Alcohol Craving and Cue Exposure in Real Time: A Pilot Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)-Based Personalized...

Alcohol cues vary situationally across contexts and have been recognized as a factor that contributes to craving and alcohol use. We describe a brief web-based personalized feedback intervention (PFI) that summarizes ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data collected in a pilot study. The PFI highlighted young adults' desire to drink and the presence/absence of alcohol cues, capitalizing on variability found in the natural environment across 17 days. We examined the extent to which the EMA data collected in the pilot study were optimal for use in the PFI and participants' evaluations of the PFI.

Eligibility criteria included being age 18-24 years and reporting one or more heavy episodic drinking occasions in the last month. Data were collected from 51 participants (mean age = 21.69 years, SD = 1.86; 54.9% female; 56.9% non-Hispanic White). Data were from a baseline survey, 17 days of EMAs (4×/day), and an evaluation survey.

High EMA survey retention was obtained (85.8% completion). The intraclass correlation coefficient for desire to drink showed that 22% of the variability was between persons and 78% was within persons. Cues of interest were adequately reported (e.g., physical cues reported on 23.2% of P.M. surveys, being around people with whom they typically drink on 31.9% of P.M. surveys). Participants rated the intervention favorably on 8 of 14 items (mean greater than 4.0 on a scale of 1-5).

EMA data offer rich opportunities for PFIs aimed at reducing alcohol use and consequences. The Alcohol Cue Reactivity PFI described here can inform future intervention research.