What is Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)?
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines alcohol use disorder (AUD) as “a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational or health consequences.” The NIAAA also notes that AUD is considered a brain disorder and includes conditions like alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction and/or alcoholism.
Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder
Here are some questions health care providers might ask an individual to determine whether they have an AUD.
In the past year, have you:
- Drank more, or longer, than you intended?
- More than once, wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn’t?
- Wanted a drink so badly you couldn’t think of anything else?
- Found that drinking, or being sick from drinking, often interfered with taking care of your home or family, caused job, academic or financial troubles?
- Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
- Given up or cut back on activities you found important, interesting or pleasurable so you could drink?
- Drank much more than you once did to get the effect you desire?
If a person is diagnosed with AUD based on their assessment, health care professionals will then categorize the severity of their AUD as mild, moderate or severe, based on the number of questions they responded ‘yes’ to and their symptoms.
What Treatment Resources and Options are Available?
The U.S. government’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that offers a range of services, including treatment for substance use. As noted on the following EAP infographic (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/worklife/awareness-communication-materials/infographics/eap-infographic.pdf), substance use disorders (SUDs) affect people from all walks of life and all age groups. They are common, recurrent, and often serious, but treatable and many people do recover. A Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP) can help employees, managers, and loved ones by providing education on signs of SUDs and how to refer those in need to help, offering confidential counseling, and providing recommendations for treatment. You may also access OPM’s Work-Life Contact Tool available at: https://www.opm.gov/CCLContact/ for assistance.
For past and present Service members experiencing alcohol dependence symptoms, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers a range of effective treatment options, resources and medications. Some of these treatment options include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help individuals develop more balanced and helpful thoughts about themselves, others and the future.
- Motivational Interviewing (MI) can help by focusing on conversations between the Service member and their health care provider to identify and strengthen personal motivations for change. This therapy looks at the reasons behind your desire to make a change and the potential benefits of that change.
- Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), like MI, can help with substance use disorders by focusing on conversations between the individual and their health care provider to detect and strengthen personal motivations for change. MET focuses on providing personalized feedback and detailed plans for changing behavior.
You may ask, “Can I use VA health care while I’m still on active duty?”. You may be able to use VA health care if:
- You need emergency or urgent care. We’ll provide care first, and then get TRICARE authorization for care once we’ve stabilized your health.
- You need routine care and you have a valid TRICARE referral or authorization.
- The VA health facility you’re visiting has a VA/DoD sharing agreement that allows providing care without referrals. For more information about this, please contact your local military hospital or clinic (also called a military treatment facility) or TRICARE office.
Other Helpful Resources and Information Sources
If you think you are experiencing any signs of alcohol dependence and are ready to quit or reduce your alcohol consumption, there are a lot of resources and support available, including:
- Own Your Limits (OYL): Own Your Limits (https://ownyourlimits.org) is a Defense Department (DOD) educational campaign for the U.S. military. The mission of the campaign is to help Service members learn how to drink responsibly, if they choose to drink alcohol. The site supports the DOD’s efforts to build and sustain a ready and resilient force by providing resources and information to Service members so they can serve honorably and drink responsibly. Resources are also available for professionals who educate, support or work with Service members. Visit https://ownyourlimits.org/get-help/ for more information about the OYL program’s service-specific resources.
- Military OneSource: Military OneSource is a Defense Department-funded program and your 24/7 connection to information, answers and support to help you and other members of the military family reach your goals, overcome challenges and thrive. As a member of our military family, you are eligible to use this program anytime, anywhere. Visit https://www.militaryonesource.mil/non-medical-counseling/military-onesource/eligibility-for-confidential-non-medical-support-services/. Military OneSource also offers free orderable or downloadable products to military service members, their immediate families and military service providers or leaders. Visit https://www.militaryonesource.mil/products/ for more information on the products available.
- The NIAAA recently launched the Alcohol Treatment Navigator. This online tool guides people through a step-by-step process to find a highly qualified professional treatment provider (with in-person and online options) to provide the right treatment(s) for their symptoms in their desired geographic location(s) (this includes in-person and online options) to provide the right treatment(s) for their symptoms in their desired geographic location(s).
