Can a VR avatar help you stay sober? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT05835921
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a virtual reality experience, where people see an avatar that looks like them in a park, can help those in early recovery from stimulant use reduce drug use and stay abstinent longer. Researchers will compare this VR experience to a plain VR park without avatars. The goal is to see if the avatar helps people connect with their future self and make healthier choices.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Virtual Reality Avatar experience
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, non-drug tool to help people in early recovery from stimulant use stay abstinent and think more about their future.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with 200 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The VR intervention is experimental and may not lead to lasting behavior change.
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 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Mar 2023
- Expected to finish
-
Nov 2026
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
-
18 years and older
- 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 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: * Abstinence between ≥14 days and ≤1 year * At least 18 years old * Verbal endorsement of commitment to recovery * Outpatient * Psychotropic drugs for SUD-comorbidity * Drug/alcohol abstinence ≥ 24 hours at the time of the study day visit * English comprehension Exclusion Criteria: * Unstable medical disorders * Less than 18 years old * Habitual drug use * Mu-opioid drugs * Smell/taste disorders * Unstable psychiatric conditions * Extravagant/elaborate face tattoos
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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
Locations
-
Indiana University School of Medicine - Goodman Hall
Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
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