Exploring trait anxiety and alcohol craving in patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder

The treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a high point of interest for health departments and research. Alcohol craving and anxiety are two decisive factors in the maintenance of AUD. Many AUD patients are diagnosed with a dual diagnosis of anxiety or report high levels of anxiety and alcohol craving. Despite, a variety of treatment approaches (e.g., cue-exposure therapy (CET)) high rates of relapse are common in AUD individuals. Virtual Reality (VR) enriches CET by enhancing the individual’s interaction with contexts, cues, and realistic environments. The combination of both approaches is called VR-CET and was applied in this study through the ALCO-VR software. The focus of this study lies on the effects of VR-CET treatment on trait-craving and trait anxiety levels of AUD individuals who are at high risk of relapse.