Alcohol AbuseNCT05837611
Contingency Management Using Deposit Contract to Reduce Drinking
A study testing Deposit Contract and Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring in people with Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Intervention, run by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
This study will examine the effects of an incentive-based intervention (for reducing alcohol use) that would be sustainable, easily accessible intervention using remote alcohol monitoring and deposit contracts, targeting individuals who would not be reached by more traditional forms of treatment due to barriers such… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 21 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol Intervention, Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring
- What is being tested?
- Deposit Contract and Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 0 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 10 Jun 2022to 31 May 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 21 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- at least 21 years of age,
- report at least 1heavy drinking episode during the last 28 days;
- want to reduce their alcohol use;
- are willing to wear a transdermal alcohol monitor;
- own a smart phone and
- are willing and able to deposit $30, $60, or $100 of their choice.
Who cannot join
- substance use disorder (except alcohol, nicotine, and/or caffeine);
- significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms (score ≥ 10 on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol) or currently in alcohol treatment;
- medical condition that would contraindicate participation (e.g., pregnancy, scheduled surgery);
- presence of a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) psychiatric disorder with symptoms of psychosis and/or delirium; or
- inability to comprehend informed consent or instructions.
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
United States2 sites
University Of North Texas
Denton, Texas, 76210
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, 78229
About this study
This study will examine the effects of an incentive-based intervention (for reducing alcohol use) that would be sustainable, easily accessible intervention using remote alcohol monitoring and deposit contracts, targeting individuals who would not be reached by more traditional forms of treatment due to barriers such as time constraints, attitudes, and stigma.
Read the detailed description
Deposit contracts are effective at treating a wide variety of problems: smoking cessation, weight loss, and increasing physical activity. Despite the promise of deposit contracts, few earlier studies targeted problem drinking, since doing so required burdensome frequent monitoring - now overcome by remote alcohol monitoring. Earlier work relied on self- and collateral reports, breath alcohol concentrations during clinic visits, or an indirect non-specific marker of alcohol use. Despite these difficulties, earlier studies of deposit contracts were encouraging, with notable increases in: therapy participation; retention ; and abstinence duration compared to previous reports. Collectively, these studies show the potential of deposit contracts to reduce problem drinking but provide only limited evidence of its effectiveness. Still, these studies, and our recent success using contingency management with remote alcohol monitoring, provide a compelling rationale for examining whether a deposit contract program might provide a feasible, effective, and accessible way of helping people reduce drinking. Though there is limited systematic research on deposit contracts, deposit contract programs for various problems are widely available and have proven quite attractive. For example, a deposit contract weight loss website, has over 887,000 users with $62M in incentives paid. However, it is unclear if deposit contracts would be acceptable (and therefore feasible) to individuals interested in reducing their problem drinking. Therefore, we feel that the proposed deposit contract intervention utilizing remote alcohol monitoring could be a widely available and acceptable intervention for problem drinking for three reasons: (1) because of the effectiveness and convenience of our contingency management intervention using remote alcohol monitoring; (2) because of the widespread success of other deposit contract programs like DietBetã; and (3) because the potentially increased attractiveness and effectiveness of an intervention that can return an amount greater than the deposit. The adoption of a deposit contract intervention plus remote alcohol monitoring will only be accelerated by the "FitBit"-style alcohol monitoring devices being developed by many companies (we are currently independently evaluating one such device). However, making deposit contracts widely available will need evidence of their effectiveness, which requires large randomized controlled trials. The purpose of this R21 application is to develop this evidence by demonstrating that deposit contracts with remote alcohol monitoring are feasible and provide evidence of effectiveness needed to design and justify future studies.
- Conditions
- Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol Intervention, Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring, Contingency Management, Deposit Contract
- Being tested
- Deposit Contract, Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring
- Medical subject headings
- Alcoholism
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Deposit ContractBehavioural
A deposit contract requires individuals to put down money that is earned back contingently upon meeting their goals.
