ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the relevant issues in diagnosis and management of alcohol-related health problems in primary care settings. It uses the term “alcohol use disorder” in place of the widely used term “alcoholism”, as the latter lacks the clear definition necessary to be useful for diagnostic purposes. Alcohol use disorders are among the top five leading causes of years lost due to disability in low-/middle- and high-income countries. On average, the global male burden for alcohol is almost seven times higher than for females. It should be noted that these data only include the direct burden of alcohol use disorders. Screening for alcohol use disorder in the population is vitally important, as unrecognized concomitant alcohol use disorder makes it very difficult to treat mental illness. Therefore, provision of systematic screening in primary care settings could lead to early detection of those who may in future develop alcohol use disorder.
