Reducing risky alcohol use in people with HIV

Zambia Alabama HIV Alcohol Comorbidities Program (ZAMBAMA)

NIH-funded research University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11173873

This program offers a flexible counseling approach to help adults with HIV who drink too much alcohol in Zambia and Alabama.

Quick facts

Grant typeP01 program project
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Birmingham, United States)
Project IDNIH-11173873 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you have HIV and drink alcohol in ways that harm your health, this program may offer clinic-based counseling sessions using a common-elements therapy called CETA. Participants at participating HIV clinics will be randomly assigned to receive the counseling or usual care, and researchers will track alcohol use, HIV treatment adherence, and viral outcomes over time. The team will also look at how mental health and other conditions might change the benefit and will examine costs and practical issues to bring this care to more clinics. The work is happening in rural and hard-to-reach HIV clinics in Zambia and in sites in Alabama.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults (21+) living with HIV who report unhealthy alcohol use and receive care at participating HIV clinics in Zambia or Alabama are the intended candidates.

Not a fit: People without unhealthy alcohol use, children, or those who do not receive care at the participating clinics are unlikely to benefit from this program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could lower unhealthy drinking and help people with HIV stay on treatment and achieve better viral control.

How similar studies have performed: Related transdiagnostic therapies have shown promise for mental health and substance use in low-resource settings, although integrating alcohol treatment into routine HIV care is still fairly new.

Where this research is happening

Birmingham, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Acquired Immune Deficiency SyndromeAcquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome VirusAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAcquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.