Program Reviews

GET.ON Clever weniger trinken (Be Smart, Drink Less)

Program Overview

GET.ON Clever weniger trinken (Be Smart, Drink Less) is a web-based intervention for adults with problematic alcohol use.

GET.ON Clever weniger trinken (CWT) consists of 5 web-based modules: personalized normative feedback, motivational interviewing, goal-setting, problem‐solving and emotion regulation. Module content derives from evidence-based cognitive-behavioral treatments for alcohol use disorders. Each module contains general information, illustrative examples, interactive exercises, quizzes, audio and visual files, and downloadable worksheets. Intervention exercises also cover weighing pros and cons of drinking, monitoring drinking through an online diary, action and coping planning to control drinking behavior, and relapse prevention.

Link to commercial site here.

Delivery:
Web-based
Clinician-assisted
Unassisted

Theoretical Approach(es):
Cognitive-Behavioral
Motivational Interviewing
Self-help

Target Substance(s):
Alcohol

Target Outcome(s):
Reduced alcohol consumption
Depression
Anxiety
Stress

Ages:
Adults (18+)

Genders:
Female
Male

Races/Ethnicities:
Unspecified

Setting(s):
Online

Geographic Location(s):
Unspecified

Country:
Germany

Language:
German

Evaluations

  • Boß L, Lehr D, Schaub MP et al. (2018). Addiction. 2018. 113(4): 635-646. doi: 10.1111/add.14085

    Summary: Researchers recruited 432 adults with excessive alcohol use through magazine and website advertisements to examine the effectiveness of a web-based alcohol intervention, GET.ON Clever weniger trinken (CWT), in reducing weekly alcohol consumption over 5 weeks. Participants were employed or self‐employed and reported drinking at least 14 (women) or 21 (men) standard units of alcohol (SUA) per week. Researchers randomized participants to one of three arms: GET.ON CWT unguided intervention (n =146), GET.ON CWT guided intervention (n =142), and a waitlist control (n =144) with full access to usual care. Participants in the guided CWT received motivational reminders, question-answering, and feedback from a psychologist via an internal messaging system. Participants reported weekly alcohol consumption in SUA via the Timeline Followback (TLFB) method at baseline, 6 weeks (post-intervention), and a 6-month follow-up. Participants also completed measures of mental health (including depression, anxiety, stress, and work-related cognitive and emotional irritation) at baseline, 6 weeks, and 6-month follow-up. Both the unguided and guided CWT interventions demonstrated short-term (6 weeks) and maintained (6 months) efficacy in significantly reducing weekly alcohol consumption relative to the control. Mean weekly alcohol consumption at 6 weeks had reduced by 7.95 SUA (unguided CWT) and 8.48 SUA (guided CWT), compared with 3.20 SUA among the controls. At 6 months, mean weekly alcohol consumption among intervention participants had decreased by 12.37 SUA (unguided CWT) and 9.81 SUA (guided CWT) versus 4.95 SUA in the control. At 6 weeks, both the guided and unguided CWT also significantly reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and cognitive and emotional irritation relative to the control, with results maintained at 6-month follow-up.

    Take away: Both the guided and unguided GET.ON CWT interventions demonstrated short-term and maintained efficacy in significantly reducing weekly alcohol consumption and associated stress and depressive symptoms relative to the control among working adults with problematic drinking behavior. There were no significant differences in outcomes between the guided and unguided CWT interventions.