Alcoholism Consultation-Liaison: an effective way to reach alcoholics and teach professionals

Alcoholism is a very common disease in general hospital patients. Yet negative attitudes toward alcoholism and the need for education among professionals often lead to underdiagnosis and inadequate referral. The author describes how consultation with liaison can be effective in reaching more alcoholic patients and teaching professionals. He points out that while this has commonly been accepted in general psychiatry, the liaison approach seems to have rarely been utilized to its fullest potential in the alcoholism field. One alcoholism consultation-liaison service is presented in detail; encouraging findings and future directions are discussed.