Transdermal Alcohol MonitoringOther
Using a SCRAM-Cam device participants will be monitored for their alcohol use.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control group | Active comparator | During the 2-week intervention, participants will wear a transdermal alcohol monitor and return to our lab twice more (i.e., Visit 1 on the 8th day and Visit 2 on the 15th day from the study entry) to have their monitoring data downloaded from the webserver and payments (if any) determined. 1/2 of their deposit per week will be added electronically to their debit card regardless of their drinking Receives: Other: Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring |
| Deposit Contract Group | Experimental | During the 2-week intervention, participants will wear a transdermal alcohol monitor and return to our lab twice more (i.e., Visit 1 on the 8th day and Visit 2 on the 15th day from the study entry) to have their monitoring data downloaded from the webserver and payments (if any) determined. Payment will be contingent on the absence of heavy drinking episodes during the previous 7 days. Data from their transdermal alcohol monitor will be automatically processed using previously developed algorithms. When no heavy drinking episode has occurred (no transdermal alcohol concentrations > 0.02 g/dl), participants will be paid 1/2 of their deposit and receive an electronic "bonus" voucher. Receives: Behavioral: Deposit Contract; Other: Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Transdermal Alcohol Content
Measurement produced while wearing Transdermal Alcohol Monitor
Measured: 4 weeks continuously
Number of Monitored days without Heavy drinking
Number of monitored days without heavy drinking (i.e., a drinking episode of TAC > 0.02 g/dl) as our primary outcome
Measured: Baseline to 2 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 May 2023
- Study start10 Jun 2022
- Primary completion31 May 2025
- Study completion31 May 2025
Why it stopped: Due to a study transfer between institutions, substantial time and funding was lost. Additionally, other federal funding cancellations resulted in a loss of staff.
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (9)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Alcohol AbuseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Tara Wright, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- Investigators
- Tara Wright, PhD, Principal investigator, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05837611
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 20210632HU
- Other IDs
- R21AA029659-03
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 19 Apr 2023
- Last updated
- 23 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Since this is a research study, the investigators will share only de-identified where possible with: * The sponsor of the study (the National Institutes of Health) and representatives of the sponsor assisting with the research * The members of the local research team * The Institutional Review Board and the Compliance Office of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and other groups that oversee how research studies are carried out. * The Research offices at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Publications
Bigelow G, Strickler D, Liebson I, Griffiths R. Maintaining disulfiram ingestion among outpatient alcoholics: a security-deposit contingency contracting procedure. Behav Res Ther. 1976;14(5):378-81. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(76)90028-0. No abstract available.
PubMed 971213Burns RJ, Rothman AJ. Comparing Types of Financial Incentives to Promote Walking: An Experimental Test. Appl Psychol Health Well Being. 2018 Jul;10(2):193-214. doi: 10.1111/aphw.12126. Epub 2018 Apr 19.
PubMed 29671957Dallery J, Raiff BR, Grabinski MJ, Marsch LA. Technology-Based Contingency Management in the Treatment of Substance-Use Disorders. Perspect Behav Sci. 2019 Jul 9;42(3):445-464. doi: 10.1007/s40614-019-00214-1. eCollection 2019 Sep.
PubMed 31976444Ersner-Hershfield SM, Connors GJ, Maisto SA. Clinical and experimental utility of refundable deposits. Behav Res Ther. 1981;19(5):455-7. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(81)90137-6. No abstract available.
PubMed 7316923Jarvis BP, Dallery J. Internet-based self-tailored deposit contracts to promote smoking reduction and abstinence. J Appl Behav Anal. 2017 Apr;50(2):189-205. doi: 10.1002/jaba.377. Epub 2017 Feb 17.
PubMed 28211949Paxton R. The effects of a deposit contract as a component in a behavioural programme for stopping smoking. Behav Res Ther. 1980;18(1):45-50. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(80)90068-6. No abstract available.
PubMed 7369987Pomerleau O, Pertschuk M, Adkins D, Brady JP. A comparison of behavioral and traditional treatment for middle-income problem drinkers. J Behav Med. 1978 Jun;1(2):187-200. doi: 10.1007/BF00846639.
PubMed 756475Volpp KG, John LK, Troxel AB, Norton L, Fassbender J, Loewenstein G. Financial incentive-based approaches for weight loss: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2008 Dec 10;300(22):2631-7. doi: 10.1001/jama.2008.804.
