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Abstract
Individuals receiving treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) often experience urges to drink, and reductions in drinking urges during cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) predict better treatment outcomes. However, little previous work has examined patterns of daily drinking urges during treatment. This study examined patterns of change in daily drinking urges among participants in two randomized clinical trials of males (N = 80 with 4,401 daily recordings) and females ( N = 101 with 8,011 daily recordings) receiving individual- or couples-based CBT. Drinking urges were common during treatment, occurring on 45.1% of days for men and 44.8% for women. Drinking urges and alcohol use for both genders decreased substantially during the course of treatment. Both genders had increases in drinking urges as more time elapsed since attending a treatment session. For men, this increase was most pronounced at the beginning of treatment, but for women it was most pronounced near the end of treatment. Alcohol use and drinking urges were both more likely to occur on weekends. The results suggest that these times may lead to higher risk for drinking, and clients may benefit from high-risk planning that is focused on these times.