Understanding the Shared Meaning of Recovery From Substance Use Disorders: New Findings From the What is Recovery? Study.

Background: Substance use disorder (SUD) resolution typically involves a long-term, comprehensive process of change now widely referred to as "recovery." Yet, definitions of recovery vary substantially, producing significant confusion. To support formal recovery definitions, we aimed to systematically identify recovery elements that are central to those in recovery and shared regardless of subgroup/pathway. Methods: Data were from the What is Recovery? Study, involving a diverse, national, online survey of people in recovery (N = 9341). Surveys included a 35-item recovery measure reflecting 4 domains; participants reported whether or not each element definitely belonged in their recovery definitions. Analyses examined item endorsements overall and among 30 subgroups defined a priori (by sociodemographics, substance use characteristics, and help-seeking history) to determine where items met study-specific centrality thresholds (ie, endorsement by ⩾80% and top-10 ranking, by endorsement level). We then classified items as "core" if meeting centrality thresholds both overall and for all 30 subgroups, and "prevalent" if meeting centrality thresholds overall and for 26 to 29 subgroups. Results: Four "core" recovery elements emerged, including a process of growth or development; being honest with oneself; taking responsibility for the things one can change; and reacting in a more balanced way. Four "prevalent" recovery elements also emerged, referencing the ability to enjoy life and handle negative feelings without substance use; abstinence and/or nonproblematic substance use; and living a life that contributes. Subgroups differing most in their endorsements included those reporting mild/moderate SUD severity; non-abstinent recovery; and no specialty treatment or mutual-help group attendance. Conclusions: Recovery elements identified here partially reflect some stakeholder definitions, but offer greater specificity and include novel elements (eg, personal integrity). Elements may point to areas of functioning that are damaged in the addiction process and can support an addiction-free life. Findings should inform institutional recovery definitions; SUD services and research; and communications about recovery.

Development and Initial Pilot Testing of a fully integrated treatment for comorbid social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder in a community-based SUD clinic setting.

OBJECTIVES: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are highly comorbid and this comorbidity is associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Integrating exposure-based treatment for SAD into the context of typical AUD treatment programs should improve engagement and treatment outcomes for this population. METHODS: After initial development of a fully integrated, intensive outpatient program (IOP) for individuals with comorbid SAD and AUD, patients with SAD and AUD were recruited from a community-based SUD specialty clinic (N = 56) and randomized to either (a) usual care (UC), consisting of the evidence-based Matrix Model of Addiction IOP; or (b) the Fully Integrated Treatment (FIT) for comorbid SAD and AUD IOP. Participants were assessed on indices of social anxiety and alcohol use. RESULTS: By the 6-month follow-up, those in FIT showed superior improvement to UC on number of drinking days in the past 30 days and social anxiety severity at follow-up, but there were no differences between groups on quantity of alcohol consumed on drinking days. Alcohol-related problems improved in both groups, with no statistically significant differences. Within-group improvement was observed in FIT (but not in UC) on drinking to cope with social anxiety and avoidance of social situations without alcohol, but between-group effects were non-significant. In sum, the integrated treatment of SAD and AUD led to greater reductions in both the frequency of drinking and in social anxiety symptoms than usual care. CONCLUSIONS: Targeting social anxiety in the context of AUD treatment is a promising approach to improving the treatment of this common comorbidity.

Preliminary study of alcohol problem severity and response to brief intervention.

