Alcohol in the Anxious Age of COVID: Medications Against Self-Medications

Alcohol use frequently co-occurs with anxiety disorders, especially during the highly anxiety-provoking circumstances of the current pandemic. People increasingly self-medicate their stress with alcohol, sometimes leading to frank alcohol use disorder. Despite alcohol’s legal status and social acceptability in many countries, it remains a potentially dangerous, toxic substance. Withdrawal from alcohol can be fatal, and medically managed withdrawal is often necessary to ensure patient safety. In this presentation, we will describe the fundamental pharmacology and acute presentations of alcohol use disorder and discuss counseling approaches. We will then explore the clinical aspects of the three FDA-approved medications for its treatment: disulfiram, naltrexone, and acamprosate. We will conclude with some novel ideas about future directions in the pharmacotherapy of alcohol use disorders.

Learning Objectives

  • Describe the principal steps of brief intervention for problematic alcohol use
  • Discuss the three medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of alcohol use disorders
  • Evaluate pros and cons of using benzodiazepines in the treatment of co-occurring alcohol use and anxiety disorders

Additional Information

Partner: 
Pri-Med
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Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AANP Contact Hours
    • 0.66 Pharmacology
  • 0.66 AANP Pharmacology Contact Hours
  • 1.00 MOC
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Course opens: 
05/14/2021
Course expires: 
05/14/2022
Rating: 
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Petros Levounis, MD, MA

Professor and Chair
Department of Psychiatry 
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Chief of Service
University Hospital
Newark, NJ

Disclosures

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by faculty, and all have been mitigated by Pri-Med Institute.

Petros Levounis, MD, MA: No relevant financial relationships disclosed.

Pamela Kushner, MD, FAAFP (Moderator): No relevant financial relationships disclosed.

Non-faculty contributors and others involved in the planning, development, and editing/review of the content have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

 

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

Accreditation Statement

Pri-Med Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation Statement

Pri-Med Institute designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AANP

Accreditation Statement

Pri-Med Institute is accredited by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as an approved provider of nurse practitioner continuing education. Provider Number 040308.

Designation Statement

This activity is approved for 1.00 contact hour of continuing education, which includes 0.66 hour of pharmacology.

MOC Credit Information

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC point in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit. 

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AANP Contact Hours
    • 0.66 Pharmacology
  • 0.66 AANP Pharmacology Contact Hours
  • 1.00 MOC
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
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This course is offered through Pri-Med. 

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Topics

Substance Use Disorder, Addiction, Pharmacotherapeutics, Pharmacology