Why do some doctors avoid prescribing drugs for alcoholism?

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism wants doctors to know there is another way they can help their patients dealing with alcohol addiction, according to Kaiser Health News, other than 12-step programs or other rehab strategies. That underutilized tool? Medication.

There are a few FDA-approved drugs that can help treat alcoholism (such as naltrexone and acamprosate) but up to 80 percent of people dealing with addiction never receive medical attention for it. And even when they do, doctors don’t always know the best way to prescribe such drugs.

That’s partly because the drugs' manufacturers don’t aggressively market them and because some prescribers (and potential patients) associate them with negative connotations. For example, some might think the withdrawal symptoms associated with taking naltrexone to treat opioid addictions could also be present if taking the drug for alcohol abuse. (They don’t.)

Check out Kaiser Health News to see how exactly these (and other) medications treat alcoholism and how they could help people overcome addiction if physicians were more willing to prescribe them.