ALCOHOL USE DISORDER

This study tested whether adding a prescription sleep medication (lemborexant) to a standard alcohol treatment drug (naltrexone) could help people with alcohol use disorder. The goal was to see if the combination reduced alcohol cravings and improved sleep quality better than the…

This study tested whether a medication called GET73 could help reduce alcohol drinking in people with alcohol use disorder. Researchers gave 79 non-treatment-seeking participants either GET73 or a placebo pill for 8 days and measured their drinking behavior, brain chemistry, and …

This study tested a medication called cytisine to help people who want to quit smoking and also have alcohol use disorder. It involved 20 adults and aimed to see if the drug was safe and effective for this group. The trial measured how well participants could stop smoking and man…

This study tested a new therapy program designed to help adults in residential rehab for drug or alcohol problems. The goal was to teach them skills to better handle difficult emotions, tolerate distress, and reduce cravings. 36 participants received either the new weekly therapy…

This study tested whether offering rewards helps people with alcohol use disorder stick with treatment and stay sober. Researchers followed 74 adults in outpatient treatment, giving some participants small rewards for attending therapy and for providing blood tests showing they h…

This study tested if suvorexant, a medication used for insomnia, could help people with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder. Researchers wanted to see if the drug could reduce the brain's overreaction to stress and lower heavy drinking days. 81 participants took either the dr…

This study tested whether an infusion of donor stem cells is safe and might help people who struggle with both heavy drinking and major depression. Thirty-one participants were randomly assigned to receive either the stem cell treatment or a placebo infusion. Researchers monitore…

This study tested whether a mental exercise called 'Episodic Future Thinking' (EFT) could help people with alcohol use disorder. EFT involves vividly imagining positive personal events that could happen in the future. Researchers wanted to see if this practice could help particip…

This study tested whether a non-drug treatment using magnetic pulses on the brain could help people with alcohol use disorder drink less. Researchers compared stimulating two different brain areas to see which was better at increasing days without drinking and reducing heavy drin…

This study tested whether a mild, non-invasive brain stimulation technique (tDCS) could boost the benefits of mental exercises for veterans recovering from alcohol use disorder. Researchers wanted to see if this combination could improve brain function, thinking skills, and ultim…

This study tested whether kudzu, an herbal supplement, could help people who binge drink reduce their alcohol use and lower risky sexual behaviors linked to drinking. It involved 120 adults with alcohol use disorder who were at risk for HIV. Participants took either kudzu or a pl…

This early-stage study tested the safety of an experimental drug called DCR-AUD in healthy adults who are social drinkers. Researchers gave participants multiple doses to see how their bodies handled the drug and what side effects occurred, especially when combined with alcohol i…

This study tested an education program called 'Choizitaconso' that teaches skills to help people with alcohol problems reduce their drinking and the harms it causes. Researchers compared 30 people who took the program with 60 who did not, measuring changes over 6 months. The goal…

This study tested a 4-week virtual intensive outpatient program for adults with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder who wanted to stop drinking. The program included daily group and individual therapy, medication management, and required participants to use a breathalyzer mul…

This study tested a therapy called Behavioral Activation, adapted for veterans struggling with both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It compared this approach to a standard relapse prevention treatment. The goal was to see if helping veterans e…

This study tested whether a medication called semaglutide (brand name Rybelsus), which is used for diabetes and weight loss, could help people with alcohol use disorder. Fifty adults seeking treatment for their drinking were randomly assigned to take either the real medication or…

This study tested a smartphone app designed to help adults with alcohol use disorder. The app combined financial rewards for staying sober, recovery coaching, and therapy lessons. Researchers wanted to see if this digital program was effective and cost-saving for a large healthca…

This study tested whether a single high dose of psilocybin, the active compound in 'magic mushrooms,' given alongside psychological therapy, could help people with alcohol use disorder drink less. Sixty Danish participants were randomly assigned to receive either psilocybin or a …

This study tested whether an online sleep improvement program could help heavy drinkers with insomnia. Researchers wanted to see if better sleep would lead people to drink less alcohol. About 113 adults who were heavy drinkers and had trouble sleeping tried either the online slee…

