Alcohol Use
Conditions
Brief summary
This pilot project proposes to monitor real-world alcohol use using a novel technology-cell phone videorecordings in conjunction with breathalyzer recordings-and to conduct a small randomized study of this technology for reinforcing alcohol abstinence. Individuals with frequent alcohol use (N = 30) will be asked to carry a study cell phone plus a handheld breathalyzer for one month. Participants will be randomized to one of two conditions: alcohol monitoring or alcohol monitoring plus contingency management. In both conditions, research assistants will telephone participants on their cell phone an average of 10 times per week to request submission of a breathalyzer sample using the video monitoring function on the cell phone. Samples will be time and date stamped, and the video containing the breathalyzer result will be sent to study staff via the cell phone. Participants will be compensated for each video recorded within one hour of receiving the prompt. Participants randomized to the contingency management condition will receive the same alcohol monitoring described above, and they will also receive reinforcement for each alcohol negative breath sample submitted within one hour of the prompt. Data from this pilot project will be useful for (1) determining the feasibility of assessing alcohol use in the natural environment via breathalyzers and cell phone technology, and (2) estimating effect sizes of a CM intervention that reinforces alcohol abstinence using breathalyzers and cell phone technology. In an exploratory manner, we will also evaluate the reliability and validity of the video monitoring procedure and trends toward changes in psychosocial functioning.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALcontingency management for abstinence
For each breath sample submitted that reads below the cut point, participants will receive a voucher that can be exchanged for a check or gift card. Amounts earned will increase for each consecutive negative sample submitted, up to a maximum amount.
Sponsors
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
UConn Health
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* age \>21 years * frequent alcohol use * willing to use a cell phone and breathalyzer for 28 days * have a valid photo ID (driver's license, passport, state ID) * are willing to sign an off-campus property transfer form and return study equipment in four weeks
Exclusion criteria
* desire for, or have received, treatment for alcohol use in the past 6 months * non-English speaking
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| proportion of negative breath samples submitted | Week 4 |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed