CHARLOTTE, NC

Alcohol Use Clinical Trials

Two studies touching alcohol are listed as open near Charlotte NC, and one of them needs checking before you rely on it. Meanwhile, three treatments are approved and easy to get in this city with no study at all. Payment is provided for eligible participants.

2

Listed Near Charlotte

3

Approved Treatments

+/- $100

Per Visit

New here? Read how this page works

First, here is the honest picture. Two studies are listed here, one of them has a date problem we will not hide, and three treatments exist. So here is how to use this page.

  1. Ask about naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram. Because all three are approved, on offer here today, and need no study at all.
  2. Ask whether cutting down counts as a goal. Also, it often does, and one nearby study measures exactly that.
  3. Never stop abruptly on your own to qualify. In fact, alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous, so talk to a clinician before changing anything.
  4. Last, tap the button. Then we keep your details on file and call you when a study opens near you.

Of course, checking never signs you up for anything. You are only seeing where you might fit.

What Is Actually Listed Near Charlotte

Two, and we have flagged a real problem with one of them. So read the warning on that card before you plan anything.

Listed as open, with one important caveat

One is a support programme with no testing of any kind. The other is a student app study whose own end date has passed while its sites still read as open, so confirm it before relying on it.

A Support Programme That Measures Drinking Directly

Duke University with Mecklenburg County / Non drug programme

Two of the four things this programme measures are about alcohol, so it counts here as well. It offers counselling one to one and in groups, case management and peer support over six months. Everybody gets it, because there is one group and no dummy. You have to have used alcohol or another substance in the last 90 days to qualify. But it is linked to HIV care or prevention, and that is the real gate.

Non drug programme, 200 people No dummy

Payment is not published.

Check eligibility →
More details

Why researchers are excited: most people never call because they assume they must stop drinking first, and here the opposite is true. Meanwhile, there is no urine testing and no medicine involved.

Who this study is looking for

  • Living with HIV, or actively seeking HIV prevention such as PrEP
  • Also, any alcohol or other substance use in the last 90 days
  • Besides that, living in Mecklenburg County or nearby
  • Finally, aged 18 or over

Probably not a fit if: the HIV link is what excludes most people. Without an HIV diagnosis and without interest in prevention, this one does not fit. Also, the only other published exclusion is being unable to give consent.

  • Placebo group: None. One group, and everybody receives the programme.
  • How long: Six months.
  • Clinic visits: Two research contacts, both online surveys at home. The programme itself runs roughly weekly to fortnightly.
  • Phone calls: None published beyond the programme’s own contact.
  • Most invasive part: Nothing physical, and no testing of any kind. So drinking is recorded by asking you rather than by measuring you.
  • Setting: Outpatient.
  • Where it runs: A Duke research site, Charlotte NC 28207.
  • Drive from Charlotte: The site is in Charlotte, about two miles from uptown.
  • No breath tests and no urine screens. That is unusual in this field and it removes the part people most dislike.
  • Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →

A Phone App for Students, and It Needs a Phone Call First

mHealth Systems with UNC Charlotte and USC / Non drug study

This is an app that gives feedback about drinking to college students who have been sent to programming after a campus rule breach. It is two weeks of daily logging with a virtual coach, and everybody gets the app. So there is no dummy and nothing to take. But we have to be straight with you about one thing before anything else. The study’s own listed finish date has passed while both sites still read as open.

Non drug study, 150 people Confirm it is open

Payment is not published.

Get on the list →
More details

Why researchers are excited: it is the only study listed as open in both cities, and it asks for one campus visit and nothing more. Meanwhile, the stale date means a phone call has to come before anything else.

Who this study is looking for

  • A currently enrolled college student at a participating campus
  • Also, sent to programming after an alcohol or drug rule violation
  • Besides that, having drunk alcohol in the last 90 days
  • Finally, A drinking screen score of 4 or more, and a smartphone
  • Also, aged 18 to 26

Probably not a fit if: not drinking in the last 90 days rules you out. So abstinence disqualifies rather than qualifies here. Also, not being a student, and not being under a mandated referral.

  • Placebo group: None. Everybody gets the app in this stage.
  • How long: Two weeks of the app, with checks at two and six weeks.
  • Clinic visits: One in person session on campus, then two assessments done remotely.
  • Phone calls: None published. The app sends its own prompts.
  • Most invasive part: Nothing at all. So the only real exposure is that it runs through a campus disciplinary process.
  • Setting: Outpatient.
  • Where it runs: University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte NC 28223.
  • Drive from Charlotte: The site is at UNC Charlotte, about nine miles north east.
  • Call before you count on this. The record’s own end date has passed while both sites still read open, so confirm directly with the university before making plans.
  • Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →

The nearest study with a recovery coach

It starts at your hospital bedside after an alcohol related admission. Both groups get something real, and one simply gets the coach later.

A Recovery Coach at Your Hospital Bedside

Clemson with Prisma Health and the NIAAA / Non drug study

This starts while you are already in hospital for something alcohol related. One group meets a peer recovery coach at the bedside and keeps working with them for six months. The other gets a short intervention and a coach after the study period, so no one gets nothing. It also tracks whether people start the approved medicines. The nearest sites are Greenville and Seneca.

Non drug study, 750 people Not near you

Payment is not published.

Get on the list →
More details

Why researchers are excited: the days right after an alcohol related admission are when people are most reachable and least followed up. Meanwhile, the comparison group still gets real help, just later.

Who this study is looking for

  • Moderate to severe alcohol use disorder
  • Also, currently in hospital with an alcohol related problem
  • Besides that, living within fifty miles of the site and staying in the area six months
  • Finally, aged 18 to 75

Probably not a fit if: using other drugs alongside alcohol rules you out. A positive test for opiates, cocaine or methamphetamine excludes you, and that removes a large share of people. Also, moderate or severe withdrawal, psychosis or bipolar disorder in your notes, and being in prison at the time.

  • Placebo group: None. Both groups get something real, and one gets the coach later.
  • How long: Six months of the programme, then follow up to twelve months.
  • Clinic visits: About 8 or 9 assessment contacts, starting at the bedside and running to twelve months.
  • Phone calls: Coach contact is ongoing rather than set visits.
  • Most invasive part: Nothing physical, but the home burden is real. Daily short check ins and a daily breath reading for six months, which is about 180 tests.
  • Setting: Outpatient.
  • Where it runs: Greenville Memorial Hospital, Greenville SC 29605; and Oconee Memorial Hospital, Seneca SC 29672.
  • Drive from Charlotte: Greenville is about 100 miles south west, so roughly an hour and forty five minutes.
  • The fifty mile rule excludes most of the Midlands. Columbia is about a hundred miles away, so most people here would not qualify on where they live.
  • Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Not sure which one fits you?

First, answer a few quick health questions. Then we keep them on file. Finally, we call you when a study opens near Charlotte. No account, no paperwork.

See if I may fit one of these studies →
✓ Takes just a few minutes✓ No cost, no obligation✓ You are never enrolled by checking

Why Alcohol Research Matters Here in Charlotte

Knowing it is a problem and not knowing where that leaves you

It rarely starts as a decision, and by the time it is one the options all sound like starting from zero. Meanwhile, the belief that you have to stop before anyone will help keeps people away for years. So the useful thing to know is that cutting down counts, and that three treatments exist. In fact, most people have never been offered any of them.

What is actually being studied here

Rock Hill, Concord, Gastonia, Huntersville, Matthews, Mooresville. Two studies touching alcohol are listed in this metro. One is a support programme with no testing of any kind, and it needs recent use rather than abstinence. The other is a student app study, and we have to be straight about it, because its own end date has already passed while both its sites still read as open. So a search on this condition and this city returns a hard zero, which is simply wrong, and that is why every row gets read.

So why is so little open here?

