Author: Alex Thompson

Alcohol use disorder Diagnosis and treatment

Support for patients with AUD is offered in more settings than just specialty addiction programs. Primary care professionals can offer medications for AUD along with brief counseling (see Core article on brief intervention). Addiction physicians, clinical psychologists, and other licensed therapists also provide outpatient care in solo or group practices (see Core article on referral).

1. Motivational enhancement is conducted over a short period of time to build and strengthen motivation to change drinking behavior.
2. An addiction professional helps figure out the scope of the issue and what treatment options would be right.
3. An intervention team usually includes 4 to 6 people who are important in your loved one’s life — people your loved one likes, respects or depends on.
4. Treatment options can vary in intensity and scope, and they occur in various settings.

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But you can remove yourself — and any children — from a dangerous situation. An intervention team usually includes 4 to 6 people who are important in your loved one’s life — people your loved one likes, respects or depends on. This may include, for example, a best friend, adult relatives or a member of your loved one’s faith community. Your intervention professional can help you figure out who should be on your team. It’s hard helping a loved one who is struggling with any type of addiction. Sometimes a direct, heart-to-heart conversation can start the road to recovery.

Work with an addiction professional

Across settings, a course of AUD treatment is likely to be measured in months, not days or weeks. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. Most people with an alcohol use disorder can benefit from some form of treatment. Medical treatments include medicines and behavioral therapies. For many people, using both types gives them the best results.

Also known as “alcohol counseling,” behavioral treatments involve working with a health care provider to identify and help change the behaviors that lead to alcohol problems. This guide is written for individuals—and their family and friends—who are looking for options to address alcohol problems. It is intended as a resource to understand what treatment choices are available and what to consider when selecting among them. For more information, please visit the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator®, an online tool that helps individuals find the right treatment for them—and near them. The Navigator offers a step-by-step process to finding a highly qualified professional treatment provider. When seeking professional help, it is important that you feel respected and understood and that you trust the person, group, or organization to help you.

Just like any other medical condition, people with substance use disorders deserve to have a range of treatment options available to them. Scientists are working to develop a larger menu of pharmaceutical treatments that could be tailored to individual needs. 12-step facilitation therapy is an engagement strategy used in counseling sessions to increase an individual’s active involvement in 12-step-based mutual-support groups. Professionally led treatments include behavioral treatments and medications.

More on Substance Abuse and Addiction

Acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions increase awareness and acceptance of present-moment experiences. Mindfulness-based skill-building strategies promote flexible, rather than autopilot, responses to triggers that can prompt drinking. Many people struggle with controlling their drinking at some point in their lives. Millions of adults in the United States have alcohol use disorder (AUD), and approximately 1 in 10 children live in a home with a parent who has AUD. Alcohol-related problems—which result from drinking too much, too fast, or too often—are among the most significant public health issues in the United States. Drugs used for other conditions — like smoking, pain, or epilepsy — also may help with alcohol use disorder.

Clinical Trials

As with many other conditions, early intervention and treatment can help your loved one get better faster. You may not know what to do when your friend or family member drinks too much. Your support might be a starting point for them to decide to quit alcohol. Even if an intervention doesn’t work, you and others in your loved one’s life can make changes that may help.

Studies show that people who have AUD are more likely to suffer from major depression or anxiety over their lifetime. When addressing drinking problems, it’s important to also seek treatment for any accompanying medical and mental health issues. Just as some people with diabetes or asthma may have flare-ups of their disease, a return to drinking can be seen as a temporary setback to full recovery and not as a failure. Seeking professional help can prevent a return to drinking—behavioral therapies can help people develop skills to avoid and overcome triggers, such as stress, that might lead to drinking. Most people benefit from regular checkups with a treatment provider. Medications can also deter drinking during times when individuals may be at greater risk for a return to drinking (e.g., divorce, death of a family member).

Recommend Evidence-Based Treatment: Know the Options

Your health care provider can help you evaluate the pros and cons of each treatment setting. When asked how alcohol problems are treated, people commonly think of 12-step programs or 28-day inpatient treatment centers but may have difficulty naming other options. In fact, there are many treatment options available thanks to significant advances in medical and behavioral research over the past decades. Here’s some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your health care provider or mental health provider. Your health care provider or counselor can suggest a support group.

Be persistent—several encounters may be needed before the patient becomes motivated and committed to change. An interactive, simplified sample workflow for clinical practice is linked below. Be sure to see the other Core articles on screening, treatment, referrals, and recovery.

Contact your primary care provider, health insurance plan, local health department, or employee assistance program for information about specialty treatment. Your provider may also be able to suggest an online self-guided program. Such e-health tools have been shown to help people overcome alcohol problems.