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Background: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) persists as a significant public health challenge worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of approximately 10-15% across the global populace. This condition is characterized by a notably high risk of lapses and relapses, even subsequent to treatment interventions. Mobile health interventions, owing to their widespread accessibility, emerge as a promising approach to diminish the risk of relapse post-treatment and to broaden the scope of care, especially in regions with a scarcity of trained medical professionals., Method: This study is designed to assess the effectiveness of mobile interventions in mitigating cravings and preventing lapses among individuals diagnosed with SUD. Employing a two-armed, randomized controlled trial framework, the study will evaluate a self-administered psychological intervention delivered through a mobile application, Nałogometr 2.0. Over a period of three months, participants will engage with intervention modules that primarily incorporate mindfulness techniques and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) will be utilized to gather longitudinal data on a range of variables that are indicative of craving intensity and the risk of lapse. In addition to this, a monthly-administered battery of questionnaires will be employed to gauge the severity of substance dependence, as well as to measure levels of anxiety, depression, and overall life satisfaction., Results: Results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals., Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier [NCT05730504]., Competing Interests: AR, AB, KO, PM, KSz, KL, KSo, MB, BW, MN, MS, MBi, and MG were employed by the company PredictWatch., (Copyright © 2024 Redeł, Binkowska, Obarska, Marcowski, Szymczak, Lewczuk, Solich, Banaszak, Woronowicz, Nowicka, Skorko, Gola and Bielecki.)

Background: The prevalence of substance and behavioral addiction is estimated between 10 and 15% of the global population and remains a severe public health concern. Moreover, addiction treatment has several barriers, such as a lack of access to professional treatment or stigmatization. Mobile health interventions emerge as a promising solution., Methods: This two-armed randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to assess the efficacy of a mobile app-based self-guided psychological intervention delivered via a smartphone app (Nałogometr) in reducing craving and lapse risk in problematic behaviors and substance use compared to a control condition. Participant recruitment and data collection will start in June 2022 and end in September 2022. Due to the nature of the study, i.e., a nationwide study of problematic substance use and behaviors, we will aim to recruit all individuals willing to participate. The four-week intervention condition includes short-term and long-term modules based mainly on mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. Longitudinal data on several variables related to craving and lapse risk are collected daily using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). The primary outcomes of interest will be the self-reported number of lapses and craving level in daily EMA. Moreover, a questionnaire battery assessment is administered at baseline in the first week following onboarding, after five weeks, and after six months. The secondary outcome measures will include the severity of problematic substance use or behaviors, anxiety and depression, and life satisfaction., Results: Results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals., Clinical Trial Registration: [ https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [NCT054 34,429]., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: The prevalence of alcohol consumption in Poland is estimated to be as high as 80% of the adult population. The use of stimulants is the second most common reason for seeking addiction treatment. However, treatment outcomes remain unsatisfactory, as 40-85% of individuals who complete various treatment programs relapse and fall back into addiction within 2 years following program completion., Methods: The 13-armed randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the effectiveness of a mobile app-based self-guided psychological intervention delivered via a smartphone app ( Nałogometr ) in reducing craving and lapse risk in problematic alcohol or stimulants use. Participant recruitment and data collection will be performed from June 2022 to September 2022. The 4-week mobile intervention program will include short-term and long-term intervention modules based mainly on mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Intervention effectiveness assessment will include Ecological Momentary Assessment. That is, we will collect longitudinal data on a set of characteristics of day-to-day functioning. The primary outcomes will include a self-reported number of lapses and addiction craving level. In contrast, the secondary outcomes will be the severity of problematic substance use, anxiety and depression scores, and life satisfaction scores., Conclusion: This study will establish how mobile app-based self-guided psychological interventions can help reduce craving and lapse risk in alcohol and stimulant dependence. If successful, this randomized controlled trial (RCT) may provide an innovative, easily available, and cost-effective mHealth approach for craving and lapse risk in substance addictions., Clinical Trial Registration: [https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [NCT054 34429]., Competing Interests: KO, AB, PM, KSz, KL, KSo, MB, BW, MN, MS, and MG were employed by company PredictWatch., (Copyright © 2022 Obarska, Binkowska, Marcowski, Szymczak, Lewczuk, Sollich, Banaszak, Woronowicz, Nowicka, Skorko and Gola.)

Aims: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of acute and chronic exposure to alcohol on taste responses to a prototypic umami substance, monosodium glutamate (MSG)., Methods: The rated intensity and pleasantness of MSG taste (0.03-10.0%) was compared in chronic male alcoholics (n = 35) and control subjects (n = 25). In a separate experiment, the effects of acute exposure of the oral mucosa to ethanol rinse (0.5-4.0%) on MSG taste (0.3-3.0%) were studied in 10 social drinkers., Results: The alcoholic and control group did not differ in terms of the rated intensity and pleasantness of MSG taste. Electrogustometric thresholds were significantly (P < 0.01) higher, i.e. worse, in the alcohol-dependent subjects. The difference remained significant after controlling for between-group differences in cigarette smoking and coffee drinking. Rinsing with ethanol did not alter either intensity or pleasantness of MSG taste in social drinkers., Conclusions: The present results suggest that: (i) neither acute nor chronic alcohol exposure modifies taste responses to MSG; (ii) alcohol dependence may be associated with deficit in threshold taste reactivity, as assessed by electrogustometry.

The aim of the present study was to compare taste responses to sweet, bitter, sour and salty solutions in male alcoholics and control subjects. The groups did not differ in terms of rated intensity or pleasantness of sucrose (1-30%), quinine (0.001-0.005%), citric acid (0.02-0.1%) and sodium chloride (0.18-0.9%) solutions. The proportion of sweet-likers was also similar in both groups.

The aim of this study was to check the usefulness of urine beta-hexosaminidase activity determination as a tool of monitoring sobriety in alcohol dependent individuals. The examinations were performed in 93 patients undergoing detoxification treatment after heavy drinking and in 29 individuals who were starting psychotherapeutic treatment after declaring at least 2 weeks abstinence period. Enzyme activity was determined using a spectrofluorimetric method and was referred to urine creatinine level. In the detoxification group the abnormally high beta-hexosaminidase activity was decreasing gradually toward normal values within 2 weeks. In less than 10% of the patients atypical increase was observed in the course of treatment, what could be attributed to an, influence of nonspecific factors or possibly to misbehavior (alcohol drinking or urine samples substitution). Among individuals who declared at least 2 weeks abstinence period (psychotherapeutic group) in 25% of cases abnormally high enzyme activity was detected, what suggested their more recent alcohol drinking.