There is no single definition for
“severity” of alcohol use disorders.
For some, it represents the magnitude of psychosocial or
biomedical consequences; others measure severity in terms of DSM or
ICD symptom counts. Some
investigators view severity in terms of chronicity of the disorder
or the actual quantity of alcohol consumed.
With this caveat in mind, this slide suggests a spectrum of
interventions that could be applied based upon the clinical severity
of the disorder. For at-risk
drinkers and persons with hazardous use of alcohol, clinicians may
facilitate self-change through brief counseling to prevent
complications and the progression to a more severe disorder.
For those with early to chronic Alcohol Dependence, a range
of behavioral and pharmacological therapies are available, with
increasingly intensive interventions for increasing severity.
As with other chronic illnesses, the most severe cases
require intermittent or sustained disease management.
