Ready2Change - Alcohol Trial
A randomised controlled trial of a telephone-delivered psychological intervention to reduce problem alcohol use.
This research program takes evidence based psychological approaches such as CBT, MI, ACT, and Mindfulness-based relapse prevention and adapts them for delivery via telephone services to offer skills-based interventions that are tailored to individual needs and treatment goals.
Overview
Alcohol use and related harm is a significant issue for many Australians. However, few people seek help from traditional alcohol and other drug treatment services due to concerns about privacy, experiences of shame and stigma, time constraints (e.g. due to work or child care responsibilities), or thinking the problem isn’t serious enough to warrant conventional treatment. Many barriers to seeking help for alcohol use problems can be overcome through treatment programs that are delivered by telephone. These programs provide confidential support, at times convenient to the individual, and can be accessed from anywhere in Australia, though research evidence is limited to services delivering support to aid smoking cessation. This trial aimed to determine the efficacy of the Ready2Change (R2C) telephone-delivered intervention in reducing alcohol problem severity among a community sample of individuals with alcohol use problems.
In this double-blind RCT, 344 participants identified as experiencing alcohol problems in the community were randomly assigned to receive R2C or another brief intervention (i.e. minimal input control group), with follow-ups assessing alcohol use, and psychological health assessed post-intervention, 3, 6 and 12 months later.
The outcomes of this project are expected to make a significant contribution to the health and well-being of Australians who are otherwise unlikely to seek treatment from traditional alcohol and other drug treatment services, as well as generate substantial cost savings for the health system and broader community.
Registrations for participants closed
This trial has finished recruiting participants, 12-month follow-ups are being conducted. Results will be available in 2021.
Project team
Turning Point team
Professor Dan Lubman, Associate Professor Victoria Manning, Dr Jasmin Grigg, Mr Jonathan Tyler, Ms Isabelle Volpe, Ms Peta Stragalinos, Ms Anna Bough, Dr Jennifer Nation, Ms Sally Brown and Mr Adam Rubenis.
Project partners
Professor Amanda Baker (University of Newcastle), Associate Professor Petra Staiger (Deakin University), Professor David Best (Sheffield Hallam University), Dr Kate Hall (Deakin University), Associate Professor John Reynolds (Monash University), and Professor Anthony Harris (Monash University).
Contact details
For enquiries, please contact:
Trial Manager
Jasmin Grigg
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (03) 8413 8723
Learn more about this project
Publications:
- Lubman, D., Grigg, J., Manning, V., Hall, K., Volpe, I., Dias, S., Baker, A., Staiger, P., Reynolds, J., Harris, A., Tyler, J and Best, D (2019). Ready2Change: A randomised controlled trial of a structured telephone-delivered intervention to reduce problem alcohol use. Trials, 20; 515.