Development and Pilot Test of a Novel Digital Social Support Intervention for Reducing Hazardous Alcohol Use

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Addiction recovery support
• Public health

Background:

• Community-based recovery organizations offer vital social support for addiction recovery.
• A digital intervention, Let's Do Addiction Recovery Together! (LDART), was developed to enhance awareness and engagement with these organizations.
• LDART targets individuals aiming to reduce hazardous alcohol consumption through goal-setting, peer-led motivational messages, and resource information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the LDART digital intervention.
• To assess the intervention's impact on engagement with recovery organizations and alcohol consumption.
• To gather user feedback for potential improvements and future research.

Main Methods:

• A single-arm study involving 30 adults seeking to reduce hazardous alcohol use.
• Participants used LDART for 28 nights, with data collected pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at 1-month follow-up.
• Feasibility and acceptability were assessed via surveys and interviews, while preliminary efficacy was measured by recovery organization engagement and alcohol use.

Main Results:

• High engagement with LDART, with participants using it on average 81.8% of nights.
• A significant majority (81.0%) would recommend LDART to others.
• Participants demonstrated increased recovery organization engagement and reduced alcohol consumption during and after the intervention period.

Conclusions:

• LDART is well-received and highly acceptable among adults aiming to reduce drinking.
• Preliminary findings suggest LDART's potential efficacy in increasing engagement with recovery support and reducing hazardous alcohol use.
• Further research is warranted to validate LDART's effectiveness in a larger population.