Drug Therapy in Alcoholism

Drug therapy for alcoholism covers three major areas: chronic alcoholism, acute alcohal intoxication, and the withdrawal syndrome. No drug therapy has yet been proven of significant value in long-term treatment; however, preliminary studies are encouraging. The treatment of acute alcohol intoxication may include sedatives or glucose administration, depending on the episode. The value of paraldehyde and chlordiazepoxide in the management of the withdrawal syndrome appears to be well established. The authors suggest that the efficacy of these drugs in the acute toxic states may be related to the restoration of normal REM and Delta sleep.