G. Alan Marlatt

Relapse prevention is a cognitive-behavioral approach developed by Marlatt and Judith Curry in the 1980s that teaches people with addictive behaviors to identify high-risk situations and develop coping strategies to maintain behavior change. The model emphasizes that a single lapse does not inevitably lead to a full relapse, a concept Marlatt called the abstinence violation effect.

Marlatt spent most of his career at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he directed the Addictive Behaviors Research Center. He passed away in 2011 after a long and influential career in clinical psychology.

The abstinence violation effect describes the psychological reaction in which a person who has committed to total abstinence from a substance interprets a single lapse as proof of total failure, increasing the likelihood of continued use. Marlatt argued that reframing a lapse as a learning opportunity rather than a catastrophe can prevent a full relapse.

Marlatt studied addictive behaviors across a range of populations, including people with alcohol and drug problems, and he conducted innovative research on harm reduction with college student drinkers. He also developed culturally adapted interventions, notably for alcohol use among Native American and Alaska Native communities.