Quick mind training may curb binge drinking in young adults
NCT ID NCT05491551
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether brief training in mindfulness or cognitive-behavioral techniques can reduce heavy drinking in young adults aged 18-26. Participants will complete 1-4 training sessions and report their drinking via smartphone. The goal is to see if these techniques help people manage alcohol cravings and drink less.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- mindfulness-based treatment and cognitive-behavioral training
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a simple, short-term training program to help young adults cut down on heavy drinking and avoid alcohol-related problems.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 177 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The training is brief and may not lead to lasting changes in drinking habits.
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
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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
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About 177 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 26 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 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: (1) Young adults ages 18-26 years, who (2) report ≥ 3 heavy drinking days (i.e., heavy drinking defined by \>3 drinks for women, \>4 drinks for men) in the prior month; (3) are motivated to quit or reduce drinking; (4) are fluent in English and have a 6th grade or higher reading level; (5) have access to a computer with working internet; (6) use a working smartphone; (7) can commit to the full length of the protocol; and (8) are willing to be randomized to intervention condition. Exclusion Criteria: (1) Current (past 12 months) clinically-severe alcohol use disorder (AUD; e.g., history of seizures, delirium, or hallucinations during withdrawal) or current severe alcohol withdrawal; (2) Current (past 12 months) clinically-severe substance use disorder (except tobacco) or current severe drug withdrawal; (3) serious other psychiatric illness by history or examination; (4) severe or unstable physical disease within the past 6 months; (5) psychoactive medications (e.g., mood stabilizers) that have not been at a stable dose unless determined to be on a stable dose of medication by the study psychiatrist; (6) current use of any investigational medication; (7) color blindness; (8) biological females who are pregnant; and (9) notable dislike to any particular type of alcoholic beverage depicted in study stimuli; (10) Participants who will not complete at least 70% of past day EMA reports in the pre-intervention phase will not be randomized; (11) Participants who cannot understand or follow study-related instructions (e.g., unable to correctly use the intervention strategies, indicate lack of understanding of study instructions despite multiple attempts).
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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University of California, Berkeley
RECRUITINGBerkeley, California, 94720, United States
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Yale University
RECRUITINGNew Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States
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