Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is frequent globally and is responsible for more than 5% of the global burden of disease and mortality. Despite this, less than 10% of people with AUD receive specialist treatment and less than 10% of people with risky drinking receive specific medical advice. The present paper highlights the recommendations of the Italian Society of Alcohology (SIA) for the treatment of AUD.
Multidisciplinary treatment in the outpatient setting is considered the best therapeutic option for AUD to improve recovery and reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption.
Several psychosocial treatments have proven efficacy, in particular brief intervention, motivational enhancement treatment, and various behavioral treatments; moreover, systemic family psychotherapy can play a key role when a patient’s family is involved.
Different pharmacological treatments are approved for the treatment of AUD in developed countries, and some off-label treatments have good levels of evidence. Since these pharmacological agents have different characteristics and present evidence of efficacy for different therapeutic goals, personalized pharmacotherapy is necessary. For this purpose, a specific algorithm of choice is presented.
For patients resistant to outpatient treatment and with severe AUD, inpatient treatment in specific alcohol rehabilitation centers can be useful to improve recovery.
