Hazardous DrinkingNCT07621822
Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Young Adult Hazardous Drinkers
A study testing Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in people with Hazardous Drinking and Harmful Alcohol Use, run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) works to help young adults with hazardous or harmful alcohol use quit drinking. It will also learn about the psychological effects of ACT on participants. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 35 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Hazardous Drinking, Harmful Alcohol Use
- What is being tested?
- Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 288 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 1 Aug 2026to 31 Jul 2029
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 35 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- (1) aged 18-35 years
- (2) able to read Chinese and speak Cantonese
- (3) have AUDIT scores ≥ 8
Who cannot join
- (1) currently receiving other behavioural therapies for drinking
- (2) has serious mental illnesses, defined as a Kessler Psychological Distress Scale score ≥ 13
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Assist Young Adults With Hazardous or Harmful Alcohol Use to Quit Drinking
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) works to help young adults with hazardous or harmful alcohol use quit drinking. It will also learn about the psychological effects of ACT on participants.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Read more
- Does telephone-based ACT increase the number of participants who quit drinking, as confirmed by a urine test?
- Does telephone-based ACT help participants reduce their alcohol consumption and improve their psychological flexibility?
Researchers will compare telephone-based ACT to a telephone-based social support programme to see if ACT works to help young adults quit drinking.
Participants will:
- Receive telephone-based ACT or social support once a week for 6 weeks Complete questionnaires about their alcohol use and psychological flexibility.
- Keep a record of their daily alcohol consumption throughout the study using a standardised diary method.
- Provide a urine sample at the 6-month follow-up if they report having quit drinking
- Conditions
- Hazardous Drinking, Harmful Alcohol Use
- Being tested
- Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Waitlist control with Telephone-Based Social Support
- Keywords
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Telephone-based intervention, Alcohol use, Psychological flexibility, Randomized controlled trial
- Medical subject headings
- Alcohol Drinking
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Behavioural
Participants in the intervention group will receive six weekly telephone sessions of ACT (45-60 min each) from interventionist.
Waitlist control with Telephone-Based Social SupportBehavioural
Participants in the control group will receive six weekly telephone sessions of social support (45 min each) from interventionist.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Telephone-Based ACT Intervention | Experimental | Telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for participants Receives: Behavioral: Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) |
| Waitlist control with Telephone-Based Social Support | Other | Waitlist control with Telephone-Based Social Support Receives: Behavioral: Waitlist control with Telephone-Based Social Support |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Biochemically-Validated Abstinence
Participants who self-report quitting drinking in the past 30 days are tested for ethyl glucuronide (a by-product of alcohol metabolism) via urine strips to confirm abstinence biochemically.
Measured: T4 (6 months after the end of the intervention)
Secondary outcomes (3)
Self-Reported 30-Day Abstinence
Reduction in alcohol consumption and self-reported 30-day abstinence will be recorded using TLFB. Participants will be asked to report the number of drinks they have consumed within the past 30 days.
Measured: T0 (baseline), T1 (immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention), T2 (1 month after completing the intervention), T3 (3 months after completing the intervention), T4 (6 months after completing the intervention)
Reduction in Alcohol Consumption
Defined as 50% or more reduction in average alcohol consumption per day compared to baseline, measured using the Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) questionnaire.
Measured: T1 (immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention), T2 (1 month after the intervention), T3 (3 months after the intervention), T4 (6 months after the intervention)
Psychological Flexibility Index
Personalised Psychological Flexibility Index(PPFI) will be used to measure psychological flexibility by 19 items rating on a 7-point scale. Higher scores represent greater psychological flexibility. It has been validated among Chinese college students
Measured: T0 (baseline), T1 (immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention), T2 (1 month after completing the intervention), T3 (3 months after completing the intervention), T4 (6 months after completing the intervention)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Jun 2026
- Study start1 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion31 Jul 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Jul 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Hazardous DrinkingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 288 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Dr Katherine Lam, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07621822
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- ACT Alcohol
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 26 May 2026
- Last updated
- 17 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Assist Young Adults With Hazardous or Harmful Alcohol Use to Quit Drinking
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07621822
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ACT Alcohol
- Conditions
- Hazardous Drinking, Harmful Alcohol Use
- Keywords
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Telephone-based intervention, Alcohol use, Psychological flexibility, Randomized controlled trial
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 288 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jul 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Jul 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 2 Jun 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) works to help young adults with hazardous or harmful alcohol use quit drinking. It will also learn about the psychological effects of ACT on participants.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does telephone-based ACT increase the number of participants who quit drinking, as confirmed by a urine test?
- Does telephone-based ACT help participants reduce their alcohol consumption and improve their psychological flexibility?
Researchers will compare telephone-based ACT to a telephone-based social support programme to see if ACT works to help young adults quit drinking.
Participants will:
- Receive telephone-based ACT or social support once a week for 6 weeks Complete questionnaires about their alcohol use and psychological flexibility.
- Keep a record of their daily alcohol consumption throughout the study using a standardised diary method.
- Provide a urine sample at the 6-month follow-up if they report having quit drinking
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Telephone-Based ACT Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for participants |
| Waitlist control with Telephone-Based Social Support | Other | Behavioral: Waitlist control with Telephone-Based Social SupportWaitlist control with Telephone-Based Social Support |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 35 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- (1) aged 18-35 years
- (2) able to read Chinese and speak Cantonese
- (3) have AUDIT scores ≥ 8
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- (1) currently receiving other behavioural therapies for drinking
- (2) has serious mental illnesses, defined as a Kessler Psychological Distress Scale score ≥ 13
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Participants in the intervention group will receive six weekly telephone sessions of ACT (45-60 min each) from interventionist. | Behavioural | Telephone-Based ACT Intervention |
| Waitlist control with Telephone-Based Social SupportParticipants in the control group will receive six weekly telephone sessions of social support (45 min each) from interventionist. | Behavioural | Waitlist control with Telephone-Based Social Support |
Primary outcome
Biochemically-Validated Abstinence
Time frame: T4 (6 months after the end of the intervention)
Participants who self-report quitting drinking in the past 30 days are tested for ethyl glucuronide (a by-product of alcohol metabolism) via urine strips to confirm abstinence biochemically.
3 secondary outcomes
Self-Reported 30-Day Abstinence
Time frame: T0 (baseline), T1 (immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention), T2 (1 month after completing the intervention), T3 (3 months after completing the intervention), T4 (6 months after completing the intervention)
Reduction in Alcohol Consumption
Time frame: T1 (immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention), T2 (1 month after the intervention), T3 (3 months after the intervention), T4 (6 months after the intervention)
Psychological Flexibility Index
Time frame: T0 (baseline), T1 (immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention), T2 (1 month after completing the intervention), T3 (3 months after completing the intervention), T4 (6 months after completing the intervention)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Aug 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in people with Hazardous Drinking and Harmful Alcohol Use, run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Ka Wai Katherine LAM, Doctor of Philosophy (+852 27666420, kw-katherine.lam@polyu.edu.hk), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Biochemically-Validated Abstinence (time frame: T4 (6 months after the end of the intervention)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Aug 2026.