Relapse is the most serious problem in alcoholism treatment. The overall aim of the present study is to determine if a treatment directed at changing the patient's social network, from one that reinforces drinking behavior to one that reinforces sobriety, can create the conditions necessary for long-term treatment success. In addition, we intend to determine if explicit reinforcement for this change of social network (Contingency Management or ContM) will be more effective than the same network support intervention without contingent reinforcement for change. 207 alcohol dependent men and women will be recruited and assigned to one of three treatments in a dismantling design intended to evaluate the relative contributions of Network Support and Contingency Management over a Case Management control condition. The three conditions will be: Case Management, Network Support, and Network Support + ContM. The Network Support only condition (Condition 2) will allow us to determine the effect of focusing on the social support network in achieving reduction of alcohol use compared to the Case Management control condition. The Network support intervention is based on the 12- Step Facilitation intervention used in Project MATCH, but will focus more on AA as an alternative social network, with additional network-building activities built in. Network Support + ContM (Condition 3) should yield the best results. Reinforcement will be provided contingent upon completing steps of treatment (e.g., Steps 1-6 of 12-step treatment, attending AA meetings, non-drinking social activities) is expected to result in high adherence to treatment and therefore a more complete change of social network. Change in social network should lead to more enduring abstinence. More favorable long-term outcomes should result as a function of network support for sobriety, measured at follow-up points up to 2 years posttreatment. We will also explore the possibility, introduced in Project MATCH, that a change in network support will be maximally beneficial to those whose social networks were initially most supportive of drinking to start with.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01AA012827-01A2
Application #
6430256
Study Section
Health Services Research Review Subcommittee (AA)
Program Officer
Fertig, Joanne
Project Start
2002-03-01
Project End
2007-02-28
Budget Start
2002-03-01
Budget End
2003-02-28
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$502,860
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Connecticut
Department
Dentistry
Type
Schools of Dentistry
DUNS #
City
Farmington
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06030
Litt, Mark D; Kadden, Ronald M; Tennen, Howard (2018) Treatment response and non-response in CBT and Network Support for alcohol disorders: targeted mechanisms and common factors. Addiction 113:1407-1417
Litt, Mark D; Kadden, Ronald M; Tennen, Howard et al. (2016) Network Support II: Randomized controlled trial of Network Support treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy for alcohol use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend 165:203-12
Litt, Mark D; Kadden, Ronald M; Tennen, Howard (2015) Network Support treatment for alcohol dependence: gender differences in treatment mechanisms and outcomes. Addict Behav 45:87-92
Haut, Sheryl R; Hall, Charles B; Borkowski, Thomas et al. (2013) Modeling seizure self-prediction: an e-diary study. Epilepsia 54:1960-7
Kadden, Ronald M; Litt, Mark D (2011) The role of self-efficacy in the treatment of substance use disorders. Addict Behav 36:1120-6
Litt, Mark D; Kadden, Ronald M; Kabela-Cormier, Elise et al. (2009) Changing network support for drinking: network support project 2-year follow-up. J Consult Clin Psychol 77:229-42
Litt, Mark D; Kadden, Ronald M; Kabela-Cormier, Elise (2009) Individualized assessment and treatment program for alcohol dependence: results of an initial study to train coping skills. Addiction 104:1837-8
Litt, Mark D; Kadden, Ronald M; Kabela-Cormier, Elise et al. (2007) Changing network support for drinking: initial findings from the network support project. J Consult Clin Psychol 75:542-55