FIND YOUR WAY TO QUALITY ALCOHOL TREATMENT

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a condition that health care professionals diagnose when a patient’s drinking pattern causes significant distress or harm. Previously known as alcohol abuse or alcoholism, AUD can be mild, moderate, or severe. AUD can cause lasting changes in the brain that make patients vulnerable to relapse. The good news is that no matter how severe the problem may seem, most people with AUD can benefit from treatment with behavioral therapies, medications, or both.

National data indicate that at least one-third of all persons enrolled in addiction treatment programs for alcohol use disorder (AUD) have a co-occurring mental health disorder—most often anxiety or depression. Likewise, about one out of every four people treated in mental health programs have a co-occurring substance use disorder—most commonly, AUD.

Individuals with opioid addiction should seek help from a medical professional who is specially qualified to treat this condition.  The medications, providers, qualifications, and regulations for opioid addiction treatment are different from those for alcohol use disorder treatment. 

Evidence-based care is treatment that is grounded in the best available scientific research, showing a clear link between improved patient outcomes and the use of medications, behavioral therapies, or other treatment components.

The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator^® recommends that people seeking alcohol treatment look for providers with five signs of higher-quality care: credentials, comprehensive assessment, customized treatment plan, evidence-based treatments, and continuing recovery support. These signs are based on a review of the addiction health services research literature and the consensus of health professionals who are experts in alcohol treatment.

Also known as counseling or “talk therapy,” behavioral treatments involve working with a health professional to identify and help change the behaviors that lead to alcohol use disorder (AUD). Behavioral treatments are offered by trained health professionals in a variety of settings, and may be provided in combination with prescribed medications.

Three medications have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to help people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) stop or reduce their drinking and avoid relapse:  

• Naltrexone works by blocking the receptors in the brain that are involved in craving alcohol or the rewarding effects of drinking. It comes either as a pill that is taken daily, or as an injection that can be given once per month.

• Acamprosate is prescribed to help people with AUD maintain abstinence from alcohol by alleviating some negative symptoms of prolonged abstinence. It is a pill that is taken three times per day.

• Disulfiram is a pill that causes unpleasant symptoms such as nausea and flushing of the skin when a person drinks. Wanting to avoid those unpleasant effects can help some people refrain from drinking.

Used in the context of a comprehensive treatment plan, medications for alcohol use disorder (AUD) can provide an opportunity for behavioral therapies (counseling) to be helpful by reducing craving or helping to maintain abstinence from alcohol. In that way, medications can give people with an alcohol problem some traction in the recovery process.

For persons with alcohol use disorder (AUD), abstaining from drinking (stopping altogether) is generally recommended, and provides the greatest chance of long-term success. Abstaining is especially important when the individual is pregnant or is trying to become pregnant; is taking medications that negatively interact with alcohol; or has a medical or psychiatric disorder that is made worse by drinking. However, decisions about the ultimate goal of AUD treatment should be determined in a dialogue between the patient and a credentialed treatment provider.