Introduction: Pharmacologic Treatment of Alcohol Abuse and Addiction

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Alcoholism is a devastating and costly illness for affected individuals, their families, and society. While there is still no cure for alcohol dependence, ourbasic understanding of the disorder and our ability to manage it have improved substantially over the past 2 decades. As reviewed by Dr. Anton, great progress has been made toward untangling the neurochemical networks involved in ethanol intoxication, craving, and dependence. This growing body of knowledge has been used to develop several effective pharmacotherapies, including naltrexone and acamprosate (see articles by Drs. Volpicelli and Mason).