Network Support for Alcohol Treatment 2

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: The Network Support project is part of an ongoing effort to improve treatment for alcohol dependent patients. The Network Support Project is designed to help patients change their social network from one that reinforces drinking behavior to one that reinforces sobriety.

160 patients will be assigned to one of two treatments. Each of the treatments will last 12 weeks. The first is a Network Support (NS) treatment designed to help patients develop new acquaintances and social networks. It is expected that alcohol dependent patients will benefit from increasing their contact with non-drinking people. This NS condition will be compared to a packaged CBT program for alcoholics (PCBT) that is designed to teach a number of skills to help people stop drinking, but does not address social networks per se.

In order to better understand what is happening to the investigators patients, the investigators will be using daily computerized telephone calls to ask about people's experiences. This will be done both before and after treatment. Patients will also be asked to participate in follow-up interviews every 3 months for 2 years following the end of treatment.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

18 yo
meets Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for alcohol dependence

Exclusion Criteria

acute medical or psychiatric problems that require inpatient treatment (e.g., acute psychosis, or suicide/homicide risk)
reading ability below the fifth grade level
lack of reliable transportation to the treatment site, or excessive commuting distance
inability to understand English

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Packaged Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment	Coping Skills Training	The purpose of Packaged Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment (PCBT) is to train patients in a variety of skills that they can use to keep themselves from drinking.
Network Support	Coping Skills Training	Network Support treatment is aimed at helping patients change their social support network so that it supports abstinence. In this treatment patients will be encouraged to attend AA meetings and engage in other activities that would involve non-drinkers. These activities would be determined by the patient, with help from the therapist. Patients would learn about methods of avoiding drinking, making new friends, and getting enjoyment from activities other than drinking. In addition patients will learn specific skills intended to help them make new acquaintances and change their circle of friends.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Proportion Days Abstinent (PDA)	Every 3 months out to 2 years	PDA is based on data collected in each 90-day timeline follow-back assessment of daily drinking. PDA is calculated as the number of days out of 90 in which the patient reported 0 drinks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Social Network Change	assessed every 6 months out to 2 years, mean change over 2 years reported	Network Support for Abstinence. Minimum score=0; Maximum score =1. Higher scores indicate greater support for abstinence.