Between 20-30% of patients presenting for outpatient care have unhealthy alcohol use, including risky use and alcohol use disorder (AUD), but only 17.4% of adults who drink have discussed this with their clinician and only 2.1% of clinicians use validated screening instruments. In this clinical practice paper, the author provides guidelines to address alcohol use including annual screening of adults for unhealthy alcohol use, providing brief behavioral counseling, and offering treatment. Treatment guidelines for AUD include medications, counseling, and peer support.

More information: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp2402121