Active clinical trials for "Alcoholism"

The overall objective of this research is to use both qualitative and quantitative data to inform the development of a technology-based intervention for heavy drinking and sexual risk behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM) who are seeking free HIV testing. Investigators will be conducting a randomized-controlled pilot test of the intervention among MSM seeking HIV testing in community-based settings to explore its potential impact on alcohol and HIV-related behavioral outcomes. This research will ultimately produce a combined, theory-based, and technology- delivered intervention for heavy drinking and sex risk that is fully portable and has been preliminarily tested for efficacy in community settings where high-risk MSM engage with prevention services.

This study will be the first to explore mindfulness as a prevention intervention among transition age youth and those with previous involvement in the juvenile or criminal justice system with substance use problems and history of exposure to violence/trauma. The study will focus on preventing escalation of substance use (e.g., alcohol and marijuana), trauma symptoms, and recidivism by using an intervention to target self-regulation and executive functioning. Justice involved youth have higher rates of alcohol use and related consequences and higher rates of exposure to violence (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) compared to their non-justice involved peers. Prior research has found aspects of self-regulation (emotion regulation, impulse control), stress, and craving to be important putative targets in reducing alcohol use. With high rates of recidivism and increased risk of long term problems associated with substance use, it is imperative to test interventions that can reach at risk youth and target both alcohol use and important psychological and neurocognitive self-regulation mechanisms. This study tests whether the use of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) for at risk young adults results in changes in important self-regulation mechanisms and improved alcohol use outcomes. Individuals assigned to the experimental group will receive interventions normally provided at a community clinic and eight 1.5-hour group sessions of MBRP. Sessions will occur once per week. Each session will target a specific theme such as being aware of personal triggers, maintaining present focus, allowing or letting things be, responding to emotional and physical experiences in skillful ways, and recognizing intrusive thoughts. Further, each session will incorporate a mindfulness meditation technique. The central hypothesis will be tested through a focus on three specific aims: (1) Beta pilot testing and refining MBRP based on feedback from focus groups, (2) testing the efficacy of MBRP on substance use outcomes compared to an active control, and (3) assessing mechanisms of change for MBRP including self-regulation and neurocognitive facets such as working memory and inhibition.

Unhealthy alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Yet, primary care physicians do not, on average, screen for and address unhealthy alcohol use in their patient populations. By implementing practice changes to promote screening and treatment, patients stand to reduce unhealthy alcohol use and benefit from improved health outcomes. This project will provide a sample of Virginia primary care practices with a practice facilitator, practice specific resources, education on screening and counseling, and education on medication assisted therapy. The project will measure whether this change will improve screening rates and promote reduction of unhealthy alcohol use.

This is a study in-hospital administration of injectable naltrexone vs. oral naltrexone. This is a pilot study to assess provider's and patient's acceptability to be randomized to oral vs. injectable naltrexone among hospitalized adults with alcohol use disorder.

Hispanic adolescents experience more severe alcohol-related consequences due to their alcohol abuse and yet significantly fewer Hispanic adolescents receive alcohol treatment, particularly among justice-involved youth. Despite the level of research that has been conducted on motivational interviewing (MI) with mainstream samples, no published studies have investigated the efficacy of this brief, individual intervention with Hispanic adolescents. The overarching objective of this application is to evaluate the efficacy of a brief individual intervention (MI) for problem drinking behaviors with a sample of justice-involved Hispanic and Caucasian adolescents to determine if this intervention is differentially effective between Hispanic and Caucasian adolescents. Specifically, the first aim is to determine whether an MI intervention targeting alcohol abuse is effective at reducing alcohol use and related risk behavior in a sample of adolescent alcohol abusers. The second aim is to examine whether the effects of MI on problem drinking outcomes (e.g., alcohol problems, quantity of drinking, frequency of binging) are different between Hispanic versus Caucasian adolescents. Because it is important to determine the mechanisms that mediate the effects of MI and determine whether these mechanisms differ between Caucasian and Hispanic adolescents, the third aim is to examine whether group (Hispanic vs. Caucasian) moderates the mediational linkages in the overall model using a cross-groups approach to moderated mediation. To accomplish these aims, 453 Caucasian and Hispanic justice-involved alcohol abusing adolescents (ages 14-17) will be randomized to either two 60 minute MI interventions (one at baseline and a second, one week later) or an education condition. All adolescents will receive behavioral assessments at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. The proposed research is expected to take a significant step towards reducing current racial/ethnic health disparities in alcohol treatment for Hispanic adolescents.

Long-term abstinence from alcohol is supported by a compensatory mechanism in functional brain connectivity, a potential brain biomarker that could be an intervention target. These findings provide a compelling case to explore whether this brain biomarker can be modulated to enhance patients' ability to remain abstinent. There is a need to investigate methods that can be used to increase functional brain connectivity. The overall objective of this proposal is to enhance brain functional connectivity in short-term abstinent alcoholics as a therapeutic intervention that supports abstinence.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether welfare-to-work schemes combined with alcohol treatment are more efficient than a welfare-to-work scheme alone, for unemployed citizens with alcohol problems.

Several personality factors have been shown to be associated with risk for alcohol and substance misuse, and differentiate substance abusers based on clinical profile, treatment response and susceptibility to other forms of mental illness. Personality-targeted interventions have been found to have significant preventative effects on onset and growth of drinking, binge-drinking and drinking problems in adolescents attending mainstream schools (Conrod, Castellanos & Mackie, 2008). The interventions concurrently reduced personality-specific emotional and behavioural problems (Castellanos & Conrod, 2006), and prevented the onset and escalation of drug-use over a two-year period (Conrod, Castellanos-Ryan & Strang, 2010). This cluster randomised controlled trial aims to examine whether these results can be replicated when interventions are delivered by trained educational professionals. In addition, the trial will evaluate the broader impact of the programme on cigarette smoking, school attendance, academic achievement and school-wide behaviours.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether a web-based ultra-brief intervention, consisting of personalized normative feedback or standardized self-help material, is effective in lowering self reported alcohol use in heavy drinkers.

Prospective randomized double blind controlled trial in prevention of relapse in recently detoxified alcohol dependent patients with levetiracetam and placebo.