The field of biomedical research on alcoholism has developed at an astonishing speed in recent years. Today, new medications and treatment strategies are available and new leads are currently tested in multi-center trials. This book gives a comprehensive overview about different neurotransmitter/peptide systems involved in craving and relapse behavior and critically describes the clinical application of new anti-craving and anti-relapse compounds. The editors - a preclinical researcher and a clinical researcher, together with some of the most distinguished experts in the field - compiled the most recent available preclinical and clinical data, offering a thorough picture on modern relapse prevention. Undoubtedly, this book sets out to provide an all-encompassing overview about the topic, which will be of interest to the preclinical researcher, the clinician as well as to the patient who wants to learn more.

This manual attempts to provide simple, adequate and evidence-based information to health care professionals in primary health care especially in low- and middle-income countries to be able to provide pharmacological treatment to persons with mental disorders. The manual contains basic principles of prescribing followed by chapters on medicines used in psychotic disorders; depressive disorders; bipolar disorders; generalized anxiety and sleep disorders; obsessive compulsive disorders and panic attacks; and alcohol and opioid dependence. The annexes provide information on evidence retrieval, assessment and synthesis and the peer view process.

Recent scientific advances have provided substantial information on the brain circuits and pathways relevant to various aspects of dependence. Neurobiology of Alcohol Dependence highlights the most recent data at the molecular, cellular, neurocircuitry, and behavioral levels, fostering an understanding how neuroplasticity and neuroadaptation occur, and how different neural pathways and neurocircuits contribute to dependence. - Highlights recent advances in understanding alcohol addiction from molecular, cellular, neurocircuitry, and behavioral levels - Integrates several emerging areas of research and discusses the application of novel research techniques to the understanding of alcohol dependence - Chapters authored by leaders in the field around the globe — the broadest, most expert coverage available

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major public health problem in the United States. The estimated 12-month and lifetime prevalence values for AUD are 13.9% and 29.1%, respectively, with approximately half of individuals with lifetime AUD having a severe disorder. AUD and its sequelae also account for significant excess mortality and cost the United States more than $200 billion annually. Despite its high prevalence and numerous negative consequences, AUD remains undertreated. In fact, fewer than 1 in 10 individuals in the United States with a 12-month diagnosis of AUD receive any treatment. Nevertheless, effective and evidence-based interventions are available, and treatment is associated with reductions in the risk of relapse and AUD-associated mortality. The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline for the Pharmacological Treatment of Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder seeks to reduce these substantial psychosocial and public health consequences of AUD for millions of affected individuals. The guideline focuses specifically on evidence-based pharmacological treatments for AUD in outpatient settings and includes additional information on assessment and treatment planning, which are an integral part of using pharmacotherapy to treat AUD. In addition to reviewing the available evidence on the use of AUD pharmacotherapy, the guideline offers clear, concise, and actionable recommendation statements, each of which is given a rating that reflects the level of confidence that potential benefits of an intervention outweigh potential harms. The guideline provides guidance on implementing these recommendations into clinical practice, with the goal of improving quality of care and treatment outcomes of AUD.

This important work elucidates why relapse is so common for people recovering from addictive behavior problems--and what can be done to keep treatment on track. It provides an empirically supported framework for helping people with addictive behavior problems develop the skills to maintain their treatment goals, even in high-risk situations, and deal effectively with setbacks that occur. The expert contributors clearly identify the obstacles that arise in treating specific problem behaviors, review the factors that may trigger relapse at different stages of recovery, and present procedures for teaching effective cognitive and behavioral coping strategies.

The editors of this volume have assembled recent articles discussing elements of each of the several commonly used psychosocial interventions -- including relapse prevention therapy, community reinforcement, voucher-based programs, self-help therapies, and motivational enhancement therapy--in addition to research-based articles that demonstrate the efficacy of these approaches. The selections in this book will provide the reader with a broad overview of the field as well as the specific information needed to use these therapies in a variety of clinical settings.

These guidelines have been developed to enable professionals to assist women who are pregnant, or have recently had a child, and who use alcohol or drugs or who have a substance use disorder, to achieve healthy outcomes for themselves and their fetus or infant. They have been developed in response to requests from organizations, institutions and individuals for technical guidance on the identification and management of alcohol, and other substance use and substance use disorders in pregnant women. They were developed in tandem with the WHO recommendations for the prevention and management of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure in pregnancy.