Are you familiar with the game Tetris? You know…, that online puzzle game where you have to position falling blocks in such a way that horizontal lines of the same colour are created, after which they disappear and you earn points. In a recent study, researchers used this game as an intervention. The goal? To distract participants when they felt a strong urge to drink alcohol, thereby reducing their craving for alcohol and (problematic) alcohol consumption. In this Sci-fly, you can read more about this innovative approach and the study findings!
CORE
The study found that the intervention (the Tetris game) did not reduce the average daily craving for alcohol or the average daily alcohol consumption. However, among participants with greater awareness of the potential harms caused by their alcohol consumption and with greater desire to change their alcohol consumption, the intervention did result in a decrease in the desire for alcohol in the moment. The researchers therefore conclude that the use of the intervention may be particularly effective within the target group that is already more ready for treatment.
RESEARCH METHODS
WHAT? This study used an innovative method called “Ecological Momentary Intervention” (EMI). This type of intervention is unique because it is used in the participant’s natural environment (often via their phone) at the moment the participant exhibits a certain behaviour, with the aim of modifying that behaviour in the moment. In this study, the researchers used an EMI, in the form of a Tetris game, to reduce the desire for alcohol in the moment, because the desire for alcohol is an important predictor of actual use.
WHO? Forty women participated in the study. Women who did not drink alcohol at all or women who were undergoing treatment for alcohol addiction were excluded.
HOW? The participants were evenly divided into an intervention group and a control group. During the two-week study period, the participants were asked at four random times during the day how strong their craving for alcohol was. If the participant’s craving was high (≥10 on a scale of 100), an intervention was initiated. In the intervention group, participants were instructed to play the game Tetris for 4 minutes, while in the control group, participants were instructed to simply wait for 4 minutes. Afterwards, participants in both groups were asked again how strong their craving for alcohol was.
RESULTS
- Of the 1,379 completed measurements, participants experienced a high craving for alcohol in 41% of cases.
- Using the Tetris game as an intervention reduced the craving for alcohol among participants who were more aware of the potential problems caused by their alcohol consumption and who were more ready to changing their drinking behaviour.
- The use of the Tetris game did not lead to a reduction in average daily alcohol cravings or daily alcohol consumption.
DETAILS
Hahn, C. K., Brockdorf, A. N., Pavlacic, J. M., Metts, C. L., Brady, K. T., Guille, C., … & Back, S. E. (2026). A Pilot Trial of Using Ecological Momentary Intervention to Deliver Tetris for Alcohol Craving Among Women. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 113052.
This sci-fly was written by Kirsten van Hooijdonk (Radboud University) for RAD-blog, the blog about smoking, alcohol, drugs, and diet.