Medication and Counseling for Controlled Drinking (ProjectSMART)

Problem drinking gay and bisexual men who try to quit drinking are at risk for relapse to heavy or problematic drinking because their social lives and social outlets are often strongly associated with alcohol. These men are most receptive to interventions focused on moderation of drinking rather than abstinence. However moderation-oriented cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and naltrexone (NTX) are both well established treatments for problem drinkers who wish to moderate, rather than stop, drinking. Research suggests that combining these treatments may enhance their efficacy.

This study combines moderation-oriented CBT with NTX in the treatment of problem drinking gay and bisexual men, who do not wish to abstain from alcohol, to evaluate their efficacy alone and in combination. We also propose to utilize new data collection technology, Interactive Voice Response, to collect data on daily relations among drinking, sexual behavior and psychological variables thought to mediate treatment response. Our objectives are to evaluation the efficacy of 12 weeks of randomly assigned treatment, with 100 mg of NTX or placebo, combined with brief supportive therapy or modified, behavioral self-control therapy specifically tailored to gay/bisexual men; to evaluate conditional relationships between heavy drinking and likelihood of HIV risk behavior; and to evaluate daily associations among mood, craving, self-efficacy, motivation, and drinking. Assessments will include baseline, 3, 6, & 9 month follow-up. A substudy of the treatment trial will be conducted to collect and bank samples from blood for research aimed at associating naturally occurring differences in DNA with patient response to NTX, and with potential mediational mechanisms of action of NTX. Information gathered on genes or gene products may be used in conjunction with data on clinical psychological factors obtained as part of the clinical trial to evaluate relationships among genetic variants, drug effects, and mechanisms of treatment response. Patients will be asked to give a blood sample at Week 0 of the clinical trial for the purpose of carrying out genetic research.