Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05955911

Alcohol & Exercise Study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if exercise can reduce alcohol craving in heavy social alcohol drinkers. The main questions this project aims to answer are 1) compared to a distraction activity (i.e., coloring), will mild-to-moderate intensity exercise (i.e., walking on a treadmill) reduce alcohol craving; 2) compared to a distraction, will mild-to-moderate intensity exercise reduce the amount of consumption of an alcohol-placebo beverage.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Alcohol-Related Disorders Behavior Chemically-Induced Disorders Mental Disorders Motor Activity Substance-Related Disorders

Age range

19 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Western University

London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada

About this study

Upon arriving to the study, participants will complete baseline measures assessing for the inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as baseline alcohol craving and subjective response measures. Participants will then be randomly assigned into the active treatment (exercise) or distraction (coloring) condition. After randomization, participants will consume a low-dose alcohol beverage (BAC=0.03g/dL; equivalent to approximately 1 standard alcohol beverage) within five minutes to induce active alcohol craving. 15 minutes post-beverage consumption, participants will complete the alcohol craving and subjective response measures. At 20 minutes post-beverage consumption, participants will begin their randomly assigned 20-minute activity (exercise or coloring). At approximately 12 minutes into the activity (32 minutes post beverage consumption) and immediately after the activity (44 minutes post beverage consumption), the participants will complete the alcohol craving and subjective response measures. Participants will then be given a tray of three 8oz. cups of water and 3 8oz. cups of an alcohol-placebo beverage and will be allowed to drink as much or as little of the beverages as they would like.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Heavy social alcohol drinkers (i.e., alcohol drinkers who consume 10-40 standard alcohol beverages per week and participate in 1-5 binge drinking episodes [consume 4+/5+ drinks in a sitting for women/men, respectively]) per week.

Exclusion criteria

  • Meets DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for a current moderate or severe alcohol use disorder
  • Meets DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for a current Moderate or Severe cannabis use disorder
  • Endorses daily smoking of tobacco
  • Endorses having a current DSM-5 psychiatric disorder
  • Endorses having any medical conditions that may interfere with the exercise condition (e.g., knee-replacement, sprained ankle, etc.)
  • Has a current level of physical activity that exceeds 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day
  • Endorses illicit substance use (i.e., use of illicit substances x>2 times in the past year)
  • Has self-reported allergies to pineapple juice, cranberry juice, orange juice, &/or tonic water
  • Individuals not proficient in reading, writing, or speaking in English
  • Women who are trying to conceive or who are pregnant
  • Women who are currently breastfeeding

Treatment and study plan

Exercise

Behavioral

20 minutes of Moderate intensity (40%-59% heartrate reserve) walking on a treadmill.

Coloring

Behavioral

20 minutes of coloring in adult coloring book

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in alcohol craving after alcohol prime dose

    Time frame: mid-intervention (32 minutes after prime dose consumption) & post-intervention (44 minutes after prime dose consumption)

    It is expected that the exercise condition will lead to larger reductions in alcohol craving (Alcohol Urge Questionnaire) at the mid- and post-intervention time points as compared to the coloring condition.

  2. Post-intervention alcohol beverage consumption

    Time frame: Post-intervention (approximately 50 minutes after prime dose consumption)

    It is expected that individuals in the exercise condition will consume more of the alcohol-placebo beverage (milliliters of beverage consumed) than individuals in the coloring condition.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Changes in alcohol wanting after alcohol prime dose

    Time frame: mid-intervention (32 minutes after prime dose consumption) & post-intervention (44 minutes after prime dose consumption)

    It is expected that the exercise condition will lead to larger reductions in alcohol wanting (Drug Effects Questionnaire: Want More item) at the mid- and post-intervention time points as compared to the coloring condition.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Western University, Canada

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of an Acute Exercise Intervention on Alcohol Craving and Alcohol Seeking Behaviors Among Heavy Social Drinkers

Acronym: Alc-Excr

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jul 21, 2023
Registry last updated
Jul 20, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.