# Feasibility of a Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy-Based Addiction Intervention for Relapse Prevention for Patients with Alcohol-Related Cognitive Impairments: A Controlled Pilot Study

## TL;DR

A new therapy program for people with alcohol-related cognitive issues shows promise in improving self-efficacy for staying sober.

## Contribution

A tailored cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention for relapse prevention in patients with alcohol-related cognitive impairments is introduced and tested.

## Key findings

- Patients in the RP-ACD group showed improved self-efficacy for alcohol abstinence post-treatment.
- No significant changes were observed in the treatment-as-usual group.
- The RP-ACD intervention was rated positively for acceptability and overall experience.

## Abstract

Background: Cognitive disorders are highly prevalent in individuals with alcohol use disorder. Treatments have so far mainly focused on the amelioration of the cognitive impairments, but interventions to prevent relapse tailored to people with alcohol-related cognitive disorders are lacking. Here we present a new intervention aimed at people with alcohol-related cognitive disorders. Methods: In total, 59 inpatients with alcohol-related cognitive impairments participated in this study. A total of 37 completed the Relapse Prevention for patients with Alcohol-related Cognitive Disorder (RP-ACD) intervention and 22 received treatment as usual (TAU). The RP-ACD is a tailored group intervention for substance use disorder consisting of 12 one-hour group sessions. Outcome measures were the Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Measure (AASE-12), the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire (AUQ) and the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ6). The overall experience was explored using a short in-house developed questionnaire. Results: Post-treatment, patients reported an improved self-efficacy compared to the pre-treatment baseline, but no differences were found on the other measures. No significant changes were found in the TAU group. Overall experiences and acceptability were rated positively. Conclusions: The RP-ACD intervention is a feasible and promising group-based addiction treatment for patients with alcohol-related cognitive impairment. A randomized and controlled study in a larger sample is required to establish its efficacy and effectiveness.