Neuropsychosocial–Spiritual Correlates of Serene Abstinence in Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder Receiving Community-Based Recovery Care in Romania: A Longitudinal Observational Study Protocol (SER-ABS-AUD)

Background/Objectives: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) contributes substantially to premature mortality and disability in Romania. Recovery is commonly evaluated according to abstinence status, with less attention to psychological functioning, social support, spiritual well-being, and quality of life. SER-ABS-AUD (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT07561749) examines ‘serene abstinence’ as a preliminary multidimensional recovery construct among adults with AUD receiving community-based recovery support. Methods: This single-center, non-interventional, mixed retrospective–prospective longitudinal cohort study aims to enroll 70 adults aged 18–70 years with documented AUD, at least 12 consecutive months of continuous alcohol abstinence before enrollment, and an archived pre-enrollment MCMI-IV profile. Following written informed consent at the current T2 study visit, archived T1 MCMI-IV data and available clinical information will be extracted, and the MCMI-IV and supplementary recovery-outcome battery will be administered prospectively at T2. The principal longitudinal outcome is within-person change in prespecified MCMI-IV scales between archived T1 and current T2 assessment. The secondary exploratory Serene Abstinence Index combines MCMI-IV persistent depression change with current T2 natural reward response, spiritual well-being, and quality of life. Supplementary T2 measures will be interpreted as current outcomes or concurrent exploratory correlates, not as repeated longitudinal measures. Results: Recruitment is ongoing; no participant-level outcome data are reported in this protocol. Conclusions: SER-ABS-AUD will estimate longitudinal MCMI-IV change and characterize multidimensional recovery in a Romanian community-based AUD setting. Findings will be hypothesis-generating and will require replication and external validation in larger, independent, multicentre cohorts.