Craving Management Program for Substance Use Disorders

NCT07698808 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: UC26FIDI0065
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

This study examines whether a newly developed eight-session psychosocial treatment program, called the Craving Management and Alternative Behavior Enhancement Program, can be delivered in real-world hospital settings to people receiving inpatient care for substance use disorders in Korea, and whether it shows early signs of benefit. The program combines motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, behavioral activation, and group activities, and is delivered twice a week over about four weeks (eight 50-minute sessions). About 20 adults will take part at two psychiatric hospitals. Participants complete brief questionnaires and a short interview about their craving, motivation to change, behavioral activation, positive and negative affect, mindfulness, and drug use history before the program, immediately before and after each session, within one week after the program ends, and again at 1 month and 3 months after completion. After the program, some participants also join a small group discussion (focus group interview) to share their experience of the program. Because this is a small, single-group preliminary (pilot) study without a comparison group, its primary purpose is to assess feasibility, that is, whether the program and the assessment approach work well enough, and to obtain preliminary effect and variability estimates to inform the design of a future large-scale randomized controlled trial.

Conditions

Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Keywords

Psychosocial intervention; Craving; Group therapy; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Behavioral activation; Motivation to change; Mindfulness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Feasibility: Program Completion (Retention) Rate

  Proportion of enrolled participants who complete all eight sessions of the Craving Management and Alternative Behavior Enhancement Program. Feasibility is further characterized by recruitment rate, session attendance, and assessment completion rates.

  From enrollment through the end of the 8-session intervention (approximately 4 weeks)

• Change in Craving (VAS-C)

  Craving measured by the Visual Analog Scale for Craving (VAS-C), ranging from 0 to 100 mm (0 = no craving, 100 = constant craving); higher scores indicate greater craving (worse outcome). Change from baseline is assessed at post-intervention and follow-up.

  Immediately before and immediately after each of the 8 sessions (over approximately 4 weeks); baseline (within 1 week before the program); within 1 week post-intervention; 1 month and 3 months after completion

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Change in Motivation to Change (URICA-DO)

  Baseline (within 1 week before program), post-intervention (within 1 week after program), 1 month and 3 months after completion

• Change in Behavioral Activation (K-BADS-SF)

  Baseline, post-intervention (within 1 week), 1 month and 3 months after completion

• Change in Mindfulness (K-MMAS)

  Baseline, post-intervention (within 1 week), 1 month and 3 months after completion

• Change in Drug Use and Treatment Service Utilization

  Baseline, post-intervention (within 1 week), 1 month and 3 months after completion

• Program Acceptability (Focus Group Interview)

  Within 1 week after program completion

Other Outcomes (2)

• Session Usefulness and Therapeutic Alliance

  Immediately after each of the 8 sessions (over approximately 4 weeks)

• Treatment Fidelity (Adherence Rate)

  Immediately after each of the 8 sessions

Study Arms (1)

Craving Management and Alternative Behavior Enhancement Program

EXPERIMENTAL

All participants receive the Craving Management and Alternative Behavior Enhancement Program, an eight-session group-based psychosocial treatment delivered twice weekly (50 minutes per session) over approximately four weeks. The program integrates motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, behavioral activation, and group therapy, covering craving awareness, craving-regulation strategies, high-risk situation coping, alternative behaviors, routine building, gratitude, and a personalized recovery plan.

Behavioral: Craving Management and Alternative Behavior Enhancement Program

Interventions

Craving Management and Alternative Behavior Enhancement Program BEHAVIORAL

Eight 50-minute group sessions delivered twice weekly over approximately four weeks. Session 1: how craving arises. Session 2: craving regulation strategies I (the pause between impulse and action). Session 3: craving regulation strategies II (from automatic reactions to chosen responses). Session 4: anticipating high-risk situations and building a personal coping card. Session 5: identifying alternative behaviors that fit one's own life. Session 6: building small but reliable routines. Session 7: noticing positive moments and cultivating gratitude. Session 8: creating a personal recovery practice manual. Core techniques are motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, behavioral activation, and group therapy.

Craving Management and Alternative Behavior Enhancement Program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged 19 to 65 years who can understand the study purpose and procedures and provide written informed consent
• Currently hospitalized (inpatient)
• Able to communicate and complete questionnaires in Korean
• Physically able to participate in program activities
• Has completed detoxification treatment
• Meets indication thresholds: DAST-10 score \>= 2, craving reported as present on the VAS-C craving screening (i.e., "yes"), and \>= 2 DSM-5 criteria

You may not qualify if:

• Cognitive impairment that precludes communication
• Physical conditions that preclude program participation (e.g., musculoskeletal disorder, severe cardiopulmonary disease)
• Acute psychotic symptoms or risk of self-harm or harm to others
• At risk of disrupting group activities such that focus group participation is not feasible
• Individuals who are inmates or incarcerated at screening are not enrolled; participants who become incarcerated after enrollment are withdrawn

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Catholic University of Korea: lead

Study Sites (2)

Daegu Daedong Hospital

Daegu, South Korea

Location

Incheon Chamsarang Hospital

Incheon, South Korea

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Substance-Related Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Hae Kook Lee, MD, PhD

  Study Principal Investigator

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Hae Kook Lee, MD, PhD

CONTACT

+82-31-820-3050; policyhklee@gmail.com

Hae-Ryoung Chun, PhD

CONTACT

+82-10-6567-7833; mamimihae@catholic.ac.kr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: Single-arm pre-post study with follow-up; all participants receive the Craving Management and Alternative Behavior Enhancement Program.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 7, 2026
• First Posted: July 13, 2026
• Study Start: August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: July 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

KR (2)