Better Experiences in Substance Treatment: A Brief Alcohol-focused Intervention Tailored for Patients in Opioid Agonist Treatment (Project BEST)

June 5, 2026 updated by: University of Notre Dame

Better Experiences in Substance Treatment: A Brief Alcohol-Focused Intervention Tailored for Patients in Opioid Agonist Treatment

This study will help determine the feasibility and acceptability of a brief opioid-informed alcohol intervention in patients receiving prescribed buprenorphine for opioid use who are currently drinking alcohol. It will also provide initial information on whether the intervention improves outcomes related to alcohol use. The results of this proof-of-concept study will inform whether a future larger clinical trial is warranted.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Alcohol use is an under-recognized contributor to the ongoing opioid overdose epidemic, increasing the risk of overdose when used together with opioids. Further, alcohol use and related problems are prevalent among patients in opioid agonist treatment (OAT) and increase the risk of opioid relapse and early departure from treatment. Office-based buprenorphine treatment, a fast-growing form of OAT, is effective at treating opioid use disorder and decreasing risk of opioid overdose, but relapse rates are high in the first year of treatment. There is a significant need to improve treatment retention. Reducing alcohol use and use-related problems in patients receiving buprenorphine may have a significant indirect effect on improving buprenorphine outcomes. However, minimal existing work has examined alcohol interventions in this population. Of the few studies that have, all of them tested standard alcohol interventions that were not tailored to the unique circumstances of opioid treatment or the needs of individuals in OAT. The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a brief opioid-informed alcohol intervention and whether the intervention can improve alcohol outcomes. The intervention is based upon principles of motivational enhancement therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy and tailored to the needs of patients receiving OAT.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Beth A Arnold, M.S.
  • Phone Number: 574-213-2096
  • Email: bhanawal@nd.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Indiana
      • Notre Dame, Indiana, United States, 46556
        • Recruiting
        • The University of Notre Dame
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Ryan Carpenter, PhD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria for the RCT:

  • Participants must be taking prescribed buprenorphine for at least 2 weeks
  • Participants must be 18 years or older.
  • Meet DSM-5 criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD)
  • Participants must report alcohol use ≥ 1 day/week on average in the past 28 days
  • Participants must be able to read simple English

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Currently receiving formal alcohol use treatment.
  • Currently experiencing psychosis

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Treatment As Usual
No intervention is administered. All participants in this study receive prescribed buprenorphine for opioid use disorder and may, related to this, receive behavioral intervention focused on medication adherence and preventing opioid relapse. Treatment As Usual refers to receiving this and no additional intervention.
Experimental: Experimental: Brief opioid-informed alcohol treatment
The brief opioid-informed alcohol treatment is based upon principles of Motivation Enhancement Therapy (MET) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) tailored to the needs of patients in opioid treatment. Delivered once per week for 4 weeks.
Behavioral: Brief opioid-informed alcohol treatment
The brief opioid-informed alcohol treatment is based upon principles of Motivation Enhancement Therapy (MET) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) tailored to the needs of patients in opioid treatment. Participants will attend weekly in-person sessions for four weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Acceptability of the treatment
Time Frame: Assessed at Week 4 (end of trial)
Acceptability will be assessed with the Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8), which ranges in scores from 8 to 32 (higher scores indicate higher satisfaction). Treatment satisfaction will be considered acceptable if the number and percentage of subjects who rate their treatment experience in the "satisfactory" or "highly satisfactory" range on the CSQ-8 is ≥ 80%.
Assessed at Week 4 (end of trial)
Feasibility of the treatment
Time Frame: Assessed at Week 4 (end of trial)
Retention feasibility will be determined by the number and percentage of enrolled participants who complete the four week treatment protocol.
Assessed at Week 4 (end of trial)

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Alcohol Use Quantity
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of treatment (week4), 1-, and 3-month follow up.
Assessed using Timeline Followback. Typical weekly drinking quantity estimates will be summed to create a "drinks per week" total score, which will be used as our outcome variable.
Change from baseline to end of treatment (week4), 1-, and 3-month follow up.
Buprenorphine Treatment Status
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of treatment (week4), 1-, and 3-month follow up.
Whether the participant reports that they are currently receiving prescribed buprenorphine.
Change from baseline to end of treatment (week4), 1-, and 3-month follow up.
Alcohol-related consequences
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of treatment (week4), 1-, and 3-month follow up.
Assessed using the Drinker Inventory of Consequences-Recent (DrINC-2R). Common, moderately common, and rare consequences will be examined separately.
Change from baseline to end of treatment (week4), 1-, and 3-month follow up.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Notre Dame

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 24, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • ND24-05-8578
  • K23AA029729 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Per sponsor requirements, all data will be uploaded to the NIAAA Data Repository.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

One year after the completion of the project.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

As required by the Sponsor, the data from this clinical trial will be uploaded to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) data repository. Like all NIAAA grants, the NIAAA will govern the access criteria.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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