A Smartphone App-Based Intervention Combined with Face-to-face Sessions for Alcohol Dependence at Internal Medicine Clinics: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Addressing the limited access to treatments for alcohol dependence, we developed ALM-002, a therapeutic application to be “prescribed” for non-abstinence-oriented treatment in internal medicine settings. Our objective was to preliminarily assess the efficacy and safety of ALM-002. Methods In a multicenter, open-label randomized controlled trial, participants aged ≥20 with alcohol dependence and daily alcohol consumption exceeding 60 g for men and 40 g for women, without severe complications, were randomly assigned to either the intervention group using ALM-002 or the treatment-as-usual control group. Participant in both groups received individual face-to-face sessions by physicians at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12. The primary endpoint was the change in heavy drinking days (HDDs) from week 0 to week 12. A mixed model for repeated measures was employed. Results We enrolled 43 participants: 22 in the intervention group and 21 in the control group. A significant reduction in HDDs every 4 weeks from week 0 to week 12 was observed, with a between-group difference of −6.99 days (95% CI: −12.4 to −1.6 days, standardized mean difference: −0.80). Conclusions These results indicate the potential of ALM-002 as a viable treatment for alcohol dependence. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical potential of ALM-002.