FREE NEJM E-TOC    HOME   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CURRENT ISSUE   |   PAST ISSUES   |   COLLECTIONS   |   Search Term  Advanced Search

Sign in | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents — Free | Subscribe

Previous Volume 340:1482-1490 May 13, 1999 Number 19 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

	Full Text PDF Purchase this article Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited PubMed Citation

Alcohol dependence is a chronic disorder that results from a variety of genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors.¹ As defined by the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it is characterized by increased tolerance of the effects of alcohol, impaired control over drinking, and continued drinking despite adverse consequences (Table 1).² Alcohol dependence affects nearly 10 percent of the population and results in social problems, considerable morbidity and mortality, and high health care costs.^3,4

View this table: [in this window] [in a new window]   Table 1. Criteria for Alcohol Dependence.

 
Alcohol dependence is treated by medical, psychological, and social interventions that reduce or eliminate the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

The Neurobehavioral Aspects of Alcohol Dependence

Drug Treatment for Alcohol Dependence

Aversive Drugs

Opioid Antagonists

Acamprosate

Dopaminergic Drugs

Other Drugs

            Mood Stabilizers

            Sedative Drugs

            Serotonergic Drugs

Patients with Psychiatric Disorders

Recommendations

Conclusions

Source Information

From the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies and the Department of Psychiatry, Brown University Medical School and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, R.I.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Swift at ACOS for Research and Education, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 830 Chalkstone Ave., Providence, RI 02908, or at robert_swift@brown.edu.

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Leggio, L., Addolorato, G. (2008). Invited Commentary * Serotonin transporter (SERT) brain density and neurobiological cloninger subtypes model: a lesson by human autoradiography studies. Alcohol Alcohol 43: 148-150 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kuhn, J., Lenartz, D., Huff, W., Lee, S., Koulousakis, A., Klosterkoetter, J., Sturm, V. (2007). Remission of alcohol dependency following deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens: valuable therapeutic implications?. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 78: 1152-1153 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• SWIFT, R. (2007). Emerging approaches to managing alcohol dependence. Am J Health Syst Pharm 64: S12-S22 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mason, B. J. (2006). Acamprosate for Alcohol Dependence: An Update for the Clinician. Focus 4: 505- [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Watkins, K. E., Hunter, S. B., Burnam, M. A., Pincus, H. A., Nicholson, G. (2005). Review of Treatment Recommendations for Persons With a Co-occurring Affective or Anxiety and Substance Use Disorder. Psychiatr. Serv. 56: 913-926 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lingford-Hughes, A. R., Welch, S., Nutt, D. J. (2004). Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Pharmacological Management of Substance Misuse, Addiction and Comorbidity: Recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. J Psychopharmacol 18: 293-335  
• Cami, J., Farre, M. (2003). Drug Addiction. NEJM 349: 975-986 [Full Text]  
• Weiss, R. D., Griffin, M. L., Mazurick, C., Berkman, B., Gastfriend, D. R., Frank, A., Barber, J. P., Blaine, J., Salloum, I., Moras, K. (2003). The Relationship Between Cocaine Craving, Psychosocial Treatment, and Subsequent Cocaine Use. Am. J. Psychiatry 160: 1320-1325 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Sloan, T. B., Roache, J. D., Johnson, B. A. (2003). THE ROLE OF ANXIETY IN PREDICTING DRINKING BEHAVIOUR. Alcohol Alcohol 38: 360-363 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Overman, G. P, Teter, C. J, Guthrie, S. K (2003). Acamprosate for the Adjunctive Treatment of Alcohol Dependence. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 37: 1090-1099 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Addolorato, G., Caputo, F., Capristo, E., Domenicali, M., Bernardi, M., Janiri, L., Agabio, R., Colombo, G., Gessa, G. L., Gasbarrini, G. (2002). BACLOFEN EFFICACY IN REDUCING ALCOHOL CRAVING AND INTAKE: A PRELIMINARY DOUBLE-BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. Alcohol Alcohol 37: 504-508 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• de Wildt, W. A. J. M., Schippers, G. M., van den Brink, W., Potgieter, A. S., Deckers, F., Bets, D. (2002). DOES PSYCHOSOCIAL TREATMENT ENHANCE THE EFFICACY OF ACAMPROSATE IN PATIENTS WITH ALCOHOL PROBLEMS?. Alcohol Alcohol 37: 375-382 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Streeton, C., Whelan, G. (2001). NALTREXONE, A RELAPSE PREVENTION MAINTENANCE TREATMENT OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. Alcohol Alcohol 36: 544-552 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Filley, C. M., Kleinschmidt-DeMasters, B.K. (2001). Toxic Leukoencephalopathy. NEJM 345: 425-432 [Full Text]  
• Wiesbeck, G. A., Weijers, H.-G., Lesch, O. M., Glaser, T., Toennes, P.-J., Boening, J. (2001). Flupenthixol decanoate and relapse prevention in alcoholics: results from a placebo-controlled study. Alcohol Alcohol 36: 329-334 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Tomkins, D. M., Sellers, E. M. (2001). Addiction and the brain: the role of neurotransmitters in the cause and treatment of drug dependence. CMAJ 164: 817-821 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Gerlach, M., Blum-Degen, D., Ransmayr, G., Leblhuber, F., Pedersen, V., Riederer, P. (2001). Expression, but not activity, of neuronal nitric oxide synthase is regionally increased in the alcoholic brain. Alcohol Alcohol 36: 65-69 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Garver, E., Ross, A. D., Tu, G.-C., Cao, Q.-N., Zhou, F., Israel, Y. (2000). PARADIGM TO TEST A DRUG-INDUCED AVERSION TO ETHANOL. Alcohol Alcohol 35: 435-438 [Abstract] [Full Text]