Alcohol treatment options
From office visits to 24-hour inpatient care, plus the therapies, mutual help groups and medications with evidence behind them. Start with the least intensive.
Guides
Treatment for alcohol use disorder, including the medications that work.
How to help someone who drinks too much
A family approach called CRAFT got 64% of reluctant drinkers into treatment in a trial, vs 30% for a staged intervention. How to start, and protect yourself.
Medications for alcohol use disorder
Naltrexone pills, the monthly naltrexone shot, acamprosate and disulfiram compared: what each does, the evidence, the cautions, and who prescribes.
Naltrexone for alcohol
Naltrexone blocks the reward from drinking. Pill vs monthly shot, the opioid rules, the liver warning, and who can prescribe it, including by telehealth.
Paying for alcohol treatment
What Marketplace plans, parity law, Medicaid and Medicare cover for alcohol treatment and medication, the limits of each, and where to find sliding-fee care.
How to stop drinking safely
If you drink heavily every day, stopping cold can trigger life-threatening withdrawal. When to get medical help first, and what AUD medications don't do.
Signs of alcohol use disorder
Alcohol use disorder means 2 or more of 11 signs in a year: 2 to 3 is mild, 4 to 5 moderate, 6 or more severe. The signs, what heavy drinking means, next steps.
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