Dr. Phoebus James Dhrymes, MD

Talk to him about what your concerns are, and try to focus on aspects of his behavior when drinking that concern you. That's a good place to start. However, depending on his severity of use and its consequences, you may also wish to consult with a doctor on your own behalf to discuss your concerns, how this may have been affecting you and how to proceed.

As a particular expert in this area and Unit Chief of the Dual-Diagnosis Unit, I can say that alcohol withdrawal is a dangerous and even life threatening phenomenon. I would recommend that your husband consult with a specialist in addiction in order to determine the appropriate setting for alcohol cessation based on the amount he has been drinking, for how long, and what symptoms he develops when not drinking, to name a few. Alternatively, he could be seen by his primary care physician to get the process started or even in a local emergency department. The bottom line is that when in doubt, one should NOT attempt this on their own- the dangers of alcohol withdrawal are serious and can include seizure and death. On a more positive note, your husband is taking the first step on the road to recovery and I want to send my best wishes to him and you both in this process.

Yes. Given that using it can lead to serious consequences, that people can use more than initially intended, that people can spend more time obtaining and using the drug than they intended to, that it can worsen underlying illnesses, it is an addictive drug. Sometimes there is some confusion regarding whether something has to have a physical addiction for it to be considered addictive - this is NOT necessarily the case. Drugs that may not produce a physical withdrawal syndrome, such as cocaine, can still lead to the above noted symptoms of addiction, and thus, are addictive.

For some prescription drugs, including the most frequently abused drugs, yes. Benzodiazpines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin), stimulants (Adderall) and opioids (Oxycontin) can be detected in the urine, for example.

Although other classes can also be dangerous, generally the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are regarded as the most dangerous class of antidepressants given their numerous, and potentially lethal, drug-drug and even drug-food interactions.

Although the withdrawal syndrome is often more mild than with other opioids, suboxone does produce a withdrawal syndrome.

Generally, the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors are regarded as first-line treatments of anxiety disorders and are not addictive in the sense that they do not produce cravings and people do not generally engage in 'addictive behaviors' related to them. These medications do need to be tapered off, but again, unlike addictive medications, there is no particular craving that is associated with tapering off of them.