Here's an interesting game/program coming right out of ol' North Carolina by way of Duke University. The game is one that simulates a crackhouse and the cravings drug users can feel to get their next high. The game is meant to be a way to help fight against addiction and help people out. Very interesting.

From the article:

Rosenthal told ABC that cravings are learned behavior. Hopefully, the game will teach addicts not to crave. Here’s how it works:

When temptation arises [in game]… the patient rates his or her own craving level. But the magic moment comes when a high craving subsides, which it does, because the patient won’t be taking drugs in the virtual world.

The therapist tries to tie that moment, when a craving subsides, to a trigger, like a tone. So the addict eventually learns to associate the sound with the sensation of decreased craving…

For example, if an addict ends up in a [real world] tempting situation, he or she can take out the phone donated by the program, dial a number and hear that tone. The addict remembers the sound learned in the therapy session, and the craving should subside.

Read the full article over at gamepolitics.com