When alcohol comes up, you shouldn’t have to guess what to do next.
Alcohol-related visits can become difficult before there is even a clear treatment plan. You need to know how to raise the concern without shutting down the conversation, assess immediate risk, and identify a useful next step for a patient who may not be ready to stop drinking or make a major change.
Managing Alcohol Use Disorder combines motivational interviewing principles with practical clinical management, including withdrawal assessment, medications, harm-reduction planning, longitudinal follow-up, and knowing when outpatient care is no longer enough.
A simple structure for managing AUD in outpatient care
AUD management becomes much more manageable when you anchor decisions to where the patient is, not where you want them to be.
Screen
Recognize when alcohol may be contributing and open the conversation without immediately triggering resistance.
Assess
Understand severity, functional impact, and withdrawal risk without overcomplicating the visit.
Offer meds
Use medications such as naltrexone and acamprosate more intentionally when they fit.
Follow up
Track progress, refine the plan, and stay engaged even when drinking continues.
Escalate if needed
Recognize when outpatient management is not enough and move toward a higher level of care.
What this helps you handle in real visits
How do I bring this up?
Use motivational interviewing principles to raise the concern without sounding judgmental or shutting the conversation down.
What if they’re not ready?
Explore ambivalence, identify workable goals, and remain clinically useful without forcing a commitment the patient has not made.
When should I offer medication?
Introduce naltrexone or other options without turning the visit into a medication-only conversation.
Can this patient stop safely as an outpatient?
Assess withdrawal risk quickly and avoid giving unsafe reassurance when a higher level of care may be needed.
What do I do if drinking continues?
Support movement, reduce harm, and manage AUD longitudinally without treating continued drinking as automatic treatment failure.
How do I use labs meaningfully?
Interpret alcohol-related labs in a way that supports the conversation without overstating what they prove.
Learn the framework once. Return to the clinical workspace when you need it.
This is designed to work as both structured teaching and an ongoing clinical support system for the conversations and decisions that unfold over time.
Build a clearer approach to alcohol-related care
- Listen through a private podcast feed or stream on the website
- Learn how to raise concerns and respond to ambivalence using motivational interviewing principles
- Connect the conversation to risk assessment, medication options, follow-up, and escalation
- Complete the CME workflow when you are ready
Know what to say and what to do next
- Navigate guidance based on whether the patient is not ready, ambivalent, or ready for change
- Use practical language and motivational interviewing prompts during visits
- Open medication, laboratory, withdrawal, and follow-up tools
- Share patient resources that support the conversation between appointments
See the kind of practical support included
The AUD workspace includes 12 clinician tