Looking Back, Looking Forward: Current Medications and Innovative Potential Medications to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder

Abstract

This article is part of a Festschrift commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Established in 1970, first as part of the National Institute of Mental Health and later as an independent institute of the National Institutes of Health, NIAAA today is the world's largest funding agency for alcohol research. In addition to its own intramural research program, NIAAA supports the entire spectrum of innovative basic, translational, and clinical research to advance the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related problems. To celebrate the anniversary, NIAAA hosted a 2-day symposium, "Alcohol Across the Lifespan: 50 Years of Evidence-Based Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment Research," devoted to key topics within the field of alcohol research. This article is based on Dr. Mason's presentation at the event. NIAAA Director George F. Koob, Ph.D., serves as editor of the Festschrift.

Keywords: acamprosate; alcohol; alcohol use disorder; disulfiram; medication; naltrexone; treatment.

Figure 1. Conceptual framework for the effects of various medications on the three major stages of the alcohol addiction cycle and the clinical stages of alcohol use disorder

The outer ring relates to the clinical stages of alcohol use disorder; the inner ring relates to the three stages of the addiction cycle. Note: Adapted by permission from Springer Nature: Neuropharmacology, 35(1):217–238. Neurocircuitry of addiction. George F. Koob and Nora D. Volkow, 2010.