Wednesday, February 18, 2026 2/18/2026

Behavioral economic and wellness-based approaches for reducing alcohol use and consequences among at-risk non-student emerging adults

Award Number: R01AA029031
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/05/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2027

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Behavioral economic and wellness-based approaches for reducing alcohol use and consequences among at-risk non-student emerging adults - Brief alcohol interventions (BAI) are among the most cost-effective preventive care measures available and the evaluation of these interventions with high-risk and difficult-to-reach populations is an NIAAA priority. Although emerging adults (EAs) who attend college often have access to brief alcohol interventions (BAIs), there is a critical need to enhance both the efficacy and potential for dissemination of these approaches with high-risk non-student EAs. EAs who are not 4-year college students or graduates report higher levels of alcohol-related problems, greater levels of comorbid drug use and mental health symptoms, and higher risk for chronic alcohol use disorder compared to college graduates. Most BAIs include a single session focused explicitly on discussing risks associated with drinking and correcting normative beliefs about drinking rates without addressing the reasons why EAs may drink, including stress and limited behavioral alternatives to drinking. Because many EAs who do not graduate from college experience poverty and stress, an approach that encourages them to drink less without providing the tools to reduce stress and develop mood-enhancing behavioral substitutes to drinking or drug use is unlikely to be successful. The Substance-Free Activity Session (SFAS) attempts to increase engagement goal-directed activities that might provide alternatives to alcohol use and also includes strategies for coping with stress/depression. The two-session (plus booster) BAI+SFAS approach has demonstrated efficacy for reducing both alcohol use/problems and depressive symptoms in two randomized clinical trials with college EAs and may be a more promising approach than single-session BAIs for higher-risk non-student EAs. Two critical next steps are to: 1) evaluate the BAI+SFAS with non-student EAs, and 2) determine if a two-session Relaxation Training (RT) +SFAS approach, which would enhance wellness and address two synergistic risk factors for alcohol misuse, demonstrates similar efficacy as the BAI+SFAS intervention. If so, this wellness-based approach may have greater potential for dissemination than approaches that include a BAI because the session content may be more appealing to EAs (managing stress and increasing positive activities). Thus, the primary goal of the proposed study is to establish the efficacy of these novel BAI approaches with high-risk community dwelling EAs, and a secondary goal is to identify factors that may increase potential for dissemination. We will conduct a randomized 3-group (BAI+SFAS vs. RT+SFAS vs. education control) trial with 525 EAs (175 per group) who report recent heavy drinking and who are not students or graduates of 4-year colleges. Outcomes will be assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-intervention. We hypothesize that at follow-up both BAI+SFAS and RT+SFAS participants will report significantly greater reductions in alcohol use and problems relative to education control participants, with no differences in outcomes between the two active treatment conditions.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS	115 JOHN WILDER TOWER	MEMPHIS	TN	38152	SHELBY	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	5	11/13/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $327,767 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS	115 JOHN WILDER TOWER	MEMPHIS	TN	38152	SHELBY	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	5	1/20/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$294,990
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS	115 JOHN WILDER TOWER	MEMPHIS	TN	38152	SHELBY	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	5	8/25/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$32,777
														Subtotal = $327,767

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $347,932 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS	115 JOHN WILDER TOWER	MEMPHIS	TN	38152	SHELBY	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	4	5/10/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$34,794
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS	115 JOHN WILDER TOWER	MEMPHIS	TN	38152	SHELBY	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	4	1/17/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$313,138
														Subtotal = $347,932

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $372,300 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, THE	101 WILDER TOWER	MEMPHIS	TN	38152	SHELBY	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	3	1/25/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$372,300
														Subtotal = $372,300

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $350,158 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, THE	101 WILDER TOWER	MEMPHIS	TN	38152	SHELBY	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	2	6/22/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$35,018
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, THE	101 WILDER TOWER	MEMPHIS	TN	38152	SHELBY	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	2	2/2/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$315,140
														Subtotal = $350,158

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $346,506 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, THE	101 WILDER TOWER	MEMPHIS	TN	38152	SHELBY	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	1	2/3/2021	NEW	$346,506
														Subtotal = $346,506

Grand Total All Awards = $1,744,663

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Behavioral economic and wellness-based approaches for reducing alcohol use and consequences among at-risk non-student emerging adults

Award Number: R01AA029031

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/05/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2027

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