BACKGROUND: Findings have been mixed as to whether brief intervention (BI) is appropriate and effective for individuals with more severe alcohol use problems. Motivation to change drinking has been supported as a mechanism of behavior change for BI. This exploratory study examined aspects of motivation as mechanisms of clinical response to BI and alcohol problem severity as a moderator of treatment effects. METHODS: Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers (average age = 35 years; 57% male) were randomized to receive BI (n = 27) or attention-matched control (n = 24). Three indices of motivation to change were assessed at baseline and post-intervention: importance, confidence, and readiness. Moderated mediation analyses were implemented with treatment condition as the focal predictor, changes in motivation as mediator, 1-month follow-up drinks per day as the outcome, and an alcohol severity factor as second-stage moderator. RESULTS: Analysis of importance displayed a significant effect of intervention condition on importance (p < 0.003) and yielded a significant index of moderated mediation (CI - 0.79, - 0.02), indicating that the conditional indirect effect of treatment condition on drinking through importance was stronger for those with higher alcohol severity. For all motivation indices, alcohol severity moderated the effect of post-intervention motivation levels on drinking (p's < 0.05). The direct effect of treatment condition on drinking was not significant in any model. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the relevance of considering one's degree of alcohol problem severity in BI and alcohol screening efforts among non-treatment seeking heavy drinkers. These nuanced effects elucidate both potential mechanisms and moderators of BI response. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04710095. Registered January 14, 2021-retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT04710095 .

Effect of screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment for unhealthy alcohol and other drug use in mental health treatment settings: a randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: To test the efficacy of a brief intervention to reduce alcohol or drug use and to promote use of addiction services among patients seeking mental health treatment. DESIGN AND SETTING: A multi-centre, longitudinal, two-group randomized controlled trial with randomization within each of two mental health treatment systems located in Ventura County and Los Angeles County in California, USA. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 718 patients (49.2% female) aged 18 and older with a mental health diagnosis and either a heavy drinking day or any use of cannabis or stimulants in the past 90 days. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: A motivation-based brief intervention with personalized feedback (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) condition) (n = 354) or a health education session (control condition) (n = 364). MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcomes included frequency of heavy drinking days, days of cannabis use and days of stimulant use at the primary end-point 3 months post-baseline. Secondary outcomes included frequency and abstinence from substance use out to a 12-month follow-up and the use of addiction treatment services. FINDINGS: Participants in the SBIRT condition had fewer heavy drinking days [odds ratio (OR) = 0.53; 95% credible interval (CrI) = 0.48-0.6] and fewer days of stimulant use (OR = 0.58; 95% CrI = 0.50-0.66) at the 3-month follow-up compared with participants in the health education condition. Participants in the SBIRT condition did not comparatively reduce days of cannabis use at the 3-month follow-up (OR = 0.93; 95% CrI = 0.85-1.01). Secondary outcomes indicated sustained effects of SBIRT on reducing the frequency of heavy drinking days and days of stimulant use. No effects were observed on abstinence rates or use of addiction treatment services. CONCLUSIONS: Screening and brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol and drug use in mental health treatment settings were effective at reducing the frequency of heavy drinking and stimulant use.

Behavioral Economic Demand for Alcohol and Cigarettes in Heavy Drinking Smokers: Evidence of Asymmetric Cross-commodity Reinforcing Value.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have highlighted a strong bidirectional relationship between cigarette and alcohol consumption. To advance our understanding of this relationship the present study uses a behavioral economic approach in a community sample (N = 383) of nontreatment seeking heavy drinking smokers. AIMS AND METHODS: The aims were to examine same-substance and cross-substance relationships between alcohol and cigarette use, and latent factors of demand. A community sample of nontreatment seeking heavy drinking smokers completed an in-person assessment battery including measures of alcohol and tobacco use as well as the Cigarette Purchase Task and the Alcohol Purchase Task. Latent factors of demand were derived from these hypothetical purchase tasks. RESULTS: Results revealed a positive correlation between paired alcohol and cigarette demand indices (eg, correlation between alcohol intensity and cigarette intensity) (rs = 0.18-0.46, p ≤ .003). Over and above alcohol factors, cigarette use variables (eg, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and cigarettes per smoking day) significantly predicted an additional 4.5% (p < .01) of the variance in Persistence values but not Amplitude values for alcohol. Over and above cigarette factors, alcohol use variables predicted cigarette Persistence values (ΔR2 = .013, p = .05), however, did not predict Amplitude values. CONCLUSIONS: These results advance our understanding of the overlap between cigarette and alcohol by demonstrating that involvement with one substance was associated with demand for the other substance. This asymmetric profile-from smoking to alcohol demand, but not vice versa-suggests that it is not simply tapping into a generally higher reward sensitivity and warrants further investigation. IMPLICATIONS: To our knowledge, no study to date has examined alcohol and cigarette demand, via hypothetical purchase tasks, in a clinical sample of heavy drinking smokers. This study demonstrates that behavioral economic indices may be sensitive to cross-substance relationships and specifically that such relationships are asymmetrically stronger for smoking variables affecting alcohol demand, not the other way around.

