Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

Indiana University

Code:

NCT06302413

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 60

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to use a novel virtual reality intervention to test for efficacy in reducing alcohol use and increasing abstinence, with concomitant increases in future self-identification, future time perspective, and delay-of-reward, in early recovering alcohol use disorder (AUD) persons. The main question\[s\] this trial aims to answer are:

Will the Virtual Reality (VR) intervention decrease the number of stimulant use days? Will the VR intervention produce longer abstinence periods during follow-up visits? Will the VR intervention increase alcohol abstinence rates? Will the VR intervention increase future self-identification? Will the VR intervention increase self-reported future time perspective? Will the VR intervention increase preference for delayed rewards in a laboratory delay discounting task on the study day? Will the VR intervention produce gains in the behavioral effects of future self-identification, future time perspective, and delayed rewards at the 30-day and 6-month follow-ups? Researchers will compare the experimental and control groups to see if there are differences in the results for the questions outlined above.

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Study ID

NCT06302413

Start date

Feb 15, 2024

Status verified date

Mar, 2026

Completion date

Jul 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 60

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Abstinence between ≥14 days and ≤1 year
  • Verbal endorsement of commitment to recovery
  • Outpatient
  • Psychotropic drugs for SUD-comorbidity
  • Drug/alcohol abstinence ≥ 24 hours at the time of the study day visit
  • English comprehension

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unstable medical disorders
  • Habitual drug use
  • Mu-opioid drugs
  • Smell/taste disorders
  • Unstable psychiatric conditions
  • Extravagant/elaborate face tattoos

Study Design

Enrollment

500 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Virtual Reality

Participants in this arm will receive the following interventions:

Virtual Reality Park Virtual Reality Avatar

placebo comparator: Treatment As Usual

Participants in this arm will receive the following interventions:

Virtual Reality Park

Interventions

Virtual Reality

They will receive a Virtual Reality Park experience, which is an empty park with no avatars. They will then have a Virtual Reality Avatar experience, where they will see an avatar resembling themselves in a park setting.

Virtual Reality

They will receive a Virtual Reality Park experience, which is an empty park with no avatars.

Primary outcome measure

  • Reduced Use of Drug Using Days [ Time Frame: Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit ]
  • Increased Length of Abstinence [ Time Frame: Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit. ]
  • Increased (overall) Abstinence [ Time Frame: Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit. ]
  • Future Self-identification with Future Self Continuity Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit ]
  • Future Time Perspective with the Delayed Discounting Behavioral Task and Future Self Continuity Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit. ]
  • Delayed Reward Preference with the Delayed Discounting Behavioral Task [ Time Frame: Day 2-Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit. ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

Indiana University School of Medicine - Goodman Hal

Recruiting

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Brandon G Oberlin, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Indiana University

Last update posted

May 4, 2026

Last verified

Mar, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Indiana University on 2026-05-04.