Text-message peer coaching to reduce risky drinking in young adults not in college
Official title: ASPIRE to Change: Leveraging Text Messaging Peer Support Coaching to Mitigate Hazardous Alcohol Consumption in Non-Collegiate Young Adults
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11192341 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares a peer-support text messaging program and a cognitive-behavioral text program to help 18–25-year-old non-college young adults cut down on hazardous drinking.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $592,877 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA030986-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11192341 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are 18–25-year-olds who are not currently enrolled in college and who report hazardous or binge drinking.
✕Less likely to help
People under 18 or over 25, current college students, individuals with severe alcohol dependence who need medical treatment, or those without regular access to a mobile phone/texting are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be randomly assigned to get either a cognitive-behavioral texting program or the ASPIRE peer-support texting program for three months. Every two weeks you'll answer brief text questions about your drinking and your interactions with friends. Both groups receive regular feedback, while ASPIRE adds peer-inspired support and tips for changing your physical environment to reduce drinking. The study collects outcomes through online surveys at multiple time points to track binge drinking and alcohol-related problems.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If effective, this could give non-college young adults an easy, low-cost text-based way to lower binge drinking and related harms.
How similar studies have gone: Previous text-message interventions and the team's pilot trial showed promising reductions in binge drinking, but a head-to-head comparison with a cognitive-behavioral text program in non-college young adults is new.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Suffoletto, Brian P — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Suffoletto, Brian P
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ASPIRE to Change: text-message peer support to reduce risky drinking among non-college young adults
A texting program called ASPIRE helps non-college young adults, aged 18–25, cut back on hazardous drinking by using peer support and environmental tips.
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.