Learning to Resist the Urge: Inhibition Training in Abstinent Patients With Alcohol Use Disorders

Learning to Resist the Urge: Inhibition Training in Abstinent Patients With Alcohol Use Disorders. A Randomized Controlled Trial

The study aims to investigate the effects of a short computerized training as a therapeutic add-on to standard therapy in patients with alcohol-use disorder.

Therapeutic interventions to treat alcohol use disorders (AUD) still need to be improved. A novel alcohol-specific inhibition-training seems to be a promising new intervention. In this study, recently abstinent patients with AUD attending an inpatient treatment program will be randomly assigned to one of two alcohol-specific inhibition-training groups (varying in Go/NoGo-ratio) or to a control condition. Besides the effects on drinking behavior, inhibition and implicit attitudes, the investigators expect the training to influence neurophysiological reactivity to alcohol related stimuli. A subgroup of patients will therefore additionally undergo EEG recording so that the neurophysiological effects of the training can be assessed and related to clinical outcome. Furthermore, since training effects rely on learning processes, the influence of endogenous cortisol level (a consolidation-enhancer which peaks in the morning) on training outcome will be examined by the variation of daytime of the training. All patients' inhibitory control and implicit associations towards alcohol will be measured before and after training. The training effects will be examined on proximal outcome variables (e.g. implicit associations, inhibitory control, abstinence related self-efficacy, craving) and on distal outcome variables at 3-, 6- and 12- months follow-up (e.g. percent abstinent days (primary outcome)).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Abstinent patients with an alcohol use disorder in the 12-week inpatient program of the Clinic Südhang or the Forel Clinic,
• Abstained from alcohol for at least 4 weeks (in relation to timepoint when training will start),
• Informed Consent as documented by signature.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Other main psychiatric diagnosis than alcohol use disorder (comorbidity is allowed if the alcohol use disorder is to be considered the main diagnosis),
• other severe substance use disorder (except nicotine), even as secondary diagnosis
• Neurocognitive problems (e.g. Korsakoff syndrome),
• Current medical conditions excluding participation (e.g. acute infectious disease),
• Inability to read and understand the participant's information,
• Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons.