The cognitive-motivational model of addictive behaviour of Cox and Klinger (1998; 2004; 2011) attentional mechanisms are considered proximal factors that influence a person’s decision-making about whether to use a substance or not to do so. According to the model, drinkers’ having strong current concerns for consuming substance causes their attentional system to become sensitized to substance-related stimuli. Results of several studies show that (a) substance abusers’ substance-related distraction is greater than that of non-abusers, (b) the distraction is not an artefact of drinkers’ poor executive cognitive functioning, (c) the distraction remains significant after other motivational variables have been controlled, and (d) the degree of distraction predicts abusers’ chances of recovery. Despite its importance in sustaining excessive drinking and increasing the risk of relapse, there has been no intervention directly targeting drinkers’ uncontrollable distractibility for substance-related stimuli. The current study introduces the substance Attention Control Training Programme (ACTP), which uses the computer technology to help substance abusers overcome their attentional bias for substance. The mechanisms on which the programme is established will be discussed and its components will be described. The results of various studies with Iranian and British samples indicating the effectiveness of ACTP as a substance-specific attentional training will be presented.

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