For example, a significant percentage of patients participating in IOPs continue to drink or use drugs (e.g., McKay et al. 1997a). Patients who fail to achieve at least several consecutive weeks of abstinence during the initial treatment stage have poorer long-term outcomes than patients who do achieve abstinence (Carroll et al. 1994; Higgins et al. 2000; McKay et al. 1999). Therefore, continuing care programs that treat patients who have completed an IOP may have to simultaneously accommodate both patients who have achieved abstinence and those who have not, which may impact treatment effectiveness. As noted previously, a deficiency of the ALDH2 enzyme in people carrying the ALDH2 Lys487 allele contributes to an elevated risk of cancer from alcohol consumption. Because alcohol metabolism also plays a role in many other chronic diseases, the ALDH2 Lys487 allele also may increase the risk for digestive diseases.

First, the RRs can be limited by poor measurement of alcohol exposure, outcomes, and confounders. Research on alcohol consumption patterns and disease is scarce, and only few studies have investigated the effects of drinking patterns on chronic diseases and conditions. Thus, the chronic disease and condition RRs presented in this article may be confounded by drinking patterns, which are correlated to overall volume of alcohol consumption.

How Is Alcohol Use Disorder Treated?

Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for many chronic diseases and conditions. The average volume of alcohol consumed, consumption patterns, and quality of the alcoholic beverages consumed likely have a causal impact on the mortality and morbidity related to chronic diseases and conditions. Twenty-five chronic disease and condition codes in the International Classification of Disease (ICD)-10 are entirely attributable to alcohol, and alcohol plays a component-risk role in certain cancers, other tumors, neuropsychiatric conditions, and numerous cardiovascular and digestive diseases. Furthermore, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ alcohol has both beneficial and detrimental impacts on diabetes, ischemic stroke, and ischemic heart disease, depending on the overall volume of alcohol consumed, and, in the case of ischemic diseases, consumption patterns. However, limitations exist to the methods used to calculate the relative risks and alcohol-attributable fractions. Furthermore, new studies and confounders may lead to additional diseases being causally linked to alcohol consumption, or may disprove the relationship between alcohol consumption and certain diseases that currently are considered to be causally linked.

• This strategy makes use of such innovative methods as interactive voice response (IVR), whereby participants call into a computer system that prompts them to answer questions via their telephone keypads.
• Nevertheless, these traditional approaches do not appeal to or benefit all patients.
• Furthermore, the sampling methodology of many of the cohort studies that were used in the meta-analyses for the above-presented RRs is problematic, especially when studying the effects of alcohol consumption.
• These could be monetary incentives; support with housing, employment, or AOD-free social activities that are contingent on abstinence; or the feeling of belonging to a supportive community, such as AA.
• 4Conversely, if there were no significant differences between groups for any outcome measure, or if one outcome favored one group and another outcome favored the other groups, the studies were considered to have a negative result.

Because many AOD-dependent patients suffer from a range of (sometimes severe) medical problems related to their AOD use, some investigators have assessed the effectiveness of providing continuing care in medical care facilities rather than specialized addiction treatment facilities. The study found that the participants’ alcohol consumption dropped significantly over the study period. Since the late 1980s, 20 controlled studies2 have examined the efficacy3 of various types of continuing care after completion of inpatient therapy or IOP for initial treatment. Of these, 10 studies included patients with alcohol use disorders and 10 included patients with drug or AOD use disorders. Most of the continuing care approaches evaluated were based on CBT; others involved 12-step group counseling, home visits, interpersonal therapy, and other comprehensive interventions. Moreover, the observational studies investigating the link between alcohol consumption and ischemic events had several methodological flaws, and the RR functions for ischemic events, especially ischemic heart disease, therefore are not well defined.

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If necessary, patients may receive intravenous fluids, vitamins, and other medications to treat hallucinations or other symptoms caused by withdrawal. This website may convey general information related to medical conditions, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/can-alcoholism-be-cured/ their research, testing, and treatment, and other health care topics. You should always consult with a doctor or other health care professional for medical advice or information about diagnosis and treatment.

• The most commonly used treatment approach is initial intensive inpatient or outpatient care based on 12-step principles, followed by continuing care involving self-help groups, 12-step group counseling, or individual therapy.
• Moreover, the outcomes of patients in the stepped-care group were just as good as those in the full-care group, even though overall they only received about half as much treatment as the full-care group.
• In a second study, a modified version of this enhanced treatment was compared with intensive day therapy only.
• For those who have come to the realization that they do have a problem, help may be as close as the white pages of the telephone directory.

These limitations do not affect the conclusion that alcohol consumption significantly contributes to the burden of chronic diseases and conditions globally, and that this burden should be a target for intervention. Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is considered a chronic disease because it is a long-term condition that can be managed, but not necessarily cured. People with alcoholism have an impaired ability to control their drinking and a strong craving for alcohol.