Alcohol Drinking Clinical Trials

This study will examine the effects of doses of alcohol/placebo and doses of opioid/placebo, alone and in combination. The primary outcomes are related to pharmacodynamic measures (subjective ratings of drug liking and other abuse-related effects; physiological outcomes) to determine the interaction effects of these compounds. Read Less

Over one-quarter of American adults engage in hazardous drinking (i.e., a pattern of alcohol consumption that increases risk for harmful consequences), which is the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Rates of hazardous drinking are significantly higher among individuals with (vs. without) chronic pain. Moreover, 20% of individuals prescribed opioids endorse concurrent alcohol and opioid use, which may interfere with chronic pain treatment and lead to dangerous/potentially fatal health effects. No interventions to date have targeted either hazardous drinking or concurrent use of alcohol and opioids in the context of chronic pain. The current four-year R01 builds upon our past work by developing a brief, single-session, computer-based, personalized feedback intervention (PFI) designed to enhance knowledge regarding adverse pain-alcohol-opioid interrelations, increase motivation and intention to reduce hazardous drinking, and reduce positive attitudes and intention regarding concurrent use of alcohol and prescription opioid medications. Specifically, we will develop an integrated PFI for hazardous drinkers with chronic pain who are prescribed opioids (PA-PFI). Our approach will follow a staged model consistent with NIH guidelines for developing and standardizing behavioral interventions. Phase IA activities will involve collecting qualitative and quantitative feedback from three iterative focus groups (N = 21) to refine intervention content and evaluate treatment acceptability and feasibility. Phase IB activities will include a proof-of-concept and highly rigorous randomized clinical trial designed to compare PA-PFI to control PFI (C-PFI) among a sample of 174 hazardous drinkers with chronic pain who are currently prescribed opioid medications. This study represents an important and pivotal step in the larger landscape of translating basic research to more efficacious strategies for reducing hazardous drinking among underserved populations with medical comorbidities. This intervention would be highly disseminable and relevant to millions of hazardous drinkers with chronic pain. Given the collective public health impact of chronic pain, hazardous drinking, and concurrent alcohol-prescription opioid use, we believe the current study will yield findings that enhance scientific knowledge, enhance our understanding of mechanisms in reciprocal pain-alcohol-opioid relations, and inform the development of novel treatments for hazardous drinkers with chronic pain that are adaptable and easily implemented across a variety of healthcare settings. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of two programs to prevent/reduce alcohol misuse among youth primary care patients. Depending on their study condition, youth will receive a brief web-based computer program or the web program + 8 weeks of supportive text messages. Parents/caregivers of youth are encouraged to use a freely available app to guide conversations with their child about drinking. This study will have significant impact by evaluating response to these scalable interventions which can be deployed widely in clinical care settings. Read Less

This R34 will develop a theory-driven, adaptive text messaging intervention (TMI) for risky drinking in postpartum women. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to develop transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), specifically TMS at a frequency known as theta burst stimulation (TBS), to see how it affects the brain and changes the brain's response to alcohol-related pictures. TMS and TBS are stimulation techniques that use magnetic pulses to temporarily excite specific brain areas in awake people (without the need for surgery, anesthetic, or other invasive procedures). TBS, which is a form of TMS, will be applied over the medial prefrontal cortex, (MPFC), which has been shown to be involved with drinking patterns and alcohol consumption. This study will test whether TBS can be used as an alternative tool to reduce the desire to use alcohol and reducing the brain's response to alcohol-related pictures. Read Less

HIV transmission remains a significant public health concern, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). Condomless anal intercourse (CAI) continues to be the major route of transmission for MSM. Thus, to reduce the incidence of HIV, it is critical to identify how contextual risk factors influence CAI and develop behavioral strategies that modify risk factors directly or reduce their influence on behavior. This study will examine the mechanisms through which one of the central contextual risk factors, heavy drinking, influences sexual decision processes in the natural environment and test the benefit of a brief intervention designed to reduce sexual risk behavior among those who engage in heavy drinking. Read Less

