The UW Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI), in cooperation with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System Addictions Treatment Center, is participating in an 11-site national study evaluating the effectiveness of treating alcoholism with medications combined with behavioral therapy. Dennis Donovan, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the ADAI, is the principal investigator at the UW site.

Entitled "Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions," the study launched by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), is seeking to develop effective treatment for the 8 million American adults who are alcoholics. In the next 24 months, the 11 study centers will recruit and randomize 1,375 diagnosed alcoholics to receive drug and behavioral therapy.