Can a phone app keep you sober? new study tests Anti-Alcohol training
NCT ID NCT03952429
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a smartphone app designed to help people recovering from alcohol dependence avoid relapse. The app uses a training game to change unconscious habits that make people reach for alcohol. 600 participants used either the active training or a placebo version. The goal was to see if the app reduces craving and lowers relapse rates after leaving inpatient care.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
Active substance
smartphone app with cognitive bias modification training
What this could lead to
If it works, this could provide an easy, at-home tool to help people recovering from alcohol dependence stay sober and reduce relapse rates.
What could go wrong
This is a completed study, but the app only targets unconscious biases and may not work for everyone. Relapse rates remain high, and the benefit seen so far is modest (4-8% reduction).
Disclaimer
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This is a summary of
the original study
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Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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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.
Contacts and locations
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Locations
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Salus Klinik Lindow
Lindow, Brandenburg, Germany