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Can just seeing and smelling a drink trigger alcohol cravings?

NCT ID NCT07788716

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial investigates whether simply seeing, smelling, and holding a beverage—without drinking—changes craving in adults with alcohol use disorder. Participants will complete two sessions where they are exposed to water and a visually matched test beverage while rating their craving and liking. The study aims to understand how sensory cues and expectations influence craving responses, which could inform future treatments.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Alcohol cue reactivity paradigm (exposure to beverage cues without drinking)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could help design better cue-exposure therapies for alcohol use disorder by understanding how sensory cues trigger craving.
What could go wrong
This is a small early-stage study (20 participants) measuring subjective responses, so results may not generalize or lead directly to treatments.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 20 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Oct 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

21 to 70 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 21-70 years. * Current AUD (mild or greater severity on the SCID-5). * Regular drinkers (at least one drink in past week as identified in TLFB) able to identify a preferred alcoholic beverage (e.g., beer, wine, spirits, or mixed) for which a visually matched non-alcoholic alternative exists and can be sourced . * Willing to abstain from alcohol for ≥12 hours prior to each session and arrive with BrAC = 0.000% at visit 1 and ≤ 0.020% at visit 2. BrAC will be collected immediately after the participant signs the consent form at visit 1. Exclusion Criteria: * CIWA-Ar ≥10 which suggests clinically meaningful withdrawal. * Pregnancy, nursing, or planning pregnancy. * Medical contraindications to any alcohol exposure (e.g., liver disease, unstable cardiovascular condition). * Current use of medications that strongly affect craving or alcohol consumption (e.g., naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram). * Severe psychiatric illness or symptoms (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, active suicidal ideation) that would interfere with procedures.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

alcohol abuse

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD)

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Univeristy of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Dallas, Texas, 75390, United States

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