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New therapies for alcohol problems: application to primary care
D A Fiellin1, M C Reid, P G O'Connor
1Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8025, USA.
The American Journal of Medicine
|March 21, 2000
Summary
Primary care physicians can help patients reduce alcohol consumption using evidence-based strategies. New therapies, including brief interventions and medications like naltrexone, show success in treating alcohol problems.
Area of Science:
- Medicine
- Public Health
- Addiction Science
Background:
- Primary care physicians manage patients with alcohol problems.
- Effective strategies are needed to reduce alcohol consumption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review new evidence-based therapies for alcohol problems in primary care.
- To guide physicians in applying these treatments.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent clinical trials on alcohol treatment strategies.
- Focus on interventions applicable to primary care settings.
Main Results:
- Brief interventions effectively reduce alcohol consumption in hazardous drinkers.
- Therapies like twelve-step facilitation, cognitive behavioral, and motivational enhancement achieve sustained reductions in alcohol dependence.
- Pharmacologic therapies (naltrexone, acamprosate) combined with counseling are effective for alcohol dependence.
Conclusions:
- New therapeutic strategies offer effective options for patients with alcohol problems.
- Primary care physicians play a crucial role in implementing these treatments.
- Evidence supports the use of psychosocial and pharmacologic interventions in primary care for alcohol use disorders.