Author: James Anderson

Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

Following diagnosis, a healthcare professional will work with a person to determine the best course of treatment. Genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors can impact how drinking alcohol affects your body and behavior. Theories suggest that for certain people drinking has a different and stronger impact that can lead to alcohol use disorder.

More resources for a variety of healthcare professionals can be found in the Additional Links for Patient Care. If you drink more alcohol than that, consider cutting back or quitting. To learn more about alcohol treatment options and search for quality care near you, please visit the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator. The most severe form of alcohol withdrawal is known as alcohol withdrawal delirium or delirium tremens, often referred to as the DTs. Symptoms (which are typically experienced in addition to others caused by alcohol withdrawal) include delirium (confusion), high blood pressure, and agitation.

What are the risk factors for alcohol use disorder?

As more medications become available, people may be able to try multiple medications to find which they respond to best. The sooner you recognize there may be a problem and talk to your healthcare provider, the better your recovery chances. Research is ongoing to determine the benefits of natural therapies on the prevention of complications from AUD. People should not try to use natural remedies on their own, but use them in conjunction with medical treatment and therapy options. Keep reading to learn more about AUD, including who is at risk, common symptoms, treatment, and more. Alcohol misuse can lead to various illnesses such as heart disease.

1. Alcohol misuse may lead people to skip meals or maintain a diet that lacks balance.
2. They are prescribed by a primary care physician or other health professional and may be used alone or in combination with counseling.
3. But as you continue to drink, you become drowsy and have less control over your actions.
4. Alcoholics Anonymous is available almost everywhere and provides a place to openly and non-judgmentally discuss alcohol problems with others who have alcohol use disorder.

Medications can make detoxification safe while avoiding the worst symptoms of withdrawal. And medications and behavioral therapies can help people with AUD reduce alcohol intake or abstain from alcohol altogether. If your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life, you likely have alcohol use disorder.

Many people with AUD do recover, but setbacks are common among people in treatment. Seeking professional help early 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. Medications also can help deter drinking during times when individuals may be at greater risk of a return to drinking (e.g., divorce, death of a family member). Behavioral treatments—also known as alcohol counseling, or talk therapy, and provided by licensed therapists—are aimed at changing drinking behavior. Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand with heavy drinking.

Ask different programs if they offer sliding scale fees—some programs may offer lower prices or payment plans for individuals without health insurance. Inpatient facilities tend to be more intensive and costly. Your healthcare provider can help you evaluate the pros and cons of each. It is important to remember that not all people will respond to medications, but for a subset of individuals, they can be an important tool in overcoming alcohol dependence. Due to the anonymous nature of mutual-support groups, it is difficult for researchers to determine their success rates compared with those led by health professionals.

Fatty Liver Disease

Because AUD can be a chronic relapsing disease, persistence is key. It is rare that someone would go to treatment once and then never drink again. More often, people must repeatedly try to quit or cut back, experience recurrences, learn from them, and then keep trying. For many, continued follow up with a treatment provider is critical to overcoming problem drinking. When seeking professional help, it is important that you feel respected and understood and that you have a feeling of trust that this person, group, or organization can help you.

Behavioral treatments are aimed at changing drinking behavior through counseling. They are led by health professionals and supported by studies showing they can be beneficial. No matter how hopeless alcohol use disorder may seem, treatment can help. If you think you might have a problem with alcohol, call SAMHSA or talk to your healthcare provider. They can help you cope, make a treatment plan, prescribe medications and refer you to support programs. It’s also called alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse.

What is alcohol use disorder?

NIAAA and other organizations are conducting research to identify genes and other factors that can predict how well someone will respond to a particular treatment. These advances could optimize how treatment decisions are made in the future. When asked how alcohol problems are treated, people commonly think of 12-step programs or 28-day inpatient rehab but may have difficulty naming other options. In fact, there are a variety of treatment methods currently available, thanks to significant advances in the field over the past 60 years. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition that doctors diagnose when a patient’s drinking causes distress or harm.

Remember, though, that relationships with doctors, therapists, and other health professionals can take time to develop. This CME/CE credit opportunity is jointly provided by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and NIAAA. Whether you care for youth or adults, you are likely to encounter patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) regularly in your practice. After withdrawal, doctors recommend that patients continue treatment to address the underlying alcohol use disorder and help them maintain abstinence from or achieve a reduction in alcohol consumption. Though at-risk and binge drinking can result in a range of adverse consequences, not all people who engage in these kinds of unhealthy alcohol use have alcohol use disorder. Too much alcohol affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain.

You’re likely to start by seeing your primary health care provider. If your provider suspects that you have a problem with alcohol, you may be referred to a mental health provider. Alcohol use disorder (sometimes called alcoholism) is a medical condition.

Medications, such as benzodiazepines, are given to help control withdrawal symptoms. If necessary, patients may receive intravenous fluids, vitamins, and other medications to treat hallucinations or other symptoms caused by withdrawal. If a person believes that they are misusing alcohol, they should consider seeking medical help. Early intervention can help prevent some of the negative consequences of drinking.

Treatment for alcohol use disorder can vary, depending on your needs. Treatment may involve a brief intervention, individual or group counseling, an outpatient program, or a residential inpatient stay. Working to stop alcohol use to improve quality of life is the main treatment goal. Severity is based on the number of criteria a person meets based on their symptoms—mild (2–3 criteria), moderate (4–5 criteria), or severe (6 or more criteria). In general, alcohol consumption is considered too much—or unhealthy—when it causes health or social problems. This broad category of alcohol consumption comprises a continuum of drinking habits including at-risk drinking, binge drinking, and AUD.

What puts people at risk for developing AUD?

Overcoming alcohol use disorder is an ongoing process, one which can include setbacks. Professionals in the alcohol treatment field offer advice on what to consider when choosing a treatment program. All approved medications are non-addictive and can be used alone or in combination with other forms of treatment. 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.