In Canada, low awareness of evidence-based interventions for the clinical management of alcohol use disorder exists among health care providers and people who could benefit from care. To address this gap, the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISNM) convened a national committee to develop a guideline for the clinical management of high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder.The guideline includes 15 recommendations that cover screening, diagnosis, withdrawal management and ongoing treatment, including psychosocial treatment interventions, pharmacotherapies and community-based programs. The guideline committee identified a need to emphasize both underused interventions that may be beneficial and common prescribing and other practice patterns that are not evidence based and that may potentially worsen alcohol use outcomes. The guideline is intended to be a resource for physicians, policymakers and other clinical and nonclinical personnel, as well as individuals, families and communities affected by alcohol use. The recommendations seek to provide a framework for addressing a large burden of unmet treatment and care needs for alcohol use disorder within Canada in an evidence-based manner.
View the Guideline here.
The Guideline as well as a variety of supplemental materials are available at www.helpwithdrinking.ca
View the corresponding CMAJ news release here
French versions of the Guideline and all materials will be available soon.
