An interventional study of Alcohol Abstinence and Control arm in Alcohol Drinking, Drinking Behavior and At-risk Drinking, sponsored by The University of Texas at Arlington. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 26 Years to 49 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-06.
Sponsored by The University of Texas at Arlington · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The purpose of this study is to learn whether avoiding alcohol can improve heart and blood vessel health in adults who regularly drink alcohol and have high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attack and stroke.
In this randomized, controlled trial, men and women aged 26 to 49 years who regularly consume alcohol and have high blood pressure will be assigned by chance to either stop drinking alcohol or continue their usual drinking habits for 8 weeks. Researchers will compare changes in blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease risk factors between the two groups.
The information gained from this study may help researchers and health care providers better understand the effects of alcohol consumption on cardiovascular health and whether alcohol abstinence can reduce heart disease risk, especially in adults with high blood pressure.
The overarching objective is to determine the effect of alcohol abstinence on cardiovascular disease risks in individuals who consume alcoholic beverages over the recommended limits. After baseline assessment, participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of the interventions: either continue their usual drinking habits or to abstain from alcohol drinking. Before and after the 8-week intervention, blood pressure and sub-clinical cardiovascular disease risk factors (including arterial stiffness, endothelial function, and sympathetic nerve activity) will be measured. A longitudinal assessment of objective sleep will be performed throughout the study participation. Participants will be asked to maintain their diet and physical activity throughout the study.
701 studies on the registry are indexed under Alcohol Drinking; 133 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 148 is above the median of 122 across 607 interventional studies indexed under Alcohol Drinking.
Browse Alcohol Drinking studies →The University of Texas at Arlington is the lead sponsor of 39 studies on the registry; 12 are open to participants now.
Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (25%) 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.
Exclusion criteria
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 recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).
ECG (electrocardiogram)
A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ULN (upper limit of normal)
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hemoglobin (Hb)
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Postmenopausal
Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will continue their usual alcohol consumption patterns during the study period and will be instructed not to change their lifestyle including alcohol use, diet, and habitual physical activity.
Other: Control arm
Participants will be instructed to abstain from alcohol for 8 weeks. Throughout the study period, participants will be asked to maintain their usual diet and level of physical activity and avoid making other lifestyle changes, except for abstaining from alcohol.
Behavioral: Alcohol Abstinence
Participants will be instructed to abstain from alcohol for 8 weeks and maintain their usual lifestyle, including diet and physical activity. One week before the intervention, participants will be provided with an Oura Ring and instructed to wear it throughout the study. Every two weeks, participants will meet virtually with the research team (approximately 45 minutes) to receive educational materials and personalized feedback based on phosphatidylethanol (PEth), sleep, and heart rate variability data to support alcohol abstinence. During these meetings, participants will also complete assessments of alcohol use, physical activity, and dietary intake. At week 4, participants will complete a dried blood spot PEth test. Participants will also receive weekly reminders by text message or email to ensure Oura Ring data are uploaded successfully.
Participants will be asked to maintain their usual lifestyle, including alcohol consumption, diet, and physical activity, and will not have access to their study data during the intervention. One week before the intervention, participants will be provided with an Oura Ring and instructed to wear it throughout the study. Every two weeks, participants will meet virtually with the research team (approximately 45 minutes) to complete questionnaires on alcohol use, physical activity, and diet. At week 4, participants will complete a dried blood spot phosphatidylethanol (PEth) test. Participants will also receive weekly reminders by text message or email to ensure Oura Ring data are uploaded successfully.
Change in in-laboratory central and peripheral blood pressure
In-laboratory central blood pressure will be measured after a 10-min rest in supine position, while in-laboratory peripheral blood pressure will be measured after a 10-min rest in seated position.
Time frame: Baseline and after the 8-week intervention
Change in nighttime central and peripheral blood pressure
Blood pressure during nighttime (or sleep) will be measured by using a portable blood pressure monitor.
Time frame: Baseline and after the 8-week intervention
Change in arterial stiffness
Carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), the gold standard for noninvasive arterial stiffness assessment, will be measured.
Time frame: Baseline and after the 8-week intervention
Change in endothelial function as measured by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD)
Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a noninvasive measure of endothelial function, will be assessed using ultrasound.
Time frame: Baseline and after the 8-week intervention
Change in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA)
Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in the leg will be measured at rest using microneurography, a direct invasive assessment of sympathetic neural outflow.
Time frame: Baseline and after the 8-week intervention
Objective sleep
A longitudinal assessment of objective sleep will be performed with Oura rings.
Time frame: During the study participation (10 weeks).
Plan to share: Yes — De-identified participant data collected during this study will be submitted to the NIMH Data Archive (NDA). These data will be made available to qualified researchers for scientific research, educational purposes, and other research-related activities in accordance with NDA data access policies.
Access criteria: Submit a Data Access Request to NDA and get approval.
Data sharing details ↗ · nda.nih.gov
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Oct 2026; primary completion for Aug 2031, 58 months later.
Of 328 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Alcohol Drinking, half reached primary completion within 24 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 45. This study's planned 58 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 336 studies reached it within 24 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 45.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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The University of Texas at Arlington