  • The treatments are approved. Three exist and are on offer here today. So the research has moved to getting people to them.
  • One record looks open and may not be. Its own end date has passed while both sites read as recruiting. Meanwhile, we have listed it with that warning rather than dropping it.
  • A condition search here returns zero. Two studies touching alcohol are in fact open. In fact, that is a confirmed false zero.
  • One local site has not opened yet. A liver study with a Charlotte address reads as open. But that site row has not opened.
  • Behavioural studies run through campuses. One of the two runs through a campus discipline route. Also, that limits who can join it.

Research is a care option, not a last resort

There is a saying in medicine that research is a care option rather than a last resort. Generally, that is the honest way to think about a study. You are not giving up your own doctor. Instead, you are adding a second set of eyes. Also, three treatments for this are approved and easy to get in this city, so there is a great deal you can do without any study.

What being on the list actually gets you

This is a directory, not a clinic. So being on the list is simple and it costs nothing.

What you actually get

  • A call from us the day a new study opens near you
  • The clinic name and number, so you call them yourself
  • A check against every other study on our list, not just this one
  • No cost, and no insurance needed
  • Roughly $100 a visit for your time, once you are in a study
  • You are never enrolled by checking

So add it up. Two studies listed here, one of them needing a phone call before you rely on it, and three approved treatments on offer today. Meanwhile, cutting down counts as a goal and abstinence would rule you out from one of these. So the useful thing to do today is ask your own doctor about naltrexone.

What Is Actually Available for Alcohol Use Here

Three medicines are approved, available and badly underused, and none of them needs a study.

Three Medications Already Exist

Naltrexone as a tablet or a monthly injection, acamprosate, and disulfiram are all approved. So none of them needs a study, and a primary care doctor can start naltrexone. Meanwhile, they are underprescribed rather than unavailable. Also, most people who have struggled for years have never been offered any of the three.

You Do Not Have to Want to Quit Completely

Cutting down heavy drinking days is a real, measurable goal. In fact, it is literally what one nearby study measures as its main outcome. So being unsure about stopping altogether is not a reason to stay away. Meanwhile, that framing alone changes how many people get help.

Abstinence Almost Never Gets You In

The app study at both universities will actively exclude you if you have not drunk in the last 90 days. Current drinking is the entry ticket rather than the barrier. So the belief that you must stop first is the single most common reason people never call. Also, no local study here needs a detox period.

Never Stop Drinking Abruptly to Qualify

Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous in a way that most people do not realise, with seizures a real risk. So if you drink heavily every day, do not stop on your own to look like a better candidate. In fact, several studies explicitly exclude people at risk of severe withdrawal for exactly this reason. Meanwhile, talk to a clinician before you change anything.

Ask About the At Home Burden, Not Just Visits

One nearby study has only a handful of assessments but asks for a daily breath reading for six months. That is around a hundred and eighty tests, and it is invisible in a visit count. So ask what happens between appointments. Also, that is where most of the real commitment often sits.

Other Drug Use Is the Quiet Disqualifier

One study near Greenville excludes anyone testing positive for opiates, cocaine or methamphetamine. So people who drink and also use anything else are frequently turned away. In fact, that criterion removes a large share of the real hospitalised population. Meanwhile, other studies take the opposite approach, so ask rather than assume.

Liver Studies Are Not Addiction Studies

There is a study with a Charlotte address for severe alcohol related liver inflammation. It treats people who are already in hospital and jaundiced, and its measure is survival at ninety days. So it is not a study to help you drink less, and its Charlotte site has not opened anyway. In general, the two things get confused and they should not be.

Comparison Groups Still Get Something

In the recovery coach study, the comparison group gets a brief intervention and a coach after the study period. So it is a delayed start rather than a denial. Meanwhile, that pattern is common in behavioural research and it is worth asking about. Also, it makes these studies far easier to agree to than drug trials.

One Local Study Needs Checking Before You Count On It

The only study listed as open in both cities has an end date that has passed. Both site rows still read as recruiting, which often means the record is simply out of date. So we have listed it with that warning attached rather than leaving it off or pretending. But if it has closed, the Midlands drops to nothing and Charlotte drops to one.