PubMed 19066383White JS, Dow WH, Rungruanghiranya S. Commitment contracts and team incentives: a randomized controlled trial for smoking cessation in Thailand. Am J Prev Med. 2013 Nov;45(5):533-42. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.06.020.
PubMed 24139765
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Contingency Management Using Deposit Contract to Reduce Drinking
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05837611
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 20210632HU
- Conditions
- Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol Intervention, Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring, Contingency Management, Deposit Contract
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- WithdrawnReason stopped: Due to a study transfer between institutions, substantial time and funding was lost. Additionally, other federal funding cancellations resulted in a loss of staff.
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Study start
- 10 Jun 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 May 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 May 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 1 May 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study will examine the effects of an incentive-based intervention (for reducing alcohol use) that would be sustainable, easily accessible intervention using remote alcohol monitoring and deposit contracts, targeting individuals who would not be reached by more traditional forms of treatment due to barriers such as time constraints, attitudes, and stigma.
Detailed description
Deposit contracts are effective at treating a wide variety of problems: smoking cessation, weight loss, and increasing physical activity. Despite the promise of deposit contracts, few earlier studies targeted problem drinking, since doing so required burdensome frequent monitoring - now overcome by remote alcohol monitoring. Earlier work relied on self- and collateral reports, breath alcohol concentrations during clinic visits, or an indirect non-specific marker of alcohol use. Despite these difficulties, earlier studies of deposit contracts were encouraging, with notable increases in: therapy participation; retention ; and abstinence duration compared to previous reports. Collectively, these studies show the potential of deposit contracts to reduce problem drinking but provide only limited evidence of its effectiveness. Still, these studies, and our recent success using contingency management with remote alcohol monitoring, provide a compelling rationale for examining whether a deposit contract program might provide a feasible, effective, and accessible way of helping people reduce drinking. Though there is limited systematic research on deposit contracts, deposit contract programs for various problems are widely available and have proven quite attractive. For example, a deposit contract weight loss website, has over 887,000 users with $62M in incentives paid. However, it is unclear if deposit contracts would be acceptable (and therefore feasible) to individuals interested in reducing their problem drinking. Therefore, we feel that the proposed deposit contract intervention utilizing remote alcohol monitoring could be a widely available and acceptable intervention for problem drinking for three reasons: (1) because of the effectiveness and convenience of our contingency management intervention using remote alcohol monitoring; (2) because of the widespread success of other deposit contract programs like DietBetã; and (3) because the potentially increased attractiveness and effectiveness of an intervention that can return an amount greater than the deposit. The adoption of a deposit contract intervention plus remote alcohol monitoring will only be accelerated by the "FitBit"-style alcohol monitoring devices being developed by many companies (we are currently independently evaluating one such device). However, making deposit contracts widely available will need evidence of their effectiveness, which requires large randomized controlled trials. The purpose of this R21 application is to develop this evidence by demonstrating that deposit contracts with remote alcohol monitoring are feasible and provide evidence of effectiveness needed to design and justify future studies.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control group | Active comparator | Other: Transdermal Alcohol MonitoringDuring the 2-week intervention, participants will wear a transdermal alcohol monitor and return to our lab twice more (i.e., Visit 1 on the 8th day and Visit 2 on the 15th day from the study entry) to have their monitoring data downloaded from the webserver and payments (if any) determined. 1/2 of their deposit per week will be added electronically to their debit card regardless of their drinking |
| Deposit Contract Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Deposit Contract, Other: Transdermal Alcohol MonitoringDuring the 2-week intervention, participants will wear a transdermal alcohol monitor and return to our lab twice more (i.e., Visit 1 on the 8th day and Visit 2 on the 15th day from the study entry) to have their monitoring data downloaded from the webserver and payments (if any) determined. Payment will be contingent on the absence of heavy drinking episodes during the previous 7 days. Data from their transdermal alcohol monitor will be automatically processed using previously developed algorithms. When no heavy drinking episode has occurred (no transdermal alcohol concentrations > 0.02 g/dl), participants will be paid 1/2 of their deposit and receive an electronic "bonus" voucher. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 21 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- at least 21 years of age,
