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Review
. 2019 Sep 25;5(9):eaax4043.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aax4043. eCollection 2019 Sep.

Advances in the science and treatment of alcohol use disorder

K Witkiewitz  1 , R Z Litten  2 , L Leggio  3   4   5
Affiliations
Review

Advances in the science and treatment of alcohol use disorder

K Witkiewitz et al. Sci Adv. .

Abstract

Alcohol is a major contributor to global disease and a leading cause of preventable death, causing approximately 88,000 deaths annually in the United States alone. Alcohol use disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, with nearly one-third of U.S. adults experiencing alcohol use disorder at some point during their lives. Alcohol use disorder also has economic consequences, costing the United States at least $249 billion annually. Current pharmaceutical and behavioral treatments may assist patients in reducing alcohol use or facilitating alcohol abstinence. Although recent research has expanded understanding of alcohol use disorder, more research is needed to identify the neurobiological, genetic and epigenetic, psychological, social, and environmental factors most critical in the etiology and treatment of this disease. Implementation of this knowledge in clinical practice and training of health care providers is also needed to ensure appropriate diagnosis and treatment of individuals suffering from alcohol use disorder.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Conceptual model of factors that affect treatment effectiveness.
Risk factors proposed in the AARDoC, including incentive salience, negative emotionality, executive function, and social environmental factors, are shown in black bold font encircling alcohol use. Contextual risk factors, including decision-making, self-efficacy, pain, craving, etc., are shown in black font in colored boxes. Risk and protective factors overlap with alcohol use and interact in predicting coping regulation and alcohol use among individual patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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