This study tested a digital treatment program called Quit Genius for Alcohol (QG-A) against standard medical care. The program combined a smartphone app providing therapy techniques with the medication naltrexone. Researchers aimed to see if this integrated approach helped adults…

This study tested whether an 8-week online group program could help Veterans in early alcohol recovery improve their thinking skills. The program taught practical strategies to manage memory and attention problems that often make staying sober harder. Researchers wanted to see if…

This study tested whether smartphone apps could help people with risky drinking habits and their close family members or partners. Researchers compared two different app approaches—one focused on the person who drinks and one focused on the family—against a basic control app. The…

This study tested whether sending trained community health workers to visit pregnant women at home could improve health for both mothers and their babies. It followed nearly 1,500 women in rural South Africa for a year after giving birth. The program aimed to help with challenges…

This study tested whether a mental exercise called 'episodic future thinking' could help people in early alcohol recovery. Researchers had 58 participants imagine detailed, positive future events to see if it made them more likely to choose long-term rewards over immediate ones a…

This study tested a mobile app called WisePath, designed to help adults manage suicidal thoughts and problematic alcohol use. 127 adults at risk for suicide were randomly assigned to use either the WisePath app or a set of standard wellness resources for 12 weeks. Researchers mea…

This study tested whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique could help veterans with alcohol use disorder stay sober longer. Researchers used magnetic pulses on the brain (called rTMS) to see if it reduced relapse rates compared to a sham treatment. The trial involved 49…

This study tested whether a medication called semaglutide, often used for weight loss and diabetes, could safely help people with alcohol use disorder drink less. 80 participants were randomly assigned to receive either weekly injections of semaglutide or a placebo (inactive shot…

This study compared two short screening tests to see which one better identifies thinking and memory problems in people being treated for alcohol use disorder. Researchers gave both tests to 90 hospitalized patients and compared the results to more detailed brain function tests. …

This study looked at whether people with alcohol problems who have experienced suicidal thoughts could benefit from a therapy session about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Researchers wanted to understand who uses the crisis line during a suicidal crisis and who doesn't…

This study aimed to understand how stress and negative emotions affect alcohol use in women veterans, including those with PTSD. Researchers tested whether teaching a specific emotion regulation skill could help reduce alcohol cravings triggered by stress. They also examined how …

This study looked at how accurately people in the emergency room for alcohol intoxication could guess their own blood alcohol level. Researchers compared patients' guesses to actual medical measurements. The goal was to see if this comparison could make patients more aware of the…

This study aimed to understand how feeling financially strained might affect people with alcohol use disorder. Researchers had 124 participants listen to different audio stories—one about financial scarcity and one neutral—to see if it changed their alcohol cravings or made them …

This study aimed to understand why people with bipolar disorder are at much higher risk for alcohol problems. Researchers gave alcohol or a placebo drink to 60 young adults (half with bipolar disorder, half healthy) and used brain scans and surveys to measure how they felt and ho…

This study aimed to understand how combining alcohol with high-THC cannabis concentrates affects people. Researchers brought a mobile lab to participants' homes to measure intoxication, heart rate, and thinking skills after they used both substances. They specifically tested whet…

This small Yale University study tested whether giving people a tiny, safe dose of a bacterial compound (endotoxin) would change how much alcohol they chose to drink in a lab setting. Researchers compared 27 adults with alcohol use disorder who received either the compound or a p…

This study aimed to understand how problems with thinking skills and social understanding might contribute to alcohol use disorder. Researchers compared 216 people across three groups: those with alcohol use disorder, their close family members, and healthy volunteers. Participan…

This study used brain scans to understand how seeing pictures of alcohol affects the decisions and cravings of heavy drinkers. Researchers scanned the brains of 72 non-treatment-seeking adults while they made hypothetical choices about buying drinks after viewing alcohol or neutr…

This study used powerful brain scanners to look at how two key brain processes interact in people with alcohol use disorder: the urge to drink when seeing alcohol cues and the brain's ability to inhibit that urge. Researchers studied 59 people to see if the relationship between t…

This small, early-stage study aimed to understand if a single dose of methylphenidate (Ritalin) could change how people with both alcohol use disorder and ADHD react to alcohol-related images and cravings. Researchers gave 31 young adults either the medication or a placebo and us…