Brief Digitally-Enhanced Intervention for Reducing Alcohol Use During MOUD

This study is testing a new virtual intervention called Managing Physical Reactions to Overwhelming Emotions (IMPROVE) to see if it can help people reduce heavy alcohol use while they are also receiving medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). IMPROVE is a three-session program delivered online with a mobile app. Researchers want to know if IMPROVE is better at reducing daily alcohol use and improving MOUD adherence compared to a health education training (HET) program, which also involves three virtual sessions and a mobile app. You might be able to join if you are 18 or older, have recently started an outpatient MOUD program, and are a heavy alcohol user. Success in this study will be measured by changes in alcohol use, how you react to stress, and your self-reported intolerance of uncertainty after 4 weeks.

Study design
This is an interventional study with a planned enrollment of 80 participants. Participants will be randomized to either the IMPROVE intervention or the Health Education Training (HET) control group.
What's involved
Participants will complete a baseline electroencephalography (EEG) and self-report questionnaires. They will then participate in three virtual sessions and use a mobile application.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Alcohol use, startle eyeblink potentiation, and self-reported intolerance of uncertainty will be measured at 4 weeks post-treatment.

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NCT06718491

Brief Digitally-Enhanced Intervention for Reducing Alcohol Use During MOUD

Recruiting
NAAges 18+InterventionalTreatment
Ohio State University
~80 participants
Updated 2026-06-22 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Managing Physical Reactions to Overwhelming Emotions (IMPROVE)Health Education Training (HET)

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Alcohol Use
Measured over Change from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)
+4 more outcomes measured
Opioid Use Disorder
1 sites across 1 states
Ohio1

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Enrolled in outpatient medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) program (within the past month)
Heavy alcohol user defined using the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) criteria (i.e., consume 8+/15+ drinks per week \[women/men\] with at least two binge episodes \[4/5+ drinks for women/men in a 2 hour period\] in the past month)
Elevated psychological distress defined as a total score of \> 12 on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10; 0 to 40 range)
18 years of age or older
Can read and comprehend English

Exclusion

Do not pass the informed decision-making capacity screener, suggesting cognitive impairment or an inability to provide informed consent
Presence of a psychiatric or medical condition that would prevent them from providing informed consent or participating in the treatments (e.g., psychosis, mania, acute intoxication)
Current comorbid moderate to severe substance use disorder other than alcohol and opioids
Limited or no access to a smart phone that is compatible with the mobile application
Participation in Phase One
Possibility of being pregnant (by self-report)
Current suicidal or homicidal intent indicating a need for immediate hospitalization or treatment as determined by clinical interviewer
  • Alcohol UseChange from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

    Changes in proportion of heavy drinking days and drinks per drinking day following the intervention.

  • Startle eyeblink potentiation during unpredictable threatChange from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

    Startle eyeblink potentiation will be collected during the No-, Predictable-, Unpredictable -Threat (NPU) startle paradigm. Startle is a cross-species index of aversive reactivity. Startle during unpredictable threat is an objective indicator of response to uncertain stress.

  • Self-reported Intolerance of UncertaintyChange from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

    The Intolerance of Uncertainty- Short Form is a gold-standard self-report assessment. Subscale scores on the measure range from 7-35 for 'prospective intolerance of uncertainty' and 5-25 for 'inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty', with higher scores indicating greater intolerance of uncertainty.

  • Late positive potential when viewing anxiety sensitivity evoking imagesChange from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

    The late positive potential will be collected from the emotional picture paradigm. The late positive potential captures emotional reactivity. Emotional reactivity to a battery of anxiety sensitivity-evoking images is an objective indicator of response to bodily anxiety sensations.

  • Self-reported Anxiety SensitivityChange from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

    The Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 scale is a gold standard self-report assessment. Scores range from 0 to 72 where higher scores indicate higher anxiety sensitivity.