Stand Down: A mobile app with peer phone support to help Veterans reduce risky drinking
Official title: Stand Down-Think Before You Drink: An RCT of a Mobile App for Hazardous Drinking with Peer Phone Support
Funded at Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys · NIH-11199649 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This offers Veterans a smartphone app plus regular phone support from a trained peer to help cut back on hazardous drinking.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Palo Alto, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003274-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11199649 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans seen in VA primary care who screen positive for hazardous drinking, have access to a smartphone, and are willing to receive brief peer phone support.
✕Less likely to help
Those with severe alcohol dependence who need inpatient detox or intensive services, people without smartphone access, or non-Veterans are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
You would use the Stand Down app to track drinking, set goals, and get tips for managing urges. Trained Veteran Peer Specialists will call you to help you learn the app, troubleshoot problems, and provide encouragement and accountability. Veterans will be randomly assigned to get the app with peer phone support or the usual care offered in VA primary care, and researchers will compare drinking outcomes over several months. The program builds on a pilot that found the app plus peer calls was acceptable and helped some Veterans reduce drinking.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make it easier for Veterans to reduce risky drinking by offering convenient, phone-based help without frequent clinic visits.
How similar studies have gone: Related apps like Step Away and a prior open pilot of Stand Down showed promising drinking reductions, but keeping users engaged has been a recurring challenge.
Where this research is happening
-
Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys
Palo Alto, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Blonigen, Daniel Michael — Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys
- Study coordinator: Blonigen, Daniel Michael
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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.