The effectiveness of reduction in alcohol consumption achieved by the provision of non-alcoholic beverages associates with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

• Published in: BMC medicine Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 424 - 13
• Main Authors: Dobashi, Shohei, Kawaida, Kyoko, Saito, Go, Owaki, Yukiko, Yoshimoto, Hisashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 30.09.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol drinking behavior; Alcohol problem severity; Alcohol use; Alcoholic beverages; Alcoholism; Analysis; Behavior modification; Beverages; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Cognitive therapy; Dehydrogenases; Dependence; Development and progression; Disorders; Drinking behavior; Drinking of alcoholic beverages; Drug dependence; Effectiveness; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Intervention; Interviews; Japan; Male; Middle Aged; Non-alcoholic beverages; Patient outcomes; Reduced alcohol consumption; Risk factors; Secondary analysis; Social aspects; Treatment Outcome; Japan; Non-alcoholic beverages; Alcohol drinking behavior; Reduced alcohol consumption; Alcohol problem severity
• ISSN: 1741-7015; 1741-7015
• DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03641-3

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is commonly used in clinical settings to assess the severity of alcohol-related problems, with the effectiveness of alcohol reduction interventions varying across this spectrum. In a recent study, we demonstrated that a 12-week intervention involving the provision of free non-alcoholic beverages reduced alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers for up to 8 weeks post-intervention. However, it remains unclear whether this effect was consistent across different AUDIT score ranges. Therefore, this secondary analysis aimed to examine whether the severity of alcohol-related problems, as indicated by AUDIT scores, influences the effectiveness of non-alcoholic beverage provision in reducing alcohol consumption. This was a single-center, open-label, randomized, parallel-group study. Participants were Japanese individuals who frequently consumed large quantities of alcohol (at least 40 g/day for men and 20 g/day for women) but were not diagnosed with alcohol dependence. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group. The intervention group received free non-alcoholic beverages once every 4 weeks over a 12-week period (24 bottles of 350 mL per case, up to three cases per session, for a total of three sessions). Alcohol and non-alcoholic beverage consumption over the previous 4 weeks was tracked using a drinking diary. For this secondary analysis, participants were categorized into four groups based on their AUDIT scores (group 1: ≤ 7 points, group 2: 8-11 points, group 3: 12-14 points, and group 4: ≥ 15 points), and changes in alcohol consumption were compared across these groups in both the intervention and control participants. The provision of non-alcoholic beverages significantly increased non-alcoholic beverage consumption in all groups. However, alcohol consumption was significantly reduced in the intervention groups compared to controls only in groups 1-3. The reduction in alcohol consumption was less pronounced in groups 3 and 4 compared to group 1 (both, p < 0.05). Importantly, the provision of non-alcoholic beverages did not lead to an increase in alcohol consumption, even among individuals with higher AUDIT scores. These findings suggest that individuals with higher AUDIT scores may experience a reduced benefit from a 12-week non-alcoholic beverage intervention in terms of alcohol consumption reduction. Nevertheless, this intervention appears to be a safe and effective strategy for reducing alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers who do not have alcohol dependence. UMIN UMIN000047949. Registered 4 June 2022.