- report at least 1heavy drinking episode during the last 28 days;
- want to reduce their alcohol use;
- are willing to wear a transdermal alcohol monitor;
- own a smart phone and
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- substance use disorder (except alcohol, nicotine, and/or caffeine);
- significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms (score ≥ 10 on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol) or currently in alcohol treatment;
- medical condition that would contraindicate participation (e.g., pregnancy, scheduled surgery);
- presence of a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) psychiatric disorder with symptoms of psychosis and/or delirium; or
- inability to comprehend informed consent or instructions.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit ContractA deposit contract requires individuals to put down money that is earned back contingently upon meeting their goals. | Behavioural | Deposit Contract Group |
| Transdermal Alcohol MonitoringUsing a SCRAM-Cam device participants will be monitored for their alcohol use. | Other | Control group, Deposit Contract Group |
Primary outcome
Transdermal Alcohol Content
Time frame: 4 weeks continuously
Measurement produced while wearing Transdermal Alcohol Monitor
Number of Monitored days without Heavy drinking
Time frame: Baseline to 2 weeks
Number of monitored days without heavy drinking (i.e., a drinking episode of TAC > 0.02 g/dl) as our primary outcome
Results and safety
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 Jun 2026.
- Background: PubMed 971213Bigelow G, Strickler D, Liebson I, Griffiths R. Maintaining disulfiram ingestion among outpatient alcoholics: a security-deposit contingency contracting procedure. Behav Res Ther. 1976;14(5):378-81. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(76)90028-0. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 29671957Burns RJ, Rothman AJ. Comparing Types of Financial Incentives to Promote Walking: An Experimental Test. Appl Psychol Health Well Being. 2018 Jul;10(2):193-214. doi: 10.1111/aphw.12126. Epub 2018 Apr 19.
- Background: PubMed 31976444Dallery J, Raiff BR, Grabinski MJ, Marsch LA. Technology-Based Contingency Management in the Treatment of Substance-Use Disorders. Perspect Behav Sci. 2019 Jul 9;42(3):445-464. doi: 10.1007/s40614-019-00214-1. eCollection 2019 Sep.
- Background: PubMed 7316923Ersner-Hershfield SM, Connors GJ, Maisto SA. Clinical and experimental utility of refundable deposits. Behav Res Ther. 1981;19(5):455-7. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(81)90137-6. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 28211949Jarvis BP, Dallery J. Internet-based self-tailored deposit contracts to promote smoking reduction and abstinence. J Appl Behav Anal. 2017 Apr;50(2):189-205. doi: 10.1002/jaba.377. Epub 2017 Feb 17.
- Background: PubMed 7369987Paxton R. The effects of a deposit contract as a component in a behavioural programme for stopping smoking. Behav Res Ther. 1980;18(1):45-50. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(80)90068-6. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 756475Pomerleau O, Pertschuk M, Adkins D, Brady JP. A comparison of behavioral and traditional treatment for middle-income problem drinkers. J Behav Med. 1978 Jun;1(2):187-200. doi: 10.1007/BF00846639.
- Background: PubMed 19066383Volpp KG, John LK, Troxel AB, Norton L, Fassbender J, Loewenstein G. Financial incentive-based approaches for weight loss: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2008 Dec 10;300(22):2631-7. doi: 10.1001/jama.2008.804.
- Background: PubMed 24139765White JS, Dow WH, Rungruanghiranya S. Commitment contracts and team incentives: a randomized controlled trial for smoking cessation in Thailand. Am J Prev Med. 2013 Nov;45(5):533-42. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.06.020.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Since this is a research study, the investigators will share only de-identified where possible with: * The sponsor of the study (the National Institutes of Health) and representatives of the sponsor assisting with the research * The members of the local research team * The Institutional Review Board and the Compliance Office of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and other groups that oversee how research studies are carried out. * The Research offices at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Tara Wright, PhD principal investigator
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Deposit Contract and Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring in people with Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Intervention, run by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio at 2 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Transdermal Alcohol Content (time frame: 4 weeks continuously). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05837611, which also lists 9 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Jun 2026.