Financially Sustainable Remote Treatment for Alcohol Abuse: Feasibility

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Directly reinforcing abstinence from alcohol with monetary incentives is an effective treatment for alcohol dependence, but barriers in obtaining frequent, verified biochemical measures of abstinence limit the dissemination of this treatment approach. The goal of this feasibility study is to use a breathalyzer and cost-controlling deposit contracts to facilitate a contingency-management intervention to reduce alcohol use that requires no in-person contact between the participants and the study staff during the intervention phase.

Official Title
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Financially Sustainable Remote Treatment for Alcohol Abuse: Feasibility

Conditions
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Alcohol Use Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Contingency management: Contingent incentives
* Behavioral: Contingency management: Noncontingent incentives


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: At least 18 years old Provide written informed consent Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual criteria for alcohol use disorder Express a desire to cut down or quit drinking Be willing to pay a $75 deposit toward their incentive fund Exclusion Criteria: Pregnant or lactating Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual criteria for other substance use disorder (except caffeine or nicotine) Score 23 or greater on the Alcohol Withdrawal Symptom Checklist Have immediate plans to move out of the area

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 90 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Contingent<br>The Contingent group will receive nearly immediate monetary payments over the internet each day they remotely provide negative breathalyzer samples, but will not receive the payments if they provide positive samples or fail to provide samples in a timely manner. | Behavioral: Contingency management: Contingent incentives<br>* Monetary incentives are delivered to participants contingent upon on- time breathalyzer submissions and verified abstinence from alcohol.<br>|
| Sham Comparator: Noncontingent<br>The Noncontingent group will receive payments each day they successfully provide samples independent of the alcohol content of those samples. | Behavioral: Contingency management: Noncontingent incentives<br>* Monetary incentives are delivered to participants contingent upon on- time breathalyzer submissions only with no contingency on alcohol use.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Percent days abstinent from alcohol during intervention | Three breathalyzer assessments will be collected per day during the treatment period. This outcome measure will consist of the percent days when all three breathalyzers were on time and negative for alcohol. | Percent days abstinent is the aggregate measure throughout the 21-day intervention period | 
| Treatment acceptability | Participant ratings of treatment acceptability will be collected during assessment sessions | Baseline, one day after treatment end, and at a one-month follow-up |