Improving alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment among Veterans is a national public health problem. The rate of AUD among Veterans is twice that of civilians, with up to 50% of Veterans having AUD. Family-based AUD programs are rarely undertaken in busy treatment clinics, and Veterans with problem drinking behavior or AUD are commonly excluded from couple therapies. As a result, there is a need to develop effective family AUD treatments that are both brief and highly accessible to Veterans.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new treatment add-on called Brief Family-Involved Treatment (B-FIT), which will be delivered via telehealth among Veterans engaged in alcohol-based treatment/therapy.
This study is an 12-week, Stage-II, open randomized controlled trial examining B-FIT in combination with treatment as usual, TAU (i.e., B-FIT + CBT treatment) as compared to TAU alone (i.e., CBT treatment). Veterans and their treatment companion (family member, partner, friend) will complete weekly assessments during the treatment phase in addition to 3 & 6 month follow-up assessments, all via telehealth.