About 150,000 hospitalizations a year are alcohol-related.

Alcohol is still accepted by society, and there are even those who believe that it is beneficial. The reality is that alcohol use is one of the three leading preventable causes of death and cancer in people under age 55. This is also one of Top 10 Risk Factors for Global Morbidity and Mortality and is responsible for 5 percent of all deaths in the world. And in Spain about 15 percent of medical consultations and about 150,000 hospital admissions per year are related to alcohol use.

Here are some of the ideas that therapists from around the country collected on VIII meeting of the group on alcohol and other drugs of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI).

Alcohol and health problems

During the conference, Ignacio Novo, coordinator of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Group at SEMI, explained that within alcohol use disorders we must distinguish “between the addictive disorder itself and the organic damage caused by alcohol.” In many cases, as he points out, “both coexist and Alcohol consumption is associated with the development of more than 60 different diseases., including various types of cancer.” Focusing on the relationship between alcohol and internal diseases, the expert assures that about 10 percent of income is potentially associated with this consumption. Usually due to complications associated with the liver and neurological diseases, which are the most complex and resource-intensive.

Approach and treatment

The usefulness of brief interventions for high-risk consumption at any level of healthcare is clearly demonstrated, although a “proactive approach” and a high level of suspicion on the part of healthcare professionals are required. Estimated About 15 to 20 percent of patients hospitalized for any reason may have an alcohol use disorder.Therefore, its detection during hospitalization should become routine practice. In conclusion, this forum recalled that there are currently 4 drugs in the therapeutic arsenal (nalmefene, disulfiram, acamprosate and naltrexone). However, there are other potentially useful drugs, such as gabapentin or baclofen, that require further study. The creation and implementation of multidisciplinary units that allow for a global approach with long-term follow-up is, in any case, the “most effective measure” for the successful treatment of alcohol use disorders.