# Targeting Alcohol-Opioid Co-Use Among Young Adults Using a Novel MHealth Intervention

> **NIH NIH R34** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $227,356

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of this treatment development project is to develop and pilot an adaptive mobile health (mHealth)
intervention that targets the co-use of alcohol and opioids in young adults with opioid use disorder (OUD).
Alcohol is an under-recognized contributor to the opioid crisis that, when used with opioids, substantially
increases the risk of opioid overdose and other use-related problems. Despite clear public health significance,
however, no existing intervention targets alcohol-opioid co-use. This gap is especially detrimental to young
adults aged 18-25, who have the highest rates of alcohol and opioid (i.e., nonmedical prescription opioid or
heroin) use and use disorders of any age group. Over half of young adults who use nonprescription opioids
report past-year alcohol-opioid co-use, yet few young adults receive treatment for either substance. MHealth
interventions, which use technology (e.g., smartphone applications) to intervene in daily life are highly
accessible and acceptable to young adults. MHealth thus offers a means of targeting alcohol-opioid co-use that
can reach young adults not currently in treatment. However, developing an effective mHealth intervention
requires an ecologically valid understanding of the target behavior, which does not exist for alcohol-opioid co-
use. Thus, the first step of the proposed project is to use ecological momentary assessment (EMA), wherein 60
young adults (ages 18-25) with mild to moderate OUD who report regular alcohol-opioid co-use will complete
EMA multiple times daily via smartphone for 3 weeks to examine how, why, and when young adults co-use
alcohol and opioids in real time in their daily lives. Using established guidelines for developing mHealth
interventions, we will then use this EMA knowledge base to develop a smartphone-based mHealth platform
targeting alcohol-opioid co-use. The intervention will be founded on principles of motivational enhancement
therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy and deliver tailored micro-interventions based on participants’
responses to EMA assessments. We will refine the intervention based on feedback from two iterative usability
studies with 10 participants. Finally, in a new sample of 60 young adults, we will conduct a Stage 1 randomized
clinical trial, comparing the mHealth intervention to EMA-only and remote assessment-only control conditions.
We will evaluate the intervention’s feasibility and acceptability and putative mechanisms of action. Sustained
benefit will be evaluated at 3-month follow-up. This study will address national priorities to respond to the
accelerating opioid crisis. It will provide vital new information on the nature of alcohol-opioid co-use in daily life
and develop and pilot an innovative adaptive mHealth intervention to address this behavior in young adults.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10888420
- **Project number:** 5R34AA029032-02
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ryan W Carpenter
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $227,356
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-15 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10888420

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10888420, Targeting Alcohol-Opioid Co-Use Among Young Adults Using a Novel MHealth Intervention (5R34AA029032-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10888420. Licensed CC0.

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