Main description:

While there is a wealth of published information on addiction medicine, the psychological aspects of alcohol abuse, and behavioral medicine with regard to addiction, virtually none of these resources were written with the primary care provider in mind. Addressing Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Primary Care is a resource for primary care clinicians who are confronted by patients with these problems daily, and who wish to successfully address these issues in their practice. It would focus on the literature and science relevant to primary care practice and cover the range of interventions appropriate for this setting. Topics include assessment, brief counseling interventions, pharmacotherapy, referrals to both specialty care and Alcoholics Anonymous (and other self-help programs), psychiatric co-morbidity and other drug use, and other information specific to the needs of the primary care provider.

Contents:

Unhealthy alcohol use: What is it? What can and should we be doing about it in primary care settings?.- Screening for unhealthy alcohol use.- Assessment of unhealthy alcohol use in primary care.- Brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol and other drug use.- Alcohol pharmacotherapies.- Making effective referrals to specialty care.- Making effective referrals to Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs.- Management of patients with alcohol dependence in recover: Options for maintenance and anticipating and managing release.- Managing pain in the context of unhealthy alcohol use.- Medical consequences of unhealthy alcohol.- Psychiatric comorbidity.- Other drug use.- To drink or not to drink? "Moderate" alcohol consumption in a clinical context.- Electronic and other self-help materials for unhealthy alcohol use in primary care.- Screening and brief intervention practice systems and implementation.- Confidentiality.- Choices for patients and clinicians: Ethics and legal issues.- Hospital management.- Perioperative management.- Physicians with unhealthy alcohol use.- Appendices.