Self Management and Recovery Training (SMART) Recovery Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study identifies whether and how online support groups may work to confer therapeutic benefits onto its participants.

Detailed Description
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Online support groups (e.g., SMART Recovery) are an increasingly common non-professional intervention for people who engage in problematic alcohol use, but it is unclear how they help participants reduce their use. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether alcohol use decreases more after attending online SMART Recovery psychoeducational support group meetings, as compared to receiving psychoeducational content alone. The secondary objectives are to identify whether variables such as quality of life and recovery capital (i.e., resources to support recovery from addiction) relate to treatment outcomes.

Official Title
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Self Management and Recovery Training (SMART) Recovery Involvement and Alcohol Use Outcomes

Conditions
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Alcohol Use Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Support Group
* Other: Psychoeducational Email


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Is fluent in English and have a 6th grade reading level or higher AUDIT score of ≥8 Has some desire to cut down or quit their alcohol use Has access to a phone or computer with reliable internet connection, a functional microphone and camera Is willing to consent to being audio and video recorded during the meetings Exclusion Criteria: Is not able to commit to the 6 weeks of intervention and the one- and three-month follow-up. Has vulnerable population status (e.g., pregnant people, prisoners)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 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: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Psychoeducation Condition<br>Participants receive a weekly email with a Qualtrics survey link containing psychoeducational content. | Other: Psychoeducational Email<br>* Participants receive a weekly email with a Qualtrics survey link containing psychoeducational content.<br>|
| Experimental: Support Group Condition<br>Participants will attend six weekly online SMART Recovery meetings in groups of five to eight. | Behavioral: Support Group<br>* Support Group condition, meetings will be held online via HIPAA-compliant Zoom and run by a trained SMART Recovery meeting facilitator<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in past-month alcohol use: drinking days | Timeline Follow-back (TLFB) will be used via survey to characterize changes in alcohol and other drug use for study participants. Percent Drinking Days will be derived from self-report on TLFB. | Baseline, 1 month and 3 months | 
| Change in past-month alcohol drug use: heavy drinking days | Timeline Follow-back (TLFB) will be used via survey to characterize changes in alcohol and other drug use for study participants. Percent Heavy Drinking Days will be derived from self-report on TLFB. | Baseline, 1 month and 3 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Quality of Life | Quality of life will be assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF via survey; a 26-item self-report measure of quality of life in four domains. Scores range from 1-5. Each domain score is averaged. Higher scores indicate higher quality of life. . | Baseline, 1 month and 3 months | 
| Change in recovery capital | Recovery capital will be assessed using the Assessment of Recovery Capital via survey; A 50-item self-report measure of recovery capital with ten domains; each item is rated in binary, score ranges from 0-50; higher scores indicate higher recovery capital. | Baseline, 1 month and 3 months |