Optimizing Smart Technology for Addiction Recovery (STAR)

June 22, 2026 updated by: University of Wisconsin, Madison

Optimizing Algorithmic Feedback About Lapse Risk for Trust, Engagement, and Clinical Outcomes for Alcohol Use Disorder

The goal of this study is to develop a machine-learning guided recovery messaging system. The main question it aims to answer is can messages be used to:

  • help people to improve their health
  • make changes in people's lives to address alcohol and substance use

Participants will:

  • complete surveys
  • use a recovery-support digital therapeutic system

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

This study seeks to optimize messaging components which can be implemented in a recovery support messaging system such as may accompany a digital therapeutic app, in order to determine optimal messaging to increase interaction with recovery support resources, and whether messaging has any effect on clinical outcomes.

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.
416

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

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Wisconsin
      • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53706
        • Recruiting
        • University Of Wisconsin

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:

  • meet criteria for alcohol use disorder with at least moderate severity (>= 4 DSM-5 criteria)
  • in initial remission with most recent use of alcohol between 1 week and 3 months in the past
  • able to read English
  • have a smartphone and cellular plan that supports STAR use (Apple iOS or Android)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • medical or psychiatric co-morbidities that preclude use of a smartphone

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: STAR
Participants will use the STAR automated recover support system for 4 months
Device: STAR
Automated recovery support messaging system for participants with alcohol use disorder (AUD), paired with a machine learning guided relapse risk prediction model.
Other Names:
  • Smart Technology for Addiction Recovery

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
Participant engagement with the STAR system
Time Frame: data collected at 2 and 4 months
Measured as days of engagement with the recovery system.
data collected at 2 and 4 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of heavy drinking days in the previous 28 days
Time Frame: data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
Data collected via Timeline Followback (TLFB) conducted by interview at 0, 2, and 4 months. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) lapse reports will be used to supplement the TLFB. These are daily surveys where the participant answers the question "have you had a drink you have not yet reported?" (Yes/No). If yes they are asked to indicate the date of their drinking and how many drinks they consumed that day (less than 1, 1-2, 3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, over 8). Four or more drinks are considered heavy drinking days for women and greater than 4 drinks are considered heavy drinking days for men.
data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
Number of drinking days in the previous 28 days
Time Frame: data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
Data collected via Timeline Followback (TLFB) conducted by interview at 0, 2, and 4 months. EMA lapse reports will be used to supplement the TLFB. These are daily surveys where the participant answers the question "have you had a drink you have not yet reported?" (Yes/No). If yes, they are asked to indicate the date of their drinking.
data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
Flourishing Scale Score
Time Frame: data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
10 items rated on 0-10 Likert scale where lower scores represent worse functioning and higher scores represent better functioning. Total possible range of scores is from 0-100.
data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) Score
Time Frame: data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
7 items rated on 0-3 Likert scale where lower scores represent better functioning and higher scores represent worse functioning. Total possible range of scores is from 0-21.
data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
Multidimensional Inventory of Recovery Capital (MIRC) Score: Total Score
Time Frame: data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
1-4 Likert scale. Some items are reverse coded but higher total scores represent better functioning and lower total scores represent worse functioning. Scored as total score 4-56.
data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
Multidimensional Inventory of Recovery Capital (MIRC) Score: Each Domain
Time Frame: data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
1-4 Likert scale. Some items are reverse coded but higher total scores represent better functioning and lower total scores represent worse functioning. Scored in 4 domains (social, physical, human, and cultural), each from 1-14.
data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
Patient Health Questionnaire (PQH-9) Score
Time Frame: data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
9 items rated on 1-4 Likert scale. Total possible range of scores from 0-27 where lower scores represent better functioning and higher scores represent worse functioning.
data collected at baseline, 2, 4 months
Digital Working Alliance Inventory (D-WAI)
Time Frame: data collected at 2 and 4 months
Six items rated on 1-7 Likert scale. Scored in 3 domains (Goals, Tasks, Bonds, each with 2 items) with possible scores from 2 to 14 where higher scores represent greater alliance with the STAR system in that domain.
data collected at 2 and 4 months
Message Usefulness
Time Frame: data collected at 2 and 4 months
Seven items rated on 1-7 Likert scale. Total possible scores from 7 to 49 where higher scores represent greater valuation of STAR message usefulness.
data collected at 2 and 4 months
Trust of the System
Time Frame: data collected at 2 and 4 months
Ten items rated on 1-7 Likert scale. Total possible scores from 10 to 70 where higher scores represent greater trust in the STAR system.
data collected at 2 and 4 months

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 Wisconsin, Madison

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)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: John Curtin, PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison

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.
September 24, 2025

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.
January 31, 2029

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.
July 31, 2029

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).
April 30, 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.
April 30, 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.
May 7, 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 25, 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 22, 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

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.
  • 2024-0869
  • A487400 (Other Identifier: UW Madison)
  • 1R01AA031762-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • Protocol Version 4/22/2026 (Other Identifier: UW Madison)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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