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CompletedNCT01399554Updated Apr 7, 2014

Exercise as Alcohol Use Disorders Intervention for Non-Treatment Seeking Adults

A Phase 1 interventional study of Motivational Enhancement Therapy plus Contingency Management in Alcohol-Related Disorders, sponsored by St. Louis University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 55 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2014-04-07.

Sponsored by St. Louis University · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
38
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
21 Years to 55 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Alcohol use disorders are common and few individuals with the disorder ever seek help. This study proposes to intervene in a novel way - exercise, as it has many mental and physical health benefits and is an activity that is incompatible with simultaneous alcohol use. If effective, this non-stigmatizing intervention may increase the utility and acceptability of interventions for alcohol use disorders and ultimately increase the number of individuals effectively treated.

Read the detailed description

About 26 million Americans (8.5%) meet criteria for an alcohol use disorder (AUD; i.e., abuse or dependence), and most with an AUD will not ever seek help. A variety of reasons exist for not seeking help, with stigma and desire to handle the problem on one's own being primary among them. Therefore, offering interventions for AUD that do not stigmatize or require an individual to see a mental health professional may increase the utility and acceptability of AUD interventions and ultimately increase the number of individuals effectively treated. This pilot study evaluates exercise as an AUD intervention. Exercise has been proposed as a potential treatment for AUD due to its numerous mental and physical health benefits. Thirty sedentary non-treatment seeking AUD individuals to be recruited from the community via advertisements. Participants will be given a four month YMCA gym membership and will be randomized to one of two conditions: (1) assessment only (AO), or (2) a combination of two motivational enhancement therapy (MET) sessions focused on increasing exercise spaced two months apart and four months of weekly contingency management (CM) for adhering to specific exercise activities. MET is a client-centered, directive method of enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence, and CM is a behavioral treatment offering individuals tangible reinforcers such as prizes for completion of specific target behaviors. Assessments of all participants will take place at baseline, 2-months (mid-treatment), and 4-months (post-treatment. Results from this pilot study will guide future investigations of exercise as a method for intervening with non-treatment seeking AUD individuals.

02

Conditions studied

  • Alcohol-Related Disorders
03

In context

Alcoholism

1,606 studies on the registry are indexed under Alcoholism; 329 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 38 is below the median of 87 across 1,371 interventional studies indexed under Alcoholism.

Browse Alcoholism studies →

Lead sponsor

St. Louis University is the lead sponsor of 152 studies on the registry; 17 are open to participants now.

Of its 19 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 15 (79%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
21 Years to 55 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 21-55 years
  • English speaking
  • Sedentary
  • Alcohol-related problems
  • Recent heavy drinking episodes
  • Blood pressure \<165/95 mmHg

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Currently receiving or desiring treatment for alcohol problems
  • Contraindications for exercise
  • Acute psychiatric problems that require immediate treatment
  • Obese - class II
  • Pregnant or desire to become so in the next several months
  • Other substance dependence
  • In recovery for pathological gambling
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Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
38 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Assessment Only
  • Experimental
    Weekly Exercise Counseling Intervention

    Behavioral: Motivational Enhancement Therapy plus Contingency Management

Interventions

  • BehavioralMotivational Enhancement Therapy plus Contingency Management

    A combination of two motivational enhancement therapy (MET) sessions focused on increasing exercise spaced two months apart and four months of weekly contingency management (CM) for adhering to specific exercise activities. MET is a client-centered, directive method of enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence, and CM is a behavioral treatment offering individuals tangible reinforcers such as prizes for completion of specific target behaviors.

    Also known as: MET, CM

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Monthly drinking frequency

    Time frame: Six months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Monthly Exercise Behavior

    Time frame: Six months

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Study locations

1 site
  • Saint Louis University
    St. Louis, Missouri 63103, United States
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Weinstock J, Petry NM, Pescatello LS, Henderson CE, Nelson CR. Randomized clinical trial of exercise for nontreatment seeking adults with alcohol use disorder. Psychol Addict Behav. 2020 Feb;34(1):65-75. doi: 10.1037/adb0000506. Epub 2019 Aug 19. PubMed 31424244 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 7, 2014, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01399554
Lead sponsor
St. Louis University
Collaborators
University of Connecticut, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Responsible party
Jeremiah Weinstock (Assistant Professor, St. Louis University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 22, 2011
Start date
Apr 2011
Primary completion
Aug 2013
Completion
Aug 2013
Last update
Apr 7, 2014

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2014. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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