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Online alcohol program reduced drinking in older adults

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Research area:medicine-clinical

What the study found

The online Rethink My Drink program reduced alcohol use in older adults over 12 months. It did not show a significant effect on global cognition, which means the overall cognitive score did not differ clearly between groups.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors conclude that Rethink My Drink is an effective and scalable intervention and that it has considerable potential for reducing alcohol use among older adults. They also note that alcohol use is increasing in older adults and is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia.

What the researchers tested

The researchers ran a two-arm, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial online with community-based adults aged 60 to 75 years in Australia who had high-risk alcohol use. Participants were assigned to either the four-module Rethink My Drink program or an active control group that received an online information booklet, and the study measured monthly drinks and global cognition at 12 months.

What worked and what didn't

At 12 months, the intervention group had greater reductions in monthly standard drinks than the control group, with a difference of 5.02 standard drinks. The difference in global cognition was not significant, and two non-serious adverse events were reported as unrelated to the trial.

What to keep in mind

The trial included older adults in Australia who screened as having high-risk alcohol use, so the findings apply to that group. Most participants were White and female, and the abstract does not describe longer-term outcomes beyond 12 months.

Key points

  • The online Rethink My Drink program reduced monthly alcohol consumption more than an online booklet at 12 months.
  • The difference in global cognition between groups was not statistically significant.
  • The trial enrolled community-based adults aged 60 to 75 years in Australia with high-risk alcohol use.
  • Most participants were White and female.
  • Two non-serious adverse events were reported and were judged unrelated to the trial.

Disclosure

Research title:
Online alcohol program reduced drinking in older adults
Authors:
L. Mewton, Virginia Winter, Nicholas Hoy, Rachel Visontay, Sarah Davies, Nicole Kochan, Andrew Baillie, Cath Chapman, Nicola C. Newton, Matthew Sunderland, Perminder S. Sachdev, Maree Teesson
Institutions:
Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney Local Health District, The University of Sydney, The University of Sydney, The University of Sydney, The University of Sydney, The University of Sydney, The University of Sydney, The University of Sydney, UNSW Sydney, UNSW Sydney, UNSW Sydney, UNSW Sydney
Publication date:
2026-04-20
DOI:
10.1016/s2468-2667(26)00056-3
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: This post was generated by gpt-5.4-mini (OpenAI). The original authors did not write or review this post.

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