Core Resource on Alcohol | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Helping Your Patients with Alcohol-Related Problems

What to know, ask, and offer

Alcohol contributes to more than 200 health conditions and about 178,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Yet alcohol-related risks often go unaddressed in healthcare settings. The Core Resource on Alcohol provides evidence-based content to help healthcare professionals:

Gain new insights—and earn FREE CME or CE credit—with 14 articles on alcohol and health covering basic principles, clinical impacts, and patient care from screening through recovery.
Overcome barriers to care for patients with alcohol problems—by filling training gaps for providers who are not addiction specialists, including ways to counteract patient stigma.

"This resource is a good way to increase your confidence when you see patients with alcohol-related concerns, which you're going to see often." — Primary care practitioner

Learn how to apply the Core Resource in clinical practice.

Explore the Core Resource on Alcohol and Earn FREE CME or CE Credit

View the 14 Core articles below in any order and earn CME/CE credit for as many or as few as you wish. Each article provides instructions at the end for earning credit, which is available for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists, as well as other healthcare professionals whose licensing boards accept APA or AMA credits. ABIM-certified physicians can also earn MOC credits. Others may earn a certificate of completion. The CME/CE system will keep a history of the articles you have completed for credit.

See also the Additional Links for Patient Care for many helpful alcohol-related healthcare resources for different types of providers. Learn more about the Core Resource on Alcohol.

Foundational Knowledge

The Basics: Defining How Much Alcohol is Too Much (Topic 1) 0.75 credit hour
Risk Factors: Varied Vulnerability to Alcohol-Related Harm (Topic 2) 0.75 credit hour
Neuroscience: The Brain in Addiction and Recovery (Topic 3) 0.75 credit hour
Stigma: Overcoming a Pervasive Barrier to Optimal Care (Topic 4) 0.75 credit hour

Woman looks sad as she looks out of a window of a train.

Alcohol’s Clinical Impacts

Medical Complications: Common Alcohol-Related Concerns (Topic 5) 1.0 credit hour
Alcohol-Medication Interactions: Potentially Dangerous Mixes (Topic 6) 0.75 credit hour
Mental Health Issues: Alcohol Use Disorder and Common Co-occurring Conditions (Topic 7) 0.75 credit hour
Alcohol Use Disorder: From Risk to Diagnosis to Recovery (Topic 8) 0.75 credit hour

Strategies for Prevention and Treatment

Screen and Assess: Use Quick, Effective Methods (Topic 9) 0.75 credit hour
Conduct a Brief Intervention: Build Motivation and a Plan for Change (Topic 10) 0.75 credit hour
Recommend Evidence-Based Treatment: Know the Options (Topic 11) 0.75 credit hour
Make Referrals: Connect Patients to Alcohol Treatment That Meets Their Needs (Topic 12) 0.75 credit hour
Support Recovery: It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint (Topic 13) 0.75 credit hour

Four diverse doctors having a conversation in a medical office.

Pulling It All Together

Promote Practice Change: Take Manageable Steps Toward Better Care (Topic 14) 0.75 credit hour
How to Apply The Core Resource on Alcohol in Clinical Practice (Sample workflow—not for credit)

Helpful Links

Contact Us

For comments about the content, please contact us at NIAAACoreResource@nih.gov

For questions about CME/CE certification, please contact the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) at inquiries@pimed.com

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"When you make progress with a patient with alcohol use disorder, you've really made a difference not only for the patient, but often for a whole family."

-Internist

In support of improving patient care, CME/CE activities offered have been planned and implemented by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and NIAAA. Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.