title: Clinical management of alcohol use disorders in the neurology clinic.
abstract: Alcohol misuse adversely affects health outcomes, but alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are often ignored by healthcare providers in primary and specialty ambulatory care clinics. Data show that early identification and brief intervention for alcohol misuse in these settings can effectively reduce alcohol consumption and its medical sequelae. The aim of this chapter is to review the epidemiology of problematic alcohol use in ambulatory care settings, the diagnostic criteria for AUDs, the approach called SBIRT (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment) as a model program to target alcohol misuse in everyday clinical practice, when and how to refer patients to resources beyond the clinic for their alcohol use problems, and the medical illnesses associated with AUDs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. Electronic address: alembke@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lembke
authors.affiliation: Addiction Medicine and Therapy Services, Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System, Santa Clara County, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stanford
mesh_terms: D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009462:Neurology / Q000379:methods*; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Alcoholics Anonymous; alcohol misuse; alcohol use disorders (AUDs); ambulatory clinic; brief intervention; lifestyle health risks; primary care; risky alcohol use; screening