Firstly, the doctor will increase the patient’s compliance with treatment by removing the patient’s guard and briefing the patient and family on the mechanisms of alcohol dependence, the commonly used treatments, the overall prognosis of the disease and the issues that the family and patient need to be aware of during treatment.
In principle, acute detoxification treatment and prevention of relapse to drinking are central; symptomatic support management and active treatment of co-morbid physical and psychiatric disorders should also be strengthened. If necessary, a consultation with a physician from another department should be sought to guide treatment.
If a patient develops acute alcohol intoxication, they should be actively resuscitated. Maintenance treatment with alcohol sensitising drugs (e.g. abstinence sulphur) and anti-alcohol craving drugs (e.g. naltrexone) can be used for alcohol dependent patients after acute withdrawal symptoms have been controlled. For alcohol-dependent patients, motivation to quit is the most important factor in maintaining long-term abstinence, and therefore all measures to enhance motivation to quit should be used throughout the treatment process.