Digital Interventions to Treat Hazardous Drinking

Digital Interventions to Treat Hazardous Drinking

There has been a significant increase in the prevalence of stress- and alcohol- related disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project aims to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of a digital intervention designed to reduce stress and alcohol use. Additionally, this study will examine the impact of stress, including COVID-19 related stress, on the risk of alcohol misuse and the outcomes of the intervention in risky social drinkers.

This project proposes a feasibility study to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of a digital intervention aimed at addressing stress-related drinking in risky drinkers with emotional stress. This digital intervention combines telehealth- and smartphone app- based approaches, allowing concurrent intervention and participant-initiated daily exercise in a real-life setting. This program integrates alcohol intervention with breathing-based stress reduction and focuses on developing emotion regulation skills to manage stress, craving, and alcohol misuse. After the 4-week intervention, all participants will be prospectively followed for 30 days to monitor stress, alcohol use, and other health-related behaviors.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Heavy or binge drinkers
• Either high or low COVID-19 related stress

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current or past substance use disorder other than mild alcohol, tobacco, marijuana use disorder
• Psychiatric disorders except for mood and anxiety disorders
• Any significant current medical conditions