During the intervention the interventionist helps guide the family members and concerned others express the effects of their loved one’s use in a factual and non-judgmental way. If the person is willing to accept help, then treatment options will be presented to them.

Research on the Johnson Intervention shows that it can be effective for getting people with addictions into treatment, but that only 30% of family members are willing to actually go through with the intervention after being trained, probably because the method is so confrontational (Meyers et al., 2005).

CRAFT is more effective than the Johnson Intervention in getting people with addictions into treatment, as more families actually go through with using it (approaching 70% of families who learned CRAFT were able to get their loved ones into treatment within a year, Miller, Meyers, & Tonigan, 1999)

 

Additionally, CRAFT differs from the Johnson Intervention in several other ways:

  • CRAFT is non-confrontational. In CRAFT, you will not learn to confront your loved one to break through their denial. Instead, you will learn how to break your unintentional participation in patterns related to their loved one’s use. You will learn how to stop your engagement in these patterns in ways that keep you safe, set appropriate boundaries, and are consistent with the type of person you want to be. For example, a mother who often calls her son’s employer to say that he is too sick to come into work, when he is really too hungover to come into work, might stop making these calls. Instead, she might calmly express that she is no longer willing to call in sick for her son and offer to help him get ready for work if he wishes to do so.

  • CRAFT is about learning skills to improve your relationship with yourself and with your loved one. In CRAFT, you will learn practical skills that you can tailor to your own unique situation to help disengage yourself from the pattern of your loved one’s use. You will also learn ways to take back your life from your loved one’s addiction and to reconnect with the things that are important to you.

  • CRAFT gives you the power to invite changes in your loved one and make changes in your own lives. Instead of a time-limited intervention where you learn skills on how to confront your loved one, you will learn skills that you can use throughout your life and in many different domains.

  • Although CRAFT does not teach confrontation, it does teach invitation. Family members are taught how to take advantage of windows of opportunity for having difficult conversations and how to talk about treatment in a way that is more interesting for their loved one. And if the conversation doesn’t how you had hoped? We teach you how to respond to that too!

Neon words "and breathe" against green foliage

CRAFT vs. Al-Anon/Nar-Anon

Al-Anon and similar groups (e.g., Nar-Anon) are mutual peer support groups made up of relatives of people with addictions. Al-Anon and Nar-anon are probably the most well-known of these groups. Al-Anon and Nar-Anon are based on the AA and NA models, but are focused on the relative’s experiences of loving a person with an addiction. Like AA and NA, Al-Anon and Nar-Anon have a spiritual (but not specific to one religion) element and use the 12 steps (the 12 steps are similar to the 12 steps in AA/NA, but emphasize the relative’s experiences) to help members cope with their loved ones’ drinking or drug use.

From the limited number of research studies done on Al-Anon/Nar-Anon, it appears that Al-Anon and Nar-Anon improve family members’ well-being, but isn’t very effective in getting the person with the addiction into treatment (Meyers, Villanueva, & Smith, 2005). In fact, in a study done in 1999 (Miller, Meyers, & Tonigan), approximately 1 in 10 family members who took part in Al-Anon were able to get their loved ones into treatment.

To be honest, it’s unfair to compare Al-Anon with CRAFT as Al-Anon wasn’t ever intended to have the goal of inviting change in the loved one…it’s goal is to simply to provide support and benefit for the family members affected. However, as Al-Anon is often the only resource that is suggested to family members, it makes sense to compare the two.

Older couple holding hands walking by water

CRAFT differs from the Al-Anon/Nar-Anon in the following ways:

  • There is little to no spiritual focus in CRAFT. If a family member wishes to include spiritual or religious practices or communities as part of the skills he/she learns in CRAFT they are welcome to do so; however, there is no emphasis on using or having a “higher power” in CRAFT. That said, some CRAFT-based resources do incorporate faith into their work, so if this is important to you, there are options available!

  • In CRAFT you will be empowered to make changes to your loved one and your own life. Unlike Al-Anon/Nar-Anon, you do not need to admit that you are powerless to stop your loved one’s drinking or use. Instead, you will learn ways to help your loved one stop or reduce his/her drug or alcohol use and how to take back your life from your loved one’s addiction.

  • There are no “steps” in CRAFT. You will learn skills that you can use at various times and in various situations. Although there is a sequence of learning that is often helpful to follow, once you learn the skills you will be able to use them to best fit your needs and unique situations.

  • CRAFT can be done one-on-one with a provider or in a group of other family members or on your own through books or videos.


Here's how to learn more!

There’s lots of different ways to learn more about CRAFT and one size doesn’t fit all!

  • If you like books, videos, or websites, check out our resource page.

  • If attending an ongoing CRAFT-based group for support and information sounds interesting to you, check out our Ongoing Online Groups page.

  • Prefer to attend a training, workshop, or retreat (either online or in person?), Here’s a whole list of Events for Families, updated multiple times a week.

  • Want to work with a provider one-on-one? Check out our ever expanding Provider Directory!

  • And if you are interested in bringing this work into your community as a provider (family peer mentor, group facilitator, clinician, admin, etc.) please check out the support and community available for CRAFT-based providers on our Provider Overview page!

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