Effectiveness of RehaCom Response Inhibition Training in Reducing Cravings, Impulsivity, and Risky Behavior and Enhancing Emotional Regulation in Alcohol Users

Abstract

Background: Alcohol use disorder is associated with craving, impulsivity, risky behavior, and difficulties in emotional regulation; however, RehaCom response inhibition training has not been evaluated in individuals with alcohol use disorder. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of RehaCom Response Inhibition Training in reducing cravings, impulsivity, and risky behavior and in enhancing emotional regulation among alcohol users. Methods: This experimental study used a pretest–posttest design with a one-month follow-up and a control group. Ten men aged 25 - 60 years with severe alcohol dependence who were currently using alcohol were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition, with five participants in each group. The intervention group received response-inhibition cognitive rehabilitation through 15 RehaCom sessions of 45 minutes each, administered three times per week over five consecutive weeks. The Desire for Alcohol Questionnaire, Go/No-Go Task, Emotional Control Questionnaire, and Balloon Analogue Risk Task were used. Participants were assessed at baseline, immediately after the RehaCom intervention, and one month later. Results: The findings showed that risk-taking, emotion control, and inhibition differed significantly between the two groups across the three time points (P ≤ 0.05), whereas craving did not (P ≥ 0.05). Despite the absence of significant between-group differences in craving (P ≥ 0.05), individuals with alcohol use disorder who received the RehaCom intervention showed decreased ranks in craving subcomponents from pretest to posttest. Among RehaCom participants, all subcomponents of risk-taking behavior declined, and emotion control improved significantly, except for emotional inhibition, which showed no significant between-group difference. Inhibition measures also improved, with reductions in omission and commission errors, faster reaction times, and increased accuracy on Go/No-Go tasks, indicating enhanced inhibitory control. Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that RehaCom may effectively reduce impulsivity and improve aspects of emotion regulation and response inhibition in individuals with alcohol use disorder, although some effects were not sustained over time.