Helping Problem Drinkers on the Internet

December 1, 2010 updated by: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
The main aim of this study is to compare the impact of a minimal and a full Internet-based self-help intervention for problem drinkers in the general population.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Many problem drinkers never access any treatment services. Because of the individual as well as societal costs of heavy alcohol consumption, it is essential to find ways to intervene and provide assistance to problem drinkers. The Internet takes treatment to problem drinkers rather than requiring them to come to treatment, resulting in increased options for help for alcohol abusers. There is a preponderance of internet websites which are designed for self change in areas that include alcohol use. To date, however, there has been minimal scientific evaluation regarding the efficacy and safety of such programs.

Our own previous research found that we could reduce alcohol consumption by about three drinks per week at a six-month follow-up using a minimal, personalized feedback Internet-based intervention. Building on this, the current project will attempt to increase the impact of Internet-based interventions as well as produce sustained reductions in drinking by adding an extended online self-help service to this already promising minimal intervention. More specifically, this randomized, double blinded study will compare and evaluate the efficacy of two different degrees of treatment intervention for problem drinkers: a minimal one ("Check your Drinking") and a full one ("Alcohol Help Centre").

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

246

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T 1R8
        • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

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

Ages Eligible for Study

19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Resident of Ontario
  • 19 years of age or over
  • Have consumed alcohol in the one month prior to the telephone survey.
  • Have consumed alcohol in the one month prior to the telephone survey.
  • A score of 8 or over on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
  • Indicate an interest in receiving self-help materials
  • Have home access to the Internet
  • Are willing to participate in follow-up at six and twelve month intervals

Exclusion Criteria:

  • None

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

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Frequency of consumption
Time Frame: 6 months and 12 months
6 months and 12 months
Usual number of drinks per occasion
Time Frame: 6 months and 12 months
6 months and 12 months
Frequency of consuming 5 or more drinks on one occasion
Time Frame: 6 months and 12 months
6 months and 12 months
Typical weekly consumption
Time Frame: 6 months and 12 months
6 months and 12 months
Highest number of drinks on one occasion
Time Frame: 6 months and 12 months
6 months and 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Collaborators

Health Canada

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: John Cunningham, PhD, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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

May 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 30, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 30, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

May 3, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 2, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 1, 2010

Last Verified

December 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 282/2009

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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