Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to reduce hazardous drinking in people living with HIV
Official title: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for HIV+ hazardous drinkers: A randomized clinical trial
Funded at Syracuse University · NIH-11162300 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers a phone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy program to help adults with HIV who drink at hazardous levels cut down and cope with emotional triggers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Syracuse University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Syracuse, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $553,313 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA030935-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11162300 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) living with HIV who report hazardous levels of alcohol use and can participate in telephone-delivered therapy are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not drink at hazardous levels, are under 21, cannot take part in phone sessions, or need immediate intensive substance use or psychiatric care may not benefit from this trial.
What this research studies
If you are an adult living with HIV who drinks at hazardous levels, researchers may invite you to join a randomized program. Participants are randomly assigned to receive phone-delivered ACT sessions adapted for alcohol use or to a comparison condition, and they complete regular surveys and check-ins about drinking, mood, and HIV care. The therapy teaches skills to change how you relate to unwanted thoughts and feelings so you rely less on alcohol to cope. The team will follow participants over time to track drinking, mental health, and HIV treatment outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This approach could help people with HIV reduce risky drinking, improve mental health, and support better HIV treatment outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous alcohol interventions for people with HIV have had limited success, and while ACT has shown promise for other mental health and behavioral issues, it has not yet been tested in a full-scale randomized trial specifically for alcohol use.
Where this research is happening
-
Syracuse University
Syracuse, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Woolf-King, Sarah E — Syracuse University
- Study coordinator: Woolf-King, Sarah E
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ACT for HIV+ drinkers: a guided, phone-based program to help reduce hazardous alcohol use
A phone-delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy program is being tested to help adults with HIV who drink Hazardously cut back on alcohol and improve health-related outcomes.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.