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Using Passive Sensing to Isolate a Biosignature for Craving Among Individuals in Early Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery
Sara Mei1, Noah N Emery1, David Eddie2,3
1Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
Addiction Biology
|August 10, 2026
Summary
Heart rate variability (HRV) can help detect alcohol craving in real-time. Monitoring HRV may support interventions for alcohol use disorder (AUD) recovery by identifying craving moments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Craving is a key predictor of relapse in alcohol use disorder (AUD).
- Impaired interoceptive awareness in AUD recovery hinders craving management.
- Passive biosensor monitoring offers potential for timely craving interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify physiological biosignatures of craving in early AUD recovery.
- To investigate the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and craving.
- To assess the feasibility of using HRV for passive craving detection.
Main Methods:
- Employed ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring and ecological momentary assessment (EMA).
- Collected data from 40 individuals in the first year of AUD recovery (400 observations).
- Utilized multilevel negative binomial regression to analyze HRV and craving correlations.
Main Results:
- High-frequency HRV (HF-HRV) was associated with concurrent craving within individuals (IRR=1.01, p=0.013).
- SD1, a measure of HRV, also correlated with momentary craving (IRR=0.97, p=0.020).
- These HRV metrics show potential as indicators of craving.
Conclusions:
- HRV is a viable physiological marker for detecting craving in individuals with AUD.
- Passive HRV monitoring could enable just-in-time adaptive interventions for craving mitigation.
- Findings support the use of HRV in supporting early AUD recovery efforts.