In addition to training general control mechanisms, some recent studies have demonstrated that it may be possible (and beneficial) to train participants to improve their response inhibition specifically when they are faced with substance-related cues. In two studies, Houben and colleagues (100, 101) required their participants to perform a Go/No-Go task in which alcohol-related and neutral cues were embedded. One group of participants were always required to inhibit (“No-Go”) when alcohol-related pictures were presented, and they always had to respond (“Go”) when neutral cues were presented. In a different group, these contingencies were reversed. The primary finding was that, at 1-week follow-up, participants who had consistently inhibited their responses when presented with alcohol cues reported significantly reduced alcohol consumption, compared to the group who had consistently inhibited their responses when neutral cues were presented. However, there were no significant effects on alcohol self-administration in the laboratory when measured immediately after the end of training. These results were replicated in the second study (no immediate effects on alcohol consumption, but a clear reduction in self-reported alcohol consumption at follow-up after 1
