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Topic Name: Researchers show Stress As A Treatment For Alcohol Abuse

Category: Biomedical

Research persons: Gerard J. Connors, Ph.D.

Location: Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, United States

Details

A researcher at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) is initiating a study of "mindfulness-based stress reduction," a technique often used in behavioral medicine for stress reduction but not before as an adjunct in the treatment of alcohol use disorders.

"By adapting and applying mindfulness-based stress reduction or MBSR in alcoholism treatment, we hope to develop an increased ability to cope with stress and enhanced psychological well-being among alcohol-dependent individuals," said Gerard J. Connors, Ph.D. "For people who often deal with stress in their lives by turning to alcohol, this could be a very positive alternative."

Connors is a clinical psychologist and principal investigator on the study as well as the director of RIA. He also is a professor in the Department of Psychology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences and research professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The four-year investigation on MBSR will be conducted with support from a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The MBSR intervention provides intensive training in mindfulness practices and their applications for daily living and coping with stress. MBSR emphasizes self-observation and self-responsibility, which is expected to facilitate the alcohol-dependent individual's management of the stressors that place the person at increased risk for drinking.

The project will be conducted in two phases, with the first component to include development of an eight-session treatment manual for conducting group-based MBSR with alcohol-dependent men and women. In phase two, a pilot clinical trial will be conducted to examine the effects of adding MBSR to outpatient treatment.

The long-term goal is to decrease relapse to drinking following treatment, thereby providing significant health benefits to people being treated for alcohol dependence, with corresponding benefits for their families and the community-at-large.

Connors'co-investigators on the study include Kimberly S. Walitzer, Ph.D., deputy director of RIA and UB research associate professor of psychology; Nancy J. Smyth, Ph.D., dean of the UB School of Social Work; and Craig R. Colder, Ph.D., UB associate professor of psychology.

About National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), as part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, supports and conducts biomedical and behavioral research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. It funds approximately 90 percent of all such research in the United States and promotes reductions in the per capita consumption of alcohol. NIAAA also provides leadership in the national effort to reduce the severe and sometimes fatal consequences of these problems.

According to its Mission Statement, the agency provides leadership in the national effort to reduce alcohol-related problems by:

Conducting and supporting research in a wide range of scientific areas including genetics, neuroscience, epidemiology, health risks and benefits of alcohol consumption, prevention, and treatment, 
Coordinating and collaborating with other research institutes and federal programs on alcohol-related issues, 
Collaborating with international, national, state, and local institutions, organizations, agencies, and programs engaged in alcohol-related work, and 
Translating and disseminating research findings to health care providers, researchers, policymakers, and the public.

NIAAA's research initiatives are:

• Basic Research on Medications Development for Alcohol-Use Disorders,
• Genetic Studies of Vulnerability to Alcohol,
• Mechanisms and Markers of Alcohol-Induced Organ Damage and Organ Protection,
• Behavioral and Genetic Risk Factors for Alcoholism,
• Long-term, Community-Based Prevention of Alcohol Problems at Specific Life Stages: Underage Populations and the Elderly,
• Identifying the Neuroscientific Basis of Alcohol-Related Behaviors,
• Multi-site, Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Women, HIV/AIDS, and Alcohol,
• Disparities in Adverse and Beneficial Effects of Alcohol,
• Advancing Behavioral Therapies for Alcoholism, and
• Training the Next Generation of Investigators!

About Researcher:

Gerard J. Connors, Ph.D.

Principal Investigators of the Research Institute
Primary Research Areas:
Alcoholism treatment outcome evaluation; relapse prevention; secondary prevention of alcohol problems.

Representative and Recent Publications:
Maisto, S. A., Galizio, M., & Connors, G. J. (2008). Drug use and abuse. (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. 
Maisto, S. A., Connors, G. J., & Dearing, R. L. (2007, in press). Alcohol use disorders. Gottingen: Hogrefe & Huber.
Walitzer, K. S., & Connors, G. J. (in press). Thirty-month follow-up of drinking moderation training for women: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
Maisto, S. A., & Connors, G. J. (Eds.) (2006). Relapse in the addictive behaviors. Special Issue of Clinical Psychology Review, 26.
Maisto, S. A., Zywiak, W. H., & Connors, G. J. (2006). Course of functioning one year following admission for treatment of alcohol use disorders. Addictive Behaviors, 31, 69-79. Abstract
Connors, G. J., & Stewart, S. H. (2004). Alcohol and other substance use disorders. In L. J. Haas (Ed.), Handbook of primary care psychology (pp. 187-200). New York: Oxford University Press.
Sobell, L. C., Sobell, M. B., Connors, G. J., & Agrawal, S. (2003). Assessing drinking outcomes in alcohol treatment efficacy studies: Selecting a yardstick of success. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 27, 1661-1666. Abstract
Connors, G. J., & Maisto, S. A. (2003). Drinking reports from collateral individuals. Addiction, 98 (Supplement 2), 21-29.
Connors, G. J., & Maisto, S. A. (2003). Drinking reports from collateral individuals. Addiction, 98, 21-29.
Connors, G. J., Walitzer, K. S., & Dermen, K. H. (2002). Preparing clients for alcoholism treatment: Effects on treatment participation and outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 1161-1169. Abstract
Connors, G. J., Donovan, D. M., & DiClemente, C. C. (2001). Substance abuse treatment and the stages of change: Selecting and planning interventions. New York: Guilford Press.