Unhealthy Alcohol Use Resources

Alcohol use a the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, contributing to more than 140,000 deaths* annually. Alcohol consumption has steadily risen in the U.S. over the last decade with particularly steep increases during the COVID 19 pandemic. The CDC notes that alcohol-induced deaths increased 30% between 2009 and 2019 and then sharply increased 26% from 2019 to 2020, the first year of the pandemic.

Alcohol use can contribute to numerous health conditions, including common ones such as hypertension, sleep disturbance, cardiac arrhythmias, anxiety, and gastroesophageal reflux disorder, often in the absence of an identified alcohol use disorder. Healthcare providers can improve their patients’ health by identifying and addressing unhealthy alcohol use.

For Clinicians:

Alcohol screening recommendations for adults and adolescents from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/0615/od1.html
Quick and effective alcohol screening recommendations from NIAAA https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol/screen-and-assess-use-quick-effective-methods#pub-toc2
Guides to screening for substance use disorders including alcohol in specialty settings (Pregnancy, Adolescent/Pedi, Dental, Pain Management) from National Institutes on Drug Abuse, NIDA-Med https://nida.nih.gov/nidamed-medical-health-professionals/science-to-medicine/screening-substance-use
Common, brief alcohol screens
- One question screen (follow a positive test with the AUDIT): How often in the past year have you had more than X or more drinks in a single day (X= 4 for women, 5 for men). Negative result = none. Positive = once or more. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695521/
- Safe drinking questions (follow positive response with the AUDIT): Number of days drinking per week and typical number of drinks/day or drinking. >7 drinks/week for women and >14 drink/week for men is positive.
- Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (The AUDIT) https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/audit.pdf

Helping Patients who Drink Too Much, Guidance from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/practitioner/cliniciansguide2005/guide.pdf
Medications for Alcohol Use and Use Disorders. A Guide from U.S. DHHS https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma15-4907.pdf
Review Article on Medications for Alcohol Use, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Family Practice https://www.aafp.org/afp/2016/0315/p457.html
Psychosocial treatment for alcohol use disorder, a review from UpToDate. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/alcohol-use-disorder-psychosocial-treatment
Alcohol Withdrawal Management: The ASAM Clinical Practice Guideline on Alcohol Withdrawal Management

Comprehensive but straightforward information from the National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) on health effects of alcohol. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health
Core but Detailed Information on Alcohol for Health Professionals, with CME https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol
Rethinking Drinking. Clear, simple information on healthy versus non-healthy alcohol use from NIAAA. https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/
Current recommendations for safe alcohol use. Simple and straightforward from CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/moderate-drinking.htm
How to Address Unhealthy Alcohol Use | NHMS - Presentation/Course by Charles Brackett, MD

Information to prepare for/understand alcohol screening by a clinician https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/alcohol-use-screening-tests/
Self-evaluation tools: Self-administered Alcohol Use Disorders Test (AUDIT), a standard screen https://auditscreen.org/check-your-drinking?num=19&num=19
More self-administered tests to further explore alcohol use https://www.verywellmind.com/how-can-i-tell-if-i-have-a-drinking-problem-63760

Comprehensive but straightforward information from the National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) on health effects of alcohol. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health
Core but Detailed Information on Alcohol for Health Professionals with CME https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol
Rethinking Drinking. Clear, simple information on healthy versus non-healthy alcohol use from NIAAA. https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/
Current recommendations for safe alcohol use. Simple and straightforward from CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/moderate-drinking.htm
General Educational Resources/Opportunities: Search Results - PCSS (pcssnow.org)
Fellowship information: FELLOWSHIP DIRECTORY (11-3-22).pdf (memberclicks.net)

The NH Doorway System. https://www.thedoorway.nh.gov/ Evaluations and treatment within an hour from anywhere in NH. Patients can self-present. Clinicians can refer.
A video about the NIAAA treatment navigator for patients https://youtu.be/XlTKwl715ZM
NIAAA treatment navigator for clinicians. Information to help clinicians help patients find high-quality treatment. https://alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov/healthcare-professionals
NIAAA treatment navigator for patients: information on alcohol use disorder and how to find high-quality treatment. https://alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov/
State of New Hampshire Recovery Supports Find information and connections to regional NH Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs). Support from peers for anyone seeking to enter into or sustain recovery.