Effects of a New Behavioral Intervention on Alcohol Craving and Drinking

Summary

Background:

Sights, sounds, and smells can be associated with alcohol and tempt people to drink. The connection between encountering cues and wanting to drink might be reduced by behavioral techniques, like giving the cues at certain times, in certain circumstances.

Objective:

To see if visual imagery and behavioral techniques can reduce alcohol craving and drinking.

Eligibility:

Healthy people ages 21 to 65 years old who are mildly concerned about their drinking and have had these habits in the past 3 months:

* Women: More than three (3) drinks any single day or more than seven (7) drinks per week
* Men: More than four (4) drinks any single day or more than 14 drinks per week

Design:

* Participants will be screened with medical history, physical exam, blood tests, alcohol breath tests, hepatitis tests, and alcohol and drug use questionnaires.
* Participants will get a smartphone to carry throughout the study. They will use it to report on their drinking, moods, and activities daily. The phone's global positioning system (GPS) will record their locations throughout each day.
* There will be six (6) study visits approximately over four (4) weeks. Visits will last up to four (4) hours, but the final visit may last up to seven (7) hours. Visits include the following:

* Not drinking alcohol or using illicit or over-the-counter drugs at least 24 hours before each visit
* Providing urine and breath samples.
* Exposure to various cues: Participants' reactions will be monitored by measuring heart rate, blood pressure, and skin temperature.
* Drinking alcohol or soft drinks: For visits with alcohol, transportation to and from the visit will be provided.
* About a month after the last visit, participants will be called to ask about their drinking and cravings.

Conditions

• Alcohol Drinking
• Alcohol Drinking Related Problems

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Retrieval-extinction

Memory retrieval-extinction is a novel behavioral procedure for reduction of craving and drinking in problem drinkers.

BEHAVIORAL

Alcohol-related cues

Alcohol related cues

BEHAVIORAL

Soft-drink related cues

Soft drink related cues

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  lead NIH

Principal Investigators

• David H Epstein, M.D, Ph.D. · National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

21 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-05-05

Primary Completion

2020-04-21

Completion

2020-04-21

Countries

• United States

Study Locations