Ultrabrief Behavioral Activation for Reducing Alcohol Use

Overview

This is a pilot study to assess feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a single-session ("ultrabrief") psychological intervention to reduce alcohol use in participants with mild to moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD). The intervention is a condensed form of the Life Enhancement Treatment for Substance Use (LETS ACT), behavioral activation (BA) for co-morbid depression and substance use. The investigators hypothesize that UBA is feasible and acceptable. The investigators hypothesize that UBA will reduce overall total alcohol consumption as determined by self-report measures capturing drinking behavior for the 3 months prior to treatment versus the 3 months after treatment when compared to an "assessment only" condition.

This is a pilot study to investigate feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an ultrabrief behavioral activation (UBA) intervention for people with a mild to moderate alcohol use disorder. UBA is a psychotherapy intervention derived from the evidence-based LETS ACT BA treatment for substance use disorder. All clinical interviews and the UBA intervention itself will be audio recorded for the purposes of training and to determine reliability and adherence to diagnostic and treatment protocols. No biological samples or signals are collected in this study. The study comprises a phone screening for eligibility, three in-person study visits (initial baseline assessment (BL), UBA intervention session, and 2-week post-treatment assessment) and two follow up phone call assessments (1 month and 3 months after treatment completion). There will be an "assessment only" study arm that will act as a control group which mirrors all aspects of the intervention arm except the "assessment only" arm will receive no intervention. The ultrabrief behavior activation (UBA) intervention is a condensed version of the LETS ACT intervention. The main treatment elements include: (1) explanation of treatment rationale to facilitate behavior change via increased engagement in values-related activities, (2) identification of participant-specific values via detailed assessment of life areas, values and activities, (3) values-based activity planning and scheduling, and (4) post-treatment planning. The overall goal of BA is to shift from values-incongruent behavior (including alcohol use) to behaviors that provide positive reinforcement and environmental reward with the overall goal of increasing the number of engaged-in, value-based activities. This intervention will take 90 minutes. Following intervention completion, therapists will complete a therapist questionnaire and participants will schedule follow-up assessments to occur 2-weeks, 1-month, and 3-months post-treatment. There will be three follow-up contacts with study participants, one in-person visit occurring 2 weeks after the UBA intervention and two phone-based assessments occurring 1 and 3 months following treatment respectively. Follow-up 1 focuses on the treatment experience whereas Follow-up 2 and 3 focus on change in alcohol use and related behaviors and psychological symptoms.