The goal of motivational interviewing is to enhance your patient’s motivation to decrease their alcohol intake. 

A key ingredient of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for alcohol use disorder is discussing automatic negative thoughts that may trigger drinking

An intervention is a planned meeting with the patient, the family, and usually an addiction professional (an interventionist). 

Including family meetings in your treatment of alcohol-using patients (or any psychiatric patients, for that matter) can help you better understand treatment challenges and therefore help achieve long-term sobriety. 

Regardless of what kind of treatment you choose for your patient, it’s important to remind yourself of the key feature of any successful treatment—a good treatment alliance. 

Regardless of what kind of treatment you choose for your patient, it’s important to remind yourself of the key feature of any successful treatment—a good treatment alliance. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is highly effective for alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients—but only if they are motivated and determined to complete homework exercises and to practice assigned coping skills. 

Research has shown that consistent attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings is at least as effective as any other treatment, and possibly more so. 

There are many effective nonpharmacological treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD).

There are many approaches to treating alcohol use disorder (AUD), and the initial approach for any given patient will vary depending on the severity of their use, their experience with treatment, the existence of concurrent illness, etc.