Prospects for a rational pharmacotherapy of alcoholism

There is little evidence from current practice that pharmacotherapy has a place, as an adjunctive or primary modality, in the rehabilitation of alcoholic patients. Pharmacologic approaches in the treatment of other substance dependence disorders, as well as recent research on the neuropharmacology of acute and chronic ethanol administration, suggest the feasibility of a potential pharmacotherapy of alcoholism. This review describes the prospects for a rational pharmacotherapy in the rehabilitation of alcohol-dependent patients. In the main, the review is speculative and serves to highlight some areas of research progress related to alcoholism and other addictive disorders, some specific areas of research need, and some implications for clinical practice.