Pharmacological treatments in alcohol use disorders: State of art and new perspectives

The main focus of this narrative review is to present and discuss the most relevant clinical data about the pharmacological therapy for alcohol use disorders. By using PubMed we conducted a review of the clinical literature on drugs related to alcohol use disorders. All data are presented following the three phases of treatment: a) from withdrawal to abstinence; b) abstinence and relapse prevention; c) reduction of alcohol consumption. Historical evidence shows that in addition to the drugs already approved for the treatment of alcoholism, there are some off-label medications as effective as the approved ones which deserve therefore further study. The treatment of the alcoholic patient always requires a multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach, directed to the specific needs of each subject in order to achieve a correct care personalization. The study of the cognitive effects of each drug and pharmacogenetics will allow us to increasingly customize therapy for each individual patient.