Approach bias modification during alcohol withdrawal treatment: Results from a multi-site double-blind randomised controlled trial

Half of residential alcohol withdrawal patients resume drinking within 2 weeks, and 85% relapse within 1 year. Approach Bias Modification (ABM), a computerised “brain-training” task, aims to reduce alcohol-seeking impulses that are triggered by alcohol-related stimuli. In a multi-site clinical trial of delivering ABM during inpatient withdrawal, 300 participants received daily 15-minute ABM (or control) training sessions for 4 days. Average post-discharge abstinence duration was 4.4 times longer in those who received ABM (53 days vs 12 days in controls; p=.045). ABM increased the rate of complete abstinence during the first 2 weeks following discharge (54% vs 42%; p=.04) and past-month abstinence at the 3-month follow-up (35% vs 22%, p=.01), but differences between groups were non-significant at 6 and 12-month follow-ups. Implementing ABM in detoxification is likely to reduce rates of relapse in the initial months following treatment.