Alcohol Misuse
Conditions
Keywords
alcohol, emergency department, adults, AI, motivational interviewing, text messaging
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a novel digital strategy combining a generative AI counseling agent (MICA) and weekly SMS boosters works to reduce risky drinking among Emergency Department patients.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMICA
MICA is an AI chatbot that uses a secure API with ChatGPT and prompted to follow MI principles to support individuals in exploring and resolving ambivalence about their alcohol use. MICA follows a predefined conversational framework and steps: introduction, engagement, focusing, evoking, planning, and closing-adapted from Miller \& Rollnick's Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change (3rd ed.).
BEHAVIORALTRAC
Weekly SMS check-ins designed to support goal-setting, self-monitoring, and adaptive self-regulation strategies. Beginning the Sunday after enrollment, participants will engage with an automated SMS program once weekly for 12 weeks. Prompts include reporting on the past week's alcohol use and whether they are willing to commit to a drinking limit goal for the upcoming week. Responses trigger tailored feedback.
Sponsors
Stanford University
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. For men: 1+ days with 5 or more drinks OR any week with 14+ drinks/week in the past 3 months 2. For women: 1+ days with 4 or more drinks OR any week with 7+ drinks/week in the past 3 months 3. Owns a mobile phone 4. Reads English language
Exclusion criteria
1. For women: current or planned pregnancy in next 12 months 2. Prisoner or active military status
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mean weekly alcohol consumption | Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups | Participants report (1) the average number of days per week they consumed alcohol and (2) the typical number of standard drinks consumed on a drinking day. Estimated weekly alcohol consumption will be calculated as: Mean weekly drinks = (average drinking days per week) × (typical drinks per drinking day) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of heavy drinking days | Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups | Asking participants: "Over the past 30 days, how many days did you have 4+ standard drinks (women) / 5+ standard drinks (men)?" |
| Number of drinks per drinking day | Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups | Asking participants, "Over the past 30 days, on a typical drinking day, how many drinks did you have?" |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBrian Suffoletto, MS MS
Stanford University
Outcome results
None listed