The goal of this study is to learn more about how a nutritional supplement "ketone ester" (deltaG ®) has an effect on brain and heart function and on alcohol consumption in individuals with and without alcohol use disorder. The study will use Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) scans after a single dose of ketone ester or Placebo in 10 people with alcohol use disorder and 10 healthy control volunteers. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of our brief online program when compared to those who don't complete the program at all. Read Less

Emerging adult risky drinkers living in disadvantaged communities often have limited access to rewarding activities and adult roles that offer alternatives to heavy drinking. Guided by behavioral economics, this cluster randomized controlled trial will evaluate a brief behavioral intervention aimed at increasing future orientation and engaging pro-social alternatives to drinking delivered using a peer-driven sampling method and digital platform well suited for accessing their social networks. Read Less

Despite bariatric surgery being the most effective weight loss intervention for patients who are severely obese, as many as 1 in 5 patients will develop an alcohol use disorder after their surgery. Changes in metabolism, hormone levels, and behavior as a result of bariatric surgery alter the rewarding effects of alcohol while concurrently changing its absorption rate, putting patients at significantly elevated risk of hazardous drinking. Simply providing education to this vulnerable patient population about post-surgical risks has not been sufficient to reduce alcohol use, yet comprehensive in-person interventions are met with significant challenges, including hours-long distances between patients and their bariatric surgery programs. Thus, the long-term goal is to increase access to an empirically-supported intervention for reducing alcohol use among patients who undergo bariatric surgery by leveraging technology. This intervention, rooted in motivational interviewing and the transtheoretical model, is a two-session computerized brief intervention CBI, supplemented by six months of tailored text messaging based on participants CBI results and subsequent fluctuations in their readiness to change. The purpose of the proposed study is to optimize this technology-based intervention for patients who undergo bariatric surgery and to examine feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. In the first phase, patient interviews will be utilized to identify preferences for intervention content and treatment delivery. Ten patients will then participate in an open trial of the intervention, which will be subsequently revised based on feedback from these patients. In Phase 2, patients will be recruited between 3 and 6 months following bariatric surgery and randomized to the intervention or treatment as usual control group. All patients will complete baseline questionnaires and at 1, 3, 6, and 9 month post-assessments. The investigators expect that this intervention will be both feasible and acceptable to patients. Results will be used as preliminary data to inform a large, fully-powered clinical trial to test the larger efficacy of this intervention. Read Less

Early identification in individuals with bipolar disorder who are at risk for AUDs could inform novel intervention strategies and improve life-long outcomes. The primary objective of this protocol is to use alcohol administration procedures and alcohol biosensor technology to investigate responses to alcohol, compared to placebo, and relationship with parental risk for alcohol use disorders and/or bipolar disorder in young adults. Baseline clinical, cognitive, and behavioral assessments will be completed in 100 young adults (21-26 years; 50% women, no history of AUDs>mild). Participants would be equally divided among those with parental history of bipolar disorder but not AUDs, parental history of bipolar disorder and AUDs, parental history of AUDs but not bipolar disorder, and typically developing age- and sex-matched controls with no parental history of mood disorders or AUDs (N=25 per group). Then, while wearing Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring [SCRAM] sensors, participants will complete within-person, counter-balanced, beverage sessions (following standard beverage administration procedures) in a simulated bar laboratory. Changes in heart rate, body sway and subjective self-report measurements of intoxication will also be completed while under the influence of alcohol or placebo. Specifically, individual differences in transdermal alcohol concentration (the primary data output from SCRAM sensors), physiological changes (e.g. heart rate), and the experience of stimulating, sedative, and anxiolytic effects of alcohol (measured with self-report surveys) will be investigated and differences between parental risk subgroups and healthy comparison participants investigated. Differences in transdermal alcohol concentration collected while under the influence of alcohol will be the primary data outcome assessed. Changes in heart rate, body sway, and experience of stimulating, sedative, and anxiolytic effects (from self-report survey data) while under the influence of alcohol compared to placebo session will also be investigated. Additionally, associations between objective and subjective responses to alcohol and drinking patterns will be explored (secondary outcome). The primary endpoint of the study will be after completion of both alcohol and placebo beverage conditions. Read Less

This study aims to develop and pilot test the efficacy of a "Drinking Dashboard" providing participants weekly feedback on the risk factors and consequences of blackout. Read Less