Health Library Home>Conditions InDepth>Article

Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

by Cynthia M. Johnson, MA
En Español (Spanish Version)
Main Page
Risk Factors
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Screening
Reducing Your Risk
Talking to Your Doctor
Living With Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Resource Guide

There is no cure for AUD. The goal is to manage the disease. This can be done with a combination of counseling, medicine, and social support. Some people may need to be treated in a detoxification center.

It can take a long time to recover. Many people may need to be treated several times.

The type of treatment used depends on the severity of AUD. It may involve:

Lifestyle changes
Medications
Other treatments
REFERENCES:

Alcohol use disorder. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/condition/alcohol-use-disorder. Accessed September 3, 2020.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/condition/alcohol-withdrawal-syndrome. Accessed September 3, 2020.

Day E, Copello A, Hull M. Assessment and management of alcohol use disorders. BMJ. 2015 Feb 19;350:h715.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). American Psychiatric Association; 2013.

Last reviewed March 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Adrian Preda, MD  Last Updated: 2/19/2021