2
Key Points
Î Alcohol withdrawal can appear in a multitude of ways in every type of
medical setting.
• An estimated 32.5% of emergency department visits are alcohol related.
a
• An estimated 2–7% of patients with heavy alcohol use admitted to the hospital
will develop moderate to severe alcohol withdrawal.
Î Alcohol withdrawal management alone is not an effective treatment for
alcohol use disorder.
Î Withdrawal management should not be conceptualized as a discrete
clinical service but rather as a component of the process of initiating
and engaging patients in treatment for alcohol use disorder.
Î Since alcohol withdrawal is increasingly managed in outpatient
settings, national guidance is needed on tailoring withdrawal
management interventions to specific setting.
Î Agents other than the standard benzodiazepines are emerging as
effective alternatives in certain situations.
a
MacLeod JBA, Hungerford DW. Injury. 2011;42(9):922-926.