Alcohol Help Near You

Ask about naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram, because those need no study at all. Also, ask whether cutting down rather than stopping is an acceptable goal, because it often is. Last, never stop abruptly on your own if you drink heavily every day. Meanwhile, join the list and we will call you when a study opens near you.

Research Sites Near Charlotte

One Duke run study operates inside Charlotte and one runs at UNC Charlotte, with a recovery coach study at Greenville. But sites add new studies all the time.

Atrium Health

Multiple Charlotte locations / 161+ active studies

Crohn’s, Heart Failure, COPD, Dementia, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension

Charlotte’s biggest health system. It is tied to Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Also, it runs far more trials than anyone else nearby.

Visit Website →

American Health Research Network

Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 25 to 30+ active studies

Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Type 2 Diabetes

Led by Dr. Selwyn Spangenthal. It is the biggest private lung research group in Charlotte. Specifically, it has 4 offices: Charlotte, Rock Hill, Lake Norman, and Charleston.

Visit Website →

Monroe Biomedical Research

Monroe, NC / 17+ active studies

Asthma, COPD, Hypertension, Obesity, Ulcerative Colitis

Notably, one of the 5 busiest research sites in the country. Its 6,300 sq ft space can host overnight stays. It is also an SCRS Global Impact Partner.

Visit Website →

Clinical Research of Gastonia

Gastonia, NC / 11+ active studies

Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Idiopathic Hypersomnia

Led by Dr. Anup Banerjee. Its 3,500 sq ft space sits next to CaroMont Regional Medical Center. Also, it has been running for over 10 years.

Visit Website →

OnSite Clinical Solutions

Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 10+ active studies

Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s, COPD, Heart Failure, Atopic Dermatitis

It works with Charlotte doctors in heart, gut, skin, nerve, and joint care. Besides, it runs studies from Phase I through Phase IV.

Visit Website →

Flourish Research

Matthews, NC 28105 / 4+ active studies

Alzheimer’s Disease, Early Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s-Related Psychosis

Led by Dr. M. Reza Bolouri. He has 20+ years in Alzheimer’s research. The site is an Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence. In fact, its network has finished 5,500+ trials.

Visit Website →

New Hope Clinical Research

SouthPark, NC 28211 / 4+ active studies

Major Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder

Led by Dr. Kurian Abraham. It runs Phase I through IV studies and has 30 beds for overnight stays. Its last FDA audit came back clean. Also, it has finished 200+ brain studies.

Visit Website →

Queen City Clinical Research

SouthPark, NC 28211 / 2+ active studies

Chronic Pain, Chronic Migraine, Osteoarthritis

Led by Dr. Leonardo Kapural, a former Cleveland Clinic professor. Notably, he has written 200+ journal articles. On top of that, many call this the biggest pain research site in the country.

Visit Website →

Novant Health

Multiple Charlotte locations / Several active studies

Cardiovascular Disease, Obesity, Hypertension

One of the biggest health systems in the Carolinas. Its Heart and Vascular Institute runs heart studies and sees a lot of patients.

Visit Website →

DLVSC

4 Charlotte-area offices / 1+ active studies

Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea

Led by Dr. Gilly Munavalli. This award-winning skin practice owns 50+ FDA-approved lasers and devices. Also, it has its own research team.

Visit Website →

DelRicht Research

South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies

Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Depression

Part of a national network of mental health research sites. Currently, it runs the azetukalner bipolar depression trial in Charlotte. Previously, it ran other mental health studies.

Visit Website →

TMS of the Carolinas

South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies

Major Depression, Treatment-Resistant Depression

A specialty site for brain stimulation care. It runs the fast TMS study that packs 6 weeks into 2.

Visit Website →

What to Expect in an Alcohol Study

New to studies? Here is how one works, step by step.

01

Prescreening

First comes a short phone call or online form. Also, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The staff check whether you might fit. Then they tell you what is open.

02

Screening Visit

Next the clinic runs the tests that decide it, which usually means blood work. Also, they go through the consent form line by line, and you can bring somebody with you.

03

Treatment Period

Then the programme begins. So you take the study drug or the placebo on the agreed schedule. Meanwhile, your own doctor keeps managing everything else.

04

Follow-Up

Finally, there is a check in period at the end. Also, your own doctor gets the results, and you can stop at any point without affecting your care.

Alcohol Use Trial FAQs

Real answers about alcohol use studies near Charlotte NC.

Is there a study for this near Charlotte?

Two are listed, and we need to be straight about one of them. The first is a support programme inside the city with no testing of any kind, needing recent use rather than abstinence. The second is a student app study whose own end date has passed while its sites still read as open. Also, a search on this condition and this city returns a hard zero, which is simply wrong.

What treatments exist?

Three are approved and available now, and they are badly underused rather than unavailable. Naltrexone as a tablet or a monthly injection, acamprosate, and disulfiram. So none of them needs a study, and a primary care doctor can start naltrexone. Meanwhile, most people who have struggled for years have never been offered any of the three.

Do I have to want to stop completely?

No. Cutting down heavy drinking days is a real, measurable goal. In fact, it is literally what one nearby study measures as its main outcome. So being unsure about stopping altogether is not a reason to stay away. Also, that framing alone changes how many people get help.

Does being sober rule me out?

Usually yes, which surprises people. The app study at both universities excludes you if you have not drunk in the last 90 days. So current drinking is the entry ticket rather than the barrier. Also, no local study here needs a detox period first.

Should I stop drinking to qualify?

No, and this one matters more than any other answer on this page. Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous, and seizures are a real risk if you drink heavily every day. So do not stop on your own to look like a better candidate. In fact, several studies exclude people at risk of severe withdrawal for exactly this reason.

What happens between appointments?

Often more than the visit count suggests, so ask. One nearby study has only a handful of assessments and asks for a daily breath reading for six months. That is around a hundred and eighty tests, and it is invisible in a visit count. Meanwhile, that is where most of the real commitment often sits.

Does using other drugs rule me out?

For one nearby study, yes. It excludes anyone testing positive for opiates, cocaine or methamphetamine. So people who drink and also use something else are often turned away. But other studies take the opposite approach, so ask rather than assume. Also, that criterion removes a large share of the real hospital population.

Is the liver study an addiction study?

No, and the two get confused. There is a study with a Charlotte address for severe alcohol related liver inflammation. It treats people already in hospital and jaundiced, and its measure is survival at ninety days. So it is not a study to help you drink less, and its Charlotte site has not opened anyway.

Does it cost anything to check?

No. There is no cost, and no insurance is needed. Tether is a nonprofit list, so we do not run studies and we are not paid to send you anywhere. Also, checking never enrolls anyone in anything. You would always call the clinic yourself.

Where can I get help near Charlotte?

Atrium Health and Novant Health both run addiction services across the metro, and all three approved treatments are on offer here today. Also, ask your own doctor about naltrexone, which primary care can start. In general, cutting down is a real goal rather than a lesser one. Meanwhile, if you drink heavily every day, never stop abruptly without medical advice.

Ready to Explore a Study?

Check your eligibility, or just reach out to our Charlotte team. No pressure. Also, no sales pitch.

← Back to All Clinical Trials

Sources

Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 17, 2026. One data quality issue is stated on the card rather than hidden. The only study listed as open in both metros has a primary and overall end date of 30 April 2026, which has passed, while both site rows still read as recruiting. The record is very likely out of date, and it is published with an explicit instruction to confirm before relying on it. If it has in fact closed, Columbia drops to nothing and Charlotte drops to one. A condition search on Charlotte returned a hard zero while two studies touching alcohol are open in that metro, which is another confirmed false zero. One study with a real Charlotte address reads as open while that site row has not opened yet. Study openings and criteria change. The research clinic confirms it all before you enroll.

Tell me when a study opens near Charlotte →