Monitoring substance use and tracking relapse through smartphone data

SMART-r: Substance Monitoring and Active Relapse Tracking Repository

Observational National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) · NCT06676059

This study is testing a smartphone app to see how tracking people's phone use and habits can help understand and prevent drug and alcohol relapse in adults.

Quick facts

Study typeObservational
Enrollment10000 (estimated)
Ages18 Years to 120 Years
SexAll
SponsorNational Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) NIH
Locations1 site (Baltimore, Maryland)
Trial IDNCT06676059 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This project aims to create a comprehensive data repository by collecting survey and smartphone data from adults who have used drugs or alcohol. Participants will use the TTRU-Curtis AWARE app to provide digital phenotyping data, which includes smartphone usage, social media interactions, and sensor measurements. The goal is to analyze this data to uncover behavioral patterns and risk factors associated with substance use, ultimately informing prevention and intervention strategies. Data collection will occur over a period of up to six months, with all activities conducted online.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this study are adults aged 18 or older who have used drugs or alcohol in the past 30 days and own an Android smartphone.

Not a fit: Patients who do not use drugs or alcohol or do not have an Android smartphone will not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could provide valuable insights that improve treatment outcomes for individuals struggling with substance use disorders.

How similar studies have performed: While the approach of using digital phenotyping for substance use research is emerging, similar studies have shown promise in understanding behavioral patterns and improving treatment strategies.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
* INCLUSION CRITERIA:

In order to be eligible to participate in the repository, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

* Must understand and be willing to complete an online informed consent process.
* Be an adult aged 18 or older.
* Self-report alcohol or other drug use within the past 30 days.
* Have a smartphone as their primary mobile phone.
* Be willing to adhere to the procedures, such as downloading the AWARE app onto their smartphone and keeping it active throughout the data collection period, completing baseline questionnaires, daily diary EMAs, uploading historical conversational AI data, and/or follow-up surveys.
* Understand and write in English.

  --This exclusion criterion is included because future research on the data collected will include linguistic analysis. all linguistic analyses, we remove rare words (e.g., words must be said by at least 95% of participants)95. Additionally, there are cultural differences across languages and, thus, interpreting language results across more than one language becomes difficult.96 As a result, we must keep analysis limited to a single language (English), since words in other languages will not meet that criteria.
* Live in the United States.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this repository:

1\. Any impairment severe enough to preclude informed consent or valid self-report.

Where this trial is running

Baltimore, Maryland

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions AlcoholismSubstance-Related DisordersAlcoholSubstance usedigital phenotyping
Last reviewed 2026-06-09 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.