Association between impulsivity and neural activation to alcohol cues in heavy drinkers.

This study examines associations between two measures of impulsivity and brain response to alcohol taste cues. Impulsivity is both a risk factor for and a consequence of alcohol use and misuse. Frontostriatal circuits are linked to both impulsivity and addiction-related behaviors, including response to alcohol cues. Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers (n = 55) completed (i) an fMRI alcohol taste cue-reactivity paradigm; (ii) the monetary choice questionnaire (MCQ), a measure of choice impulsivity where participants choose between smaller, sooner rewards and larger, delayed rewards; (iii) and the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, a self-report measure assessing five impulsivity factors. General linear models identified associations between neural alcohol taste cue-reactivity and impulsivity, adjusting for age, gender, and smoking status. Self-reported sensation seeking was positively associated with alcohol taste cue-elicited activation in frontostriatal regions, such that individuals who reported higher sensation seeking displayed greater neural response to alcohol taste cues. Conversely, delay discounting was negatively associated with activation in frontoparietal regions, such that individuals who reported greater discounting showed less cue-elicited activation. There were no significant associations between other self-reported impulsivity subscales and alcohol taste cue-reactivity. These results indicate that sensation seeking is associated with reward responsivity, while delay discounting is associated with recruitment of self-control circuitry.

An Examination of Motivation to Change and Neural Alcohol Cue Reactivity Following a Brief Intervention.

Background: Brief interventions represent a promising psychological intervention targeting individuals with heavy alcohol use. Motivation to change represents an individual's openness to engage in a behavior change strategy and is thought to be a crucial component of brief interventions. Neuroimaging techniques provide a translational tool to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying potential mediators of treatment response, including motivation to change. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of a brief intervention on motivation to change drinking behavior and neural alcohol taste cue reactivity. Methods: Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers were randomized to receive a brief drinking intervention (n = 22) or an attention-matched control (n = 24). Three indices of motivation to change were assessed at baseline and after the intervention or control session: importance, confidence, and readiness. Immediately following the intervention or control session, participants also underwent an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during which they completed an alcohol taste cues paradigm. Results: There was a significant effect of the brief intervention on increasing ratings of importance of changing drinking behavior, but not on ratings of confidence or readiness to change. Ratings of importance after the intervention or control session were associated with neural alcohol taste cue reactivity, but notably, this effect was only significant for participants who received the intervention. Individuals in the intervention condition showed a positive association between ratings of importance and activation in the precuneus, posterior cingulate, and insula. Conclusions: The brief drinking intervention was successful at improving one dimension of motivation to change among non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers. The brief intervention moderated the relationship between ratings of importance and brain activation in circuitry associated with interoceptive awareness and self-reflection. Together, findings represent an initial step toward understanding the neurobiological mechanisms through which a brief intervention may improve motivation to change.

Elucidating the Effect of a Brief Drinking Intervention Using Neuroimaging: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: Brief interventions have empirical support for acutely reducing alcohol use among non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers. Neuroimaging techniques allow for the examination of the neurobiological effect of behavioral interventions, probing brain systems putatively involved in clinical response to treatment. Few studies have prospectively evaluated whether psychosocial interventions attenuate neural cue reactivity that in turn reduces drinking in the same population. This study aimed to examine the effect of a brief intervention on drinking outcomes, neural alcohol cue reactivity, and the ability of neural alcohol cue reactivity to prospectively predict drinking outcomes. METHODS: Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinking participants were randomized to receive a brief interview intervention (n = 22) or an attention-matched control (n = 24). Immediately following the intervention or control, participants underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan comprised of the alcohol taste cues paradigm. Four weeks after the intervention (or control), participants completed a follow-up visit to report on their past-month drinking. Baseline and follow-up percent heavy drinking days (PHDD) were calculated for each participant. RESULTS: There was no significant effect of the brief intervention on PHDD at follow-up or on modulating neural activation to alcohol relative to water taste cues. There was a significant association between neural response to alcohol taste cues and PHDD across groups (Z > 2.3, p < 0.05), such that individuals who had greater neural reactivity to alcohol taste cues in the precuneus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) had fewer PHDD at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This study did not find an effect of the brief intervention on alcohol use in this sample, and the intervention was not associated with differential neural alcohol cue reactivity. Nevertheless, greater activation of the precuneus and PFC during alcohol cue exposure predicted less alcohol use prospectively suggesting that these neural substrates subserve the effects of alcohol cues on drinking behavior.

Reliability and Validity of an Observational Measure of Client Decision-Making: The Client Language Assessment - Proximal/Distal (CLA-PD).

OVERVIEW: The Client Language Assessment - Proximal/Distal (CLA-PD) is a language rating system for measuring client decision-making in interventions that target a specified behavior change (e.g., alcohol or other drug use). In the CLA-PD, there are five dimensions of change language (Reason, Ability, Commitment, Taking Steps, Other) adapted from the client portion of the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code (MISC). For the CLA-PD, language codes are sub-divided to discriminate statements regarding the primary, or target behavior change (distal change) from the intermediate coping activities (proximal change) that are prescribed to facilitate that target behavior change. The goal of the CLA-PD is to allow for higher specificity than existing client language measures, when process studies consider interventions that are multi-session and skill-based (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy). METHOD: Three raters received 40 hours of training on the use of the CLA-PD. The data were a sample of therapy session audio-files from a completed clinical trial (N=126), which enabled examination of client language across four sessions (i.e., first three and final attended) of three evidence-based alcohol interventions (cognitive behavioral therapy, twelve-step facilitation therapy, motivational enhancement therapy). RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability results for summary scores showed "excellent" reliability for the measure. Specifically, two-way mixed intraclass coefficients ranged from .83 to .95. Internal consistency reliability showed alphas across sessions that ranged from "fair" to "good" (α=.74-.84). In convergent and discriminant validity analyses using data independently measured with MISC-based ratings, the pattern of results was as would be expected. Specifically, convergent correlations, by valence (i.e., change and sustain talk), between CLA-PD Distal and MISC-based language scores were moderate (r=.46-.55, p<.001) while discriminant correlations by valence for CLA-PD Proximal and MISC-based language scores were small (r=.22-.24, p<.05). Finally, proportion Change Talk Proximal predicted subsequent session coping behaviors (i.e., processes of change) as well as 3-month Alcoholics Anonymous involvement and attendance (ps<.05-.005), but not 3-month alcohol abstinence self-efficacy. Further, analyses of criterion predictive validity showed that proportion Change Talk Distal predicted 3- and 12-month drinking frequency and quantity measures (ps<.05-.005). CONCLUSIONS: When behavior change treatments are multi-session and/or skill-based, the present analyses suggest the CLA-PD is a promising, psychometrically sound observational rating measure of client verbalized decision-making.

Development and Preliminary Testing of a Promotora-Delivered, Spanish Language, Counseling Intervention for Heavy Drinking among Male, Latino Day Laborers.

This study developed and then tested the feasibility, acceptability and initial efficacy of a 3-session, culturally adapted, intervention combining motivational enhancement therapy (MET) and strengths-based case management (SBCM) delivered by promotoras in Spanish to reduce heavy drinking among male, Latino day laborers. A pilot two-group randomized trial (N=29) was conducted to evaluate the initial efficacy of MET/SBCM compared to brief feedback (BF). Alcohol-related measures were assessed at 6, 12 and 18weeks after baseline. Most intervention group participants (12/14) attended all counseling sessions and most participants (25/29) remained in the study at 18weeks. Alcohol related measures improved in both groups over time with no statistically significant differences observed at any of the time points. However the comparative effect size of MET/SBCM on weekly drinking was in the large range at 6-weeks and in the moderate range at 12-weeks. Post hoc analyses identified a statistically significant reduction in number of drinks over time for participants in the intervention group but not for control group participants. Despite the extreme vulnerability of the population, most participants completed all sessions of MET/SBCM and reported high satisfaction with the intervention. We feel our community partnership facilitated these successes. Additional studies of community-partnered and culturally adapted interventions are needed to reduce heavy drinking among the growing population of Latinos in the U.S.

Determinants of problem drinking and depression among Latino Day laborers.

Little is known about alcohol misuse and depression among Latino day laborers despite the fact that they encounter multiple stressors (e.g., job instability, unsafe work environments). A structural equation model tested the relationships among laborer stress, social support, health status, current alcohol misuse, and depression. A sample of 89 male, urban Latino day laborers completed measures assessing these constructs in 2011. Stress was negatively related to physical health status, which was associated with depression. Findings suggest that stressors specific to being a day laborer resulting from their work and living conditions generate and maintain health disparities in this vulnerable population.

Psychiatric correlates of alcohol and tobacco use disorders in U.S. adults aged 65 years and older: results from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations of alcohol and tobacco use disorders and psychiatric conditions among older U.S. adults. METHODS: Sample was individuals aged at least 65 years (N = 8,205) who participated in the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Measurements included lifetime and past 12-month Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition alcohol use disorders (AUDs), tobacco use disorders (TUDs), and psychiatric conditions. RESULTS: Among older adults, prevalence of lifetime and past 12-month AUDs were 16.1% and 1.5% and lifetime and past 12-month TUDs were 8.7% and 4.0%, respectively. Lifetime TUD was associated with increased odds of both lifetime (odds ratio [OR]: 4.17; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.30-5.26) and past 12-month (OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.50-4.24) AUDs, and lifetime AUD was associated with increased odds of both lifetime (OR: 4.13; 95% CI: 3.28-5.210 and past 12-month (OR: 3.51; 95% CI: 2.47-4.96) TUDs. Any lifetime mood, anxiety, or personality disorder among older adults was associated with increased odds of lifetime AUD and TUD, any lifetime mood disorder was associated with increased odds of past 12-month AUD and TUD, and any personality disorder was associated with past 12-month TUD. CONCLUSION: There is a strong association between AUD and TUD among older U.S. adults as well as associations between AUD and TUD with mood, anxiety, and personality disorders. Understanding the psychiatric conditions associated with AUDs and TUDs, especially past 12-month use disorders involving alcohol or tobacco, will enable healthcare providers to target screening and be more aware of symptoms and signs of potential AUDs and TUDs among those at higher risk.

A comparison of four telephone-based counseling styles for recovering stimulant users.

The continuing development and refinement of empirically supported interventions to increase participation in posttreatment care and promote sustained abstinence from illicit drug use is a priority for the addictions field. The purpose of this study was to assess the combined and relative effectiveness of four types of counseling styles, delivered by telephone, relative to a no call control condition. Stimulant users (N = 302) were randomized to one of four low-cost, telephone support protocols (unstructured/nondirective, unstructured/directive, structured/nondirective, structured/directive) or a standard referral to aftercare without telephone counseling (control). All of the study participants were nearing the completion of (or had completed) an intensive phase of structured, outpatient stimulant abuse treatment. Drug use and aftercare participation were assessed at 3 and 12 months following randomization. Intent-to-treat analyses showed no significant time-by-group interactions for these primary outcomes. Subsequent analyses, however, revealed a significant difference between the aggregated call groups and the control group at the time of the 3-month follow-up. The mean ASI drug use severity composite score for subjects in the call conditions declining from .058 at baseline to .048 at 3 months, whereas the no call/control group average score increased from .053 to .062 (χ (1) = 4.95, p = .026). A similar-and slightly stronger-effect was found when the study sample was restricted to those reporting any use during the month prior to the baseline interview (n = 152). This study provides modest support for the telephone-based counseling approaches strategies examined in this project. Subsequent research will assess interactions between patient characteristics and counseling styles, and improved identification of which treatment graduates might be more likely to benefit from this type of continuing support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

Patient reactance moderates the effect of directive telephone counseling for methamphetamine users.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of the interaction between patient reactance and treatment directiveness on the effectiveness of telephone aftercare for methamphetamine dependence. METHOD: Reactance was assessed at baseline, and participants were randomly assigned to directive or nondirective treatment conditions. Logistic regression tested for the significance of the interaction as a predictor of 3-month and 12-month use of methamphetamine and stimulants. RESULTS: A significant interaction was observed at the 3-month follow-up, in which the directive condition was less effective for patients higher in reactance and was more effective for patients lower in reactance. Among patients at a high level of reactance, the nondirective condition increased the likelihood of abstinence. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that, in the context of telephone-based care, directive interventions offer short-term clinical benefit for methamphetamine users who readily accept influence from authority figures, whereas nondirective interventions offer benefit for patients who do not readily accept influence. The short-term nature of these effects indicates that there is a need for brief but ongoing telephone support to maintain treatment gains.

Alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical drug use disorders in U.S. Adults aged 65 years and older: data from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence, sociodemographic, and health-related correlates of substance use disorders, including alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical drug use among adults aged 65 years and older. DESIGN: The 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a cross-sectional survey of a population-based sample. SETTING: The United States. PARTICIPANTS: Eight thousand two hundred five adults aged 65 years and older. MEASUREMENTS: Prevalence of lifetime and past 12-month Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, determined alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical drug use disorders. RESULTS: Prevalence of any substance use disorder was 21.1% during the lifetime and 5.4% in the past 12 months. Lifetime and past 12-month alcohol use disorders were 16.1% and 1.5%; tobacco use disorders were 8.7% and 4.0%; and nonmedical drug use disorders were 0.6% and 0.2%, respectively. Younger age was associated with greater odds of any lifetime or past 12-month substance use disorders. Men and those who were divorced or separated had greater odds of both lifetime alcohol and tobacco use disorders. Very good or excellent self-rated health was associated with lower odds of lifetime and past 12-month tobacco use disorders. Younger age and being divorced or separated were associated with greater odds of lifetime nonmedical drug use disorder. CONCLUSIONS: More than one in five older adults ever had a substance use disorder, and more than 1 in 20 had a disorder in the past 12 months, primarily involving alcohol or tobacco. Older adults have increased comorbidities and use of medications, which can increase risks associated with substance use.

What explains the relationship between the therapist structure × patient reactance interaction and drinking outcome? An examination of potential mediators.

Recent research found that among patients in aftercare treatment for alcoholism the level of therapist structure interacted with the level of patients' interpersonal reactance to predict alcohol use outcomes. The present study examined two sets of potential mediators of this interaction effect among a sample from two aftercare sites of Project MATCH (n = 127). The mediator constructs were types of pro-recovery change talk and resistance to therapeutic work. Dependent variables were percentage of days abstinent (PDA) and percentage of heavy drinking days (PHDD) across the year after treatment. Multiple-mediator models using bootstrapped estimates of indirect effects were used to test for mediation. Results indicated that the 'taking steps' aspect of change talk partially mediated the Structure × Reactance interaction effect on both PDA and PHDD post treatment. Resistance was not found to mediate the interaction effect though resistance did predict worse drinking outcomes. Depending on patients' openness to being influenced by others, therapist structure early in treatment may promote or inhibit pro-recovery steps taken by aftercare patients between treatment sessions. Those steps in turn play an important role in predicting future alcohol use.

Do health educator telephone calls reduce at-risk drinking among older adults in primary care?

BACKGROUND: Alcohol screening and brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol use has not been consistently delivered in primary care as part of preventive healthcare. OBJECTIVE: To explore whether telephone-based intervention delivered by a health educator is efficacious in reducing at-risk drinking among older adults in primary care settings. DESIGN: Secondary analyses of data from a randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects randomized to the intervention arm of the trial (n = 310). INTERVENTIONS: Personalized risk reports, advice from physicians, booklet about alcohol and aging, and up to three telephone calls from a health educator. All interventions were completed before the three-month follow-up. MEASUREMENTS: Risk outcomes (at-risk or not at-risk) at 3 and 12 months after enrollment. MAIN RESULTS: In univariate analyses, compared to those who remained at risk, those who achieved not at-risk outcome at 3 months were more likely to be women, Hispanic or non-white, have lower levels of education, consume less alcohol, drink less frequently, and have lower baseline number of risks. In mixed-effects logistic regression models, completing all three health educator calls increased the odds of achieving not at-risk outcome compared to not completing any calls at 3 months (OR 5.31; 95% CI 1.92-14.7; p = 0.001), but not at 12 months (OR 2.01; 95% CI 0.71-5.67; p = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: Telephone-based intervention delivered by a health educator was moderately efficacious in reducing at-risk drinking at 3 months after enrollment among older adults receiving a multi-faceted intervention in primary care settings; however, the effect was not sustained at 12 months.

Determinants of early reductions in drinking in older at-risk drinkers participating in the intervention arm of a trial to reduce at-risk drinking in primary care.

OBJECTIVES: To describe differences between older at-risk drinkers, as determined using the Comorbidity Alcohol Risk Evaluation Tool, who reduced drinking and those who did not after an initial intervention and to determine factors associated with early reductions in drinking. DESIGN: Secondary analyses of data from a randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Seven primary care sites. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects randomized to the intervention group who completed the first health educator call approximately 2 weeks after enrollment (n=239). INTERVENTION: Personalized risk reports, booklets on alcohol-associated risks, and advice from physicians, followed by a health educator call. MEASURMENTS: Reductions in number of alcoholic drinks. RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent of the sample had reduced drinking within 2 weeks of receiving the initial intervention. According to the final multiple logistic regression model, those who were concerned about alcohol-related risks (odds ratio (OR)=2.03, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.01-4.07), read through the educational booklet (OR=2.97, 95% CI=1.48-5.95), or perceived that their physicians discussed risks and advised changing drinking behaviors (OR=4.1, 95% CI=2.02-8.32) had greater odds of reducing drinking by the first health educator call. CONCLUSION: Concern about risks, reading educational material, and perception of physicians providing advice to reduce drinking were associated with early reductions in alcohol use in older at-risk drinkers. Understanding these factors will enable development of better intervention strategies to reduce unhealthy alcohol use.

Patient reactance as a moderator of the effect of therapist structure on posttreatment alcohol use.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to replicate findings about the effect of therapist-imposed structure on alcoholism-treatment effectiveness for aftercare patients at different levels of interpersonal reactance and to examine if the effect generalizes to patients in a primary phase of treatment. METHOD: Analyses were based on ex post facto observer ratings combined with outcome data from a randomized clinical trial. Participants had alcohol abuse or dependence (N = 247) and received treatment at either a primary outpatient treatment site (n = 125) or an aftercare site (n = 122) of Project MATCH (Matching Alcoholism Treatments to Client Heterogeneity). Patients' trait reactance and therapist structure were assessed via observer ratings based on videotaped therapy sessions. Dependent variables included percentage days abstinent, percentage heavy-drinking days, time to first drinking day, and time to first heavy-drinking day throughout a 1-year posttreatment period. RESULTS: The results indicated that increased therapist structure during aftercare treatment predicted fewer abstinent days and more heavy-drinking days for persons at a high level of reactance than for persons at a low level of reactance. The effect was a consistent predictor of alcohol use throughout each 3-month interval within the follow-up period. The interaction effect was not supported in the primary outpatient treatment sites, and it was not supported as a predictor of time to first drink or time to first heavy drink in either the aftercare or the outpatient sites. CONCLUSIONS: This study successfully replicated the finding that level of patient reactance appears to moderate the effect of therapist structure on alcohol-use outcomes in aftercare treatment settings. The lack of support for this effect in primary outpatient treatment settings suggests that the negative effect of structured treatment may be limited to patients who are further along in the recovery process.