“Can a psychiatrist treat people who are suffering from alcohol addiction?”

Yes with medication and therapy

Yes, psychiatrist do treat patients with addictions. Now, depending on the severity of the addiction patient will be referred to inpatient detox/rehab centers to be stabilized first. They will be seen by a psychiatrist there as well and then once more stable can be discharged to follow up with a psychiatrist in an outpatient setting

Addiction is caused by multiple factors, including psychological factors such as depression or anxiety. The first step in treatment of addiction to drugs and alcohol is to achieve sobriety first. Once the person is cleared of the substance of addiction, then counseling or therapy can be used to help the person get to understand his psychological issues which may have contributed to his addiction.

Yes, a psychiatrist can definitely help. But the doctor cannot completely solve the problem. The person has to want to get help & want to change. The psychiatrist may be able to help you figure out how to deal with this entire situation better, in other words, what is the best choice for you. There are some drugs that can help with alcoholism. One is quite old--anta-abuse. It works though. If the alcoholic takes this drug, daily, it causes her/him to vomit, feel awful and like she/he is gonna die. Sometimes this is enough to stop the person from drinking alcohol. However, the person has to take the med, in other words --swallow it every day. If he/she won't do that, the med won't work. This is a tough situation. That is why we have so many alcoholics. It is an "Easy" escape from all of our many problems.. We all have problems. From the rich and famous to the poor and unfortunate. No one escapes them.

This is a common dilemma. When an addict seeks help from AA or NA and/or the recovery field the treatment approach is always, "work your program" and things will get better. They typically don't have the background or training to be able to evaluate and/or diagnose underlying mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, bi-polar disease, etc. If there is such an underlying problem it will go unnoticed and one will never get ahead of the addiction. On the other hand if they first find their way to a mental health professional (psychiatrist) the approach will be that you are drinking to avoid an underlying problem if we resolve the underlying problem everything will be fine...this does not address the immediate needs. Unfortunately the recovering community will rarely consider a referral to a psychiatrist as helpful and may even warn against it as they continue to resist medications as "drugs"...on the other hand, psychiatrists often don't consider the value of the twelve step programs...the appropriate and most useful approach is to go for both... a psychiatrist with experience in dealing with addictions AND the twelve step support of AA or NA

Addiction psychiatry can provide an array of interventions, biological and psychological, and. social. Specifically your may be responsive to a 12 facilitative psychotherapy combined with a 90/90 engagement in AA. This of course requires his motivation be beyond the contemplative stage. He must engage in AA fervently embracing the first step. This can be facilitated by a combination of medication management to reduce craving and binging and CBT

Yes, a psychiatrist as a part of a treatment team can treat people with alcohol use disorders.
Thank you.

No. There must be a commitment by doctor and patient to honor the relationship between them. A visiting psychiatrist does not fit the bill. Long-term commitments with underlying honesty is essential.

Dr. Martin

Yes, I have often treated alcoholics successfully, sometimes without AA. But the best chance is a psychiatrist or psychologist in conjunction with AA.