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Updated: Sep 15, 2025

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder

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Published on: June 23, 2023

Single-session behavioral activation for alcohol use disorder: a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Flavio Frohlich^1,2, Zachary Stewart¹, Sanvi Korsapathy^1,2

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

|July 15, 2025

Summary

A single-session ultrabrief behavioral activation (UBA) intervention shows promise for reducing alcohol use in individuals with mild-moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD). This approach reinforces value-based activities, addressing a gap in current brief therapies.

Keywords:

Alcohol-use disorder behavioral activation positive reinforcement single-session intervention

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Published on: January 5, 2018

Area of Science:

Psychology
Psychiatry
Behavioral Science

Background:

Brief psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD) often focuses on motivation rather than behavioral change.
Behavioral activation (BA) is an action-oriented therapy that reinforces value-based, substance-free activities, potentially addressing this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the preliminary efficacy of a single-session ultrabrief behavioral activation (UBA) intervention for individuals with mild-moderate AUD.
To assess the impact of UBA on alcohol consumption and related psychological factors.

Main Methods:

A randomized controlled parallel-group pilot trial was conducted with 40 participants.
Participants were assigned to either the UBA intervention group or an assessment-only control group.
Alcohol use was assessed at baseline and up to 3-month follow-up.

Main Results:

Both UBA and control groups showed reductions in drinking frequency, drinks per drinking day, and average alcohol consumption.
The most significant difference was observed in percent drinking days at the 2-week follow-up (d = -0.53, p = 0.064).
The UBA group experienced increases in behavioral activation, value-consistency, and a decrease in anhedonia.

Conclusions:

The UBA intervention shows potential as a therapeutic tool for alcohol use disorder.
UBA may help bridge the gap between brief motivational interventions and longer psychotherapy courses for AUD.
Further investigation into UBA is warranted for its efficacy in managing AUD.