Guided Self-Change Prevention Program for Alcohol Abuse in Adolescents in Educational Settings (PREVENALC)

This study corresponds to a pretest-posttest randomized experimental design with two arms. Arm 1 includes Guided Self-Change program, and Arm 2 a psychoeducational program to promote healthy habits. This study aims to analyze the efficacy of a selective and indicated prevention program based on the Guided Self-Change model (GSC) in adolescent alcohol users between 16-18 years. Researchers hypothesize that implementation of GSC therapy will lead to a greater reduction of alcohol drinkers compare with the control condition, and will prevent alcohol abuse after 6 and 12 months.

The GSC program follows a motivational cognitive-behavioral approach designed to minimize resistance in drug behavior changes, prevent relapse risk, and increase motivation to quit. The GSC consists of 5 weekly sessions of 50 minutes delivered in groups of 20-25 people.

The psychoeducational program will include talks about healthy habits such as physical activity, relaxation, and sleep hygiene. This intervention consists of 5 weekly sessions of 50 minutes delivered in groups of 20-25 people.

Alcohol abuse will be assessed using the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (White & Labouvie, 1989). The global score ranges from 0 to 69, where higher scores represent greater level of alcohol-related problems.

Alcohol dependence will be assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-5 (Grant et al., 2015).

Impulsiveness will be assessed with the Impulsive Behavior Scale (Cyders et al., 2014). The global score ranges from 20 to 80, where higher scores represent greater level of impulsivity.

Sleep will be assessed with different sleep measures, such as the Brief version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (Sancho-Domingo et al., 2021). The global score of the B-PSQI ranges from 0 to 15, where higher scores represent poor sleep quality.

Inclusion Criteria: 16-18 years old. Having inform consent from parents Report using alcohol at least once a month during the previous last three months Exclusion Criteria: Participants will be excluded if they refer being diagnosed with a severe mental disorder. Have a severe medical illness that will limit participation Being under treatment for a psychological of psychiatric problem. Meet DSM criteria for Drug dependence to illegal drugs.