Efficacy and Mechanisms of CBT4CBT for Alcohol Use Disorders

Evaluate the efficacy of Computer Based Training for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT4CBT) and clinician-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) relative to standard treatment for reducing alcohol use through an 8-week randomized trial with 6-month follow-up. Our primary hypothesis is that either form of CBT will be more effective than standard treatment at increasing the percentage of days abstinent during treatment (8 weeks) and through the follow-up (6 months), assessed via Timeline FollowBack interviews.

Inclusion criteria

Individuals will be included who:

• Are 18 years of age or older.
• Are applying for outpatient alcohol treatment and meet current DSM-5 criteria for alcohol use disorder, consuming at least 14/7 drinks (men/women) per week with at least 4 heavy drinking days reported in the past 28 days,
• Are sufficiently stable for 8 weeks of outpatient treatment and can commit to a 6-month follow-up
• Are willing to provide locator information for follow-up, and
• Are fluent in English and have a 6th grade or higher reading level.

Exclusion criteria

Individuals will be excluded who:

• Have an untreated bipolar or schizophrenic disorder,
• Have a current legal case pending such that incarceration during the 8-week protocol is likely,
• Have been prescribed an alcohol pharmacotherapy (e.g., disulfiram, naltrexone) within the past two weeks, or
• Are physically dependent on alcohol, opioids or benzodiazepines such that immediate medical detoxification is necessary for safety purposes (individuals demonstrating significant withdrawal symptoms would be eligible for re-screening following brief medical detoxification, which is arranged by RCS staff at triage).