Systematic Review of Alcohol-Related Studies

This assignment requires a systematic review of existing literature on reducing risky alcohol consumption and related harm. It involves analyzing published research papers, including those by Maldonado (2017), Morton et al. (2015), O'Sullivan et al. (2015), Phillips and Wilson (2015), Præstegaard et al. (2018), Riper et al. (2014), Sachdeva et al. (2015), Santa Ana et al. (2015), Savulich et al. (2017), Signs of Alcoholism - Symptoms of Alcohol Dependence - Drug-Free World (2018), Snider et al. (2016), Synnott (2017), and Wilson et al. (2018). The review aims to identify effective methods for managing alcohol withdrawal syndromes, treating comorbid alcohol use disorders and depression, and preventing elderly alcoholism among Indigenous Australians.

What is Alcoholism?
• Its is a type of drinking problem, that causes a strong and
uncontrollable urge to drink. Individuals with alcohol dependency
often make drinking a regular part of their daily living,
• Due to this, they develop physical tolerance and can even
experience withdrawal syndromes if they cease drinking (Alcohol
dependence and withdrawal, 2018).
• Alcohol dependency can be exhibited by four symptoms:
• Craving- a strong urge to drink
• Loss of control-
• Physical dependency (Signs of Alcoholism - Symptoms of
Alcohol Dependence - Drug-Free World, 2018))
ASSESSMENT:
 Direct measurement of alcohol in breath and blood (Gibb et al.,
1984; Phillips et al., 2015; Dilley et al., 2018)
 IT-ACE and TWEAK questionnaires for pregnant women
(Præstegaard et al., 2018)
 CAGE and SMAST questionnaire (Hsueh et al., 2014)
 Assessment of dependence and alcohol related harm (Kingsland
et al., 2016).
 Assessment of physical and mental wellbeing (Forbes & Watt.,
2015)
INTERVENTION
Psychosocial Interventions:
 Stepped care approach:
Brief Intervention:
 Using FLAGS brief intervention structure
Withdrawal Management:
 Assessment of: current drinking patterns, past withdrawal
experience, concomitant substance use and concomitant
psychiatric or mental conditions.
 Objectives of withdrawal management:
 Interrupting the pattern of regular and heavy
drinking (Synnott, 2017)
 Reduce withdrawal symptoms (Sachdeva et al.,
2015)
 Prevent withdrawal complications
 Facilitate connection to ongoing treatments for
alcoholism
(Maldonado et al., 2017; Dixit et al., 2016)
Psychosocial Interventions (Contd…):
 Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (Riper et al., 2014)
 Self control and behavioral self management
(Bickel et al., 2015; Snider et al., 2016)
 Coping skills training (Kenney et al., 2015)
 Cue exposure (Hone-Blanchet et al., 2014; Santa
Ana et al., 2015)
 Motivational interviews (Morton et al., 2015; Di Marco et
al., 2015)
 Empathy
 Discrepancy
 Self efficacy
 Relapse Prevention
Residential Rehabilitation
TREATMENT:
Pharmacotherapy (Coller et al., 2016; Coller et al., 2016)
 Naltrexone (Savulich et al., 2017)
 Acamprosate
 Disulfiram
 Antidepressants
CARE and SUPPORT
Self Help Programs:
 Alcoholics Anonymous (Kelly et al., 2017)
 SMART Recovery (O’Sullivan et al., 2015)
 Self Help for Families
Long term Follow-up:
 After care
 Working with persistent drinker

References:
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