New therapy aims to boost alcohol abstinence in young adults
NCT ID NCT05778734
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a new behavioral therapy called CM-PST, designed to help young adults (ages 18-24) with alcohol use disorder achieve and maintain abstinence. The therapy combines rewards for abstinence with skills to manage daily challenges. The trial first checks if the therapy is feasible and acceptable, then compares it to standard reward-based therapy alone in a pilot study with 104 participants over 6 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- behavioral intervention (CM-PST)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a more effective behavioral therapy option for young adults struggling with alcohol use disorder.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early feasibility and pilot study with only 104 participants. The results may not apply to all people with alcohol use disorder, and the therapy may not prove more effective than existing approaches.
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 104 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2023
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
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 24 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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: * Male and female young adults aged 18-24 yr * English-speaking * Current alcohol use greater or equal to 1 day/week via phone screening, and meet criteria for (past year) mild, moderate or severe AUD on the AUDIT and AUDADIS surveys. * Completion of written informed consent * Baseline screening study visit. Exclusion Criteria: * Participation in past 6 mo. in AUD or substance use treatment * Current use of medications used to treat AUD (e.g., naltrexone) * Lifetime DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or any psychotic disorder. * Current use of psychoactive drugs, determined by positive drug toxicology screen * Conditions (e.g., tic disorder) that would interfere with psychophysiological indices of reward functioning * Pregnancy or intention to become pregnant * Additional exclusion criteria pertaining to fMRI scan in R00 phase only: a) bodily ferrous metals (e.g., aneurysm clips, shrapnel/retained particles) or b) claustrophobia, inability to tolerate small enclosed spaces.
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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
1 site. 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 Illinois at Chicago
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60608, United States
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