An interventional study of Mindfulness-Based Treatment-Regulation of Craving and Cognitive-Based Therapy-Regulation of Craving in Binge Drinking, Heavy Drinking and Young Adult, sponsored by Yale University. Recruiting at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 26 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-02-19.
Sponsored by Yale University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The goal of the proposed study is to examine whether brief training in regulation of craving (ROC-T) affects alcohol drinking. The study will consist of a basic screening (phone and online), and in person visit to determine eligibility and conduct pre-intervention baseline assessments, 1-4 training (ROC-T) visits, a post-intervention assessment visit, and 1-2 phone/online follow up assessments.The two active conditions of ROC-T are based on cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT) and mindfulness-based treatments (MBT).
This is a Stage 1B Randomized-Controlled Trial (RCT). 177 heavy drinking young adult participants will be randomized to 4 x 45-minute web-based sessions of (1) CBT-ROC-T training, (2) MBT-ROC-T, or (3) CONTROL (no strategy) delivered over three weeks. Participants will be enrolled for 16 weeks (three weeks pre-, three weeks during, and ten weeks post-intervention).
71 studies on the registry are indexed under Binge Drinking; 20 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 177 is above the median of 120 across 64 interventional studies indexed under Binge Drinking.
Browse Binge Drinking studies →Yale University is the lead sponsor of 1,770 studies on the registry; 294 are open to participants now.
Of its 221 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 129 (58%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
(1) Young adults ages 18-26 years, who (2) report ≥ 3 heavy drinking days (i.e., heavy drinking defined by >3 drinks for women, >4 drinks for men) in the prior month; (3) are motivated to quit or reduce drinking; (4) are fluent in English and have a 6th grade or higher reading level; (5) have access to a computer with working internet; (6) use a working smartphone; (7) can commit to the full length of the protocol; and (8) are willing to be randomized to intervention condition.
Exclusion Criteria:
(1) Current (past 12 months) clinically-severe alcohol use disorder (AUD; e.g., history of seizures, delirium, or hallucinations during withdrawal) or current severe alcohol withdrawal; (2) Current (past 12 months) clinically-severe substance use disorder (except tobacco) or current severe drug withdrawal; (3) serious other psychiatric illness by history or examination; (4) severe or unstable physical disease within the past 6 months; (5) psychoactive medications (e.g., mood stabilizers) that have not been at a stable dose unless determined to be on a stable dose of medication by the study psychiatrist; (6) current use of any medication; (7) color blindness; (8) biological females who are pregnant; and (9) notable dislike to any particular type of alcoholic beverage depicted in study stimuli; (10) Participants who will not complete at least 70% of past day EMA reports in the pre-intervention phase will not be randomized; (11) Participants who cannot understand or follow study-related instructions (e.g., unable to correctly use the intervention strategies, indicate lack of understanding of study instructions despite multiple attempts).
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Investigational drug or device
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Using mindfulness and meditative strategies to control craving
Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Treatment-Regulation of Craving
Thinking of negative consequences to control craving
Behavioral: Cognitive-Based Therapy-Regulation of Craving
No regulatory strategy
Participants will be trained in using the MBT-based mindfulness strategy as described above ("notice craving and accept the feeling without judgment or reaction"). Participants will then be instructed to think of accepting and non-reactive responses when they see the instruction "ACCEPT" during ROC-T. On each trial, participants will receive an instruction and then be exposed to a novel alcohol image for 6 seconds. On 25% of the trials, they will see the LOOK instruction, and be allowed to experience craving (as baseline). On 75% of the trials, participants will see ACCEPT and then practice thinking about the negative consequences of drinking. After the picture disappears, they will rate their craving on every trial using a 1-5 Likert scale.
Also known as: MBT-ROC
Participants will be trained in using the CBT strategy by first considering and reading about the negative consequences of drinking. Participants will then be instructed to think of those negative consequences ("Focus on the negative consequences associated with drinking)" when they see the instruction "REFRAME" during ROC-T.On each trial, participants will receive an instruction and then be exposed to a novel alcohol image for 6 seconds. On 25% of the trials, they will see the LOOK instruction, and be allowed to experience craving (as baseline). On 75% of the trials, participants will see REFRAME and then practice thinking about the negative consequences of drinking. After the picture disappears, they will rate their craving on every trial using a 1-5 Likert scale
Also known as: CBT-ROC
Change in frequency of heavy drinking days
Self-reports of daily alcohol use via smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is the primary source for this outcome variable, with Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) data inserted to replace missing data from EMA. A heavy drinking day is defined as more than 3 or 4 standard drinks per day for women/men.
Time frame: From baseline to 2-weeks post-intervention and to the 10-week follow-up
Change in average estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) per drinking day
Daily self-reports of alcohol use via smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is the primary source for this outcome variable, with Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) data inserted to replace missing data from EMA. Estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) is based on number of standard drinks reported per day, duration of drinking, and total body water (based on sex, age, height, and weight).
Time frame: From baseline to 2-weeks post-intervention and to the 10-week follow-up
Change in alcohol-related negative consequences
Daily self-reports of alcohol-related negative consequences (Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire) via smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is the primary source for this outcome variable. Total scores range from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating greater alcohol-related negative consequences.
Time frame: From baseline to 2-weeks post-intervention and the 10-week follow-up
Reduction in World Health Organization (WHO) drinking risk level
Drinking risk levels are based on grams of pure alcohol per day in a given period and include abstinent (0 grams males/females), low risk (1 to 40g males/1 to 20g females), medium risk (41 to 60g males/21 to 40g females), high risk (61 to 100g males/41 to 60g females), or very high risk (greater to or equal to 101g males/61g females).
Time frame: From baseline to 2-weeks post-intervention and the 10-week follow-up
Change in momentary alcohol craving in daily life
Twice daily self-reports of momentary craving for alcohol via smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Alcohol craving scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater alcohol craving.
Time frame: From baseline to 2-weeks post-intervention and the 10-week follow-up
Change in momentary acceptance of craving in daily life
Twice daily self-reports of momentary acceptance of alcohol craving via smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Acceptance of alcohol craving scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater acceptance of alcohol craving.
Time frame: From baseline to 2-weeks post-intervention and the 10-week follow-up
Change in momentary reframing of craving in daily life
Twice daily self-reports of momentary reframing of alcohol craving via smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Reframing of alcohol craving scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater reframing of alcohol craving.
Time frame: From baseline to 2-weeks post-intervention and the 10-week follow-up
Change in momentary craving during Regulation of Craving (ROC) task
The ROC task involves viewing a series of alcohol images and following various instructions on particular trial when an alcohol image is shown. Participants report self-reported craving after each trial. There are 3 types of trials: 1) LOOK = look at alcohol image, 2) ACCEPT = use acceptance strategy, and 3) REFRAME = use the reframing strategy.
Time frame: From baseline ROC task to post-intervention ROC task (approximately 3 weeks)
Plan to share: Yes — We will adhere to the NIH Grants Policy on Sharing of Unique Research Resources. In compliance with HIPAA and Yale Human Investigation Committee standards, any data sets that will be shared will not include any personally identifiable information. Requests for data sharing will be considered within the context of ongoing and planned research being performed within the research group at Yale in order to avoid duplication of effort and overlap in data analysis that might compromise communication of findings. Data to be shared will be de-identified and transmission electronically and securely, as we have done previously with investigators at other institutions.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Sep 2022 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2027, 63 months after the start.
Of 38 interventional studies with no phase under Binge Drinking, half reached primary completion within 39 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 18 and three quarters within 49. This study's planned 63 months is above that.
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