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Treating Alcohol Dependency
Treatment for alcohol misuse can vary depending on the level of harmful drinking. Something simple such as brief interventions may be all that’s required to change or improve a patient’s drinking habit. However, there may be instances where brief intervention may not be adequate and a referral to a specialist service may be required.1
Choosing the best alcohol addiction treatment - NICE Guidance2-6
Using an alcohol screening tool, such as AUDIT-C will provide an initial guide to the best treatment route to select for the patient.
If we use the AUDIT-C score results as an example:
Psychological treatments
Psychological treatments include:
- Behavioural and/or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
- Social network and environment-based therapies.
- Behavioural couples therapy (where relevant).
Medicinal treatments
If psychological treatment on its own does not help, then medication may be added. These can include:
- Acamprosate
- Naltrexone
- Disulfiram
-
References
1. Alcohol misuse. Treatment. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-misuse/treatment/ Last accessed June 2023.
2. Gual, et al. Alcohol and Alcoholism 2002; 37 (6): 591-596.
3. Bowring et al. BMC Public Health 2013; 13: 301.
4. Babor et al. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test 2001.
5. Alcohol Use Disorders. National Clinical Practice Guideline 115.
6. How Should I Screen for Problem Drinking? National Institute for Health and Care and Excellence. February 2018. Available from https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/alcohol-problem-drinking/diagnosis/how-to-screen/. Last accessed June 2023.
KKI/GB/PAB/0274 November 2023