Summary of Best Evidence for Psychosocial Interventions in Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder: An Evidence-Based Review

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is the most common of all substance use disorders worldwide. Psychosocial interventions have been established as a core component of AUD management. However, current research evidence on psychosocial interventions for AUD is fragmented and lacks systematic, standardized protocols in this population, which constrains its standardized implementation in clinical practice.

To retrieve, evaluate, and summarize the evidence on psychosocial interventions for adults with AUD, aiming to inform clinical decision-making and support healthcare professionals in tailoring personalized psychosocial interventions for patients.

A systematic search was performed across 22 databases and websites for clinical decisions, recommended practices, guidelines, evidence summaries, expert consensus, systematic reviews, and randomized controlled trials regarding psychosocial interventions for adults with AUD. The search period extended from the inception of the database to February 2025. Two trained researchers independently evaluated the literature's quality and systematically extracted and summarized the available evidence.

A total of 20 studies were included, consisting of six clinical decisions, four guidelines, six systematic reviews, and four randomized controlled trials. Synthesis of evidence from these studies identified twenty-seven pieces of evidence, which were further categorized into eight dimensions: pre-intervention assessment, intervention goals, scope of application, multidisciplinary team involvement, intervention timing, intervention frequency, monitoring frequency and indicators, and precautions. These dimensions represent the primary areas of evidence derived from the included studies.

This study systematically synthesized the most robust evidence for psychosocial interventions in adults with AUD. The evidence confirmed that implementing psychosocial interventions based on considering hospital resources and patient preferences can effectively reduce alcohol consumption, depression, anxiety, and improve long-term outcomes in adults with AUD. This evidence-based framework established a practical and scientific basis for standardized psychosocial intervention delivery in clinical settings.