ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a brief history of how alcohol use has been viewed and the treatments available. The temperance movement began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries focused on the moral, economic, and medical effects of overindulging on alcohol, which eventually led to Prohibition. The idea that those struggling with their alcohol use could actually be the result of a disease was first coined by Benjamin Rush in the 19th century. American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria offer guidelines to standardize the way individuals are placed into, transferred in, and discharged from treatment. ASAM criteria can also aid in developing an individualized evaluation and treatment plan. The ASAM criteria are a positive step forward in the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders. It begins to address the complexity and varying treatment modalities possible for those struggling with alcohol use.
