Better Experiences in Substance Treatment: A Brief Alcohol-Focused Intervention Tailored for Patients in Opioid Agonist Treatment
University of Notre Dame
Summary
This study will help determine the feasibility and acceptability of a brief opioid-informed alcohol intervention in patients receiving prescribed buprenorphine for opioid use who are currently drinking alcohol. It will also provide initial information on whether the intervention improves outcomes related to alcohol use. The results of this proof-of-concept study will inform whether a future larger clinical trial is warranted.
Description
Alcohol use is an under-recognized contributor to the ongoing opioid overdose epidemic, increasing the risk of overdose when used together with opioids. Further, alcohol use and related problems are prevalent among patients in opioid agonist treatment (OAT) and increase the risk of opioid relapse and early departure from treatment. Office-based buprenorphine treatment, a fast-growing form of OAT, is effective at treating opioid use disorder and decreasing risk of opioid overdose, but relapse rates are high in the first year of treatment. There is a significant need to improve treatment retenti…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria for the RCT: * Participants must be taking prescribed buprenorphine for at least 2 weeks * Participants must be 18 years or older. * Meet DSM-5 criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD) * Participants must report alcohol use ≥ 1 day/week on average in the past 28 days * Participants must be able to read simple English Exclusion Criteria: * Currently receiving formal alcohol use treatment.
Interventions
- BehavioralBrief opioid-informed alcohol treatment
The brief opioid-informed alcohol treatment is based upon principles of Motivation Enhancement Therapy (MET) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) tailored to the needs of patients in opioid treatment. Participants will attend weekly in-person sessions for four weeks.
Location
- The University of Notre DameNotre Dame, Indiana