Can a computer program teach teens to drink less?
NCT ID NCT07713251
First seen Jul 20, 2026 · Last updated Jul 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a computer-based skills training program called Path180 for teenagers aged 13 to 19 with alcohol use disorder. Participants receive either standard treatment or standard treatment plus Path180, a 7-module program that teaches coping skills and motivation to cut back on drinking. The goal is to see if Path180 is feasible, acceptable, and helps reduce heavy drinking days.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Path180, a 7-module computer-based skills training program for teenagers to reduce alcohol use
- What this could lead to
- If effective, Path180 could provide an accessible, scalable tool to help teenagers reduce heavy drinking and improve coping skills, especially for those in underserved communities.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early feasibility trial with 112 participants, so results may not generalize widely. The computer-based approach may not engage all teens, and benefits over standard treatment alone are uncertain.
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 112 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Jul 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Jul 2028
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
-
13 to 19 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Ages 13 to 19 years, inclusive; we will exclude children \< 13 due to diversity across adolescence and youths \> 19 because our focus is teenagers * Seeking/receiving mental health counseling and/or outpatient substance use disorder treatment at Bradley Hospital or another national clinic/treatment service * Self-reported alcohol use in the past year * Meets criteria for a current DSM-5 alcohol use disorder assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children: Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS) * Able to understand written and oral instructions in English, communicate understanding of the consent/assent form, and provide written informed consent/assent * Complete all assessments required at screening. * Provide contact information of someone, such as a parent or other family member, who may be able to contact the participant in case of a missed study appointment or follow-up assessment. * Agree to the schedule of visits, verbally acknowledge that he/she/they will be able to attend each scheduled visit, participate in phone visits and that he/she/they does not have any already scheduled events or a job that may substantially interfere with study participation. * If younger than 18 years, permission from the minor's legal authorized representative (e.g., caregiver, parent) is required, herein referred to as parent permission. Exclusion Criteria: * Current significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms (score \> 10) on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised (CIWA-AR); those with current significant alcohol withdrawal may be re-screened after stabilization * DSM-5 criteria for a severe SUD besides alcohol, cannabis and tobacco * Psychosis NOTE: Prospective participants diagnosed with psychiatric disorders not specifically excluded above may be included at the discretion of the principal investigator as long as the concurrent treatment for the comorbid psychiatric condition does not compromise the study integrity by virtue of its type, duration, or intensity.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Alcohol use disorder are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies
RECRUITINGProvidence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Investigating the Mu:Kappa opioid receptor imbalance in alcohol use disorder
- Identification of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder by examination of cerebrospinal fluid
- Intravenous acetate as an adjunctive treatment for alcohol withdrawal in hospitalized patients
- Can a gentle brain current quiet alcohol cravings?
- Brain imaging may expose a shared marker in PTSD and alcohol addiction
- Could a seizure drug curb alcohol withdrawal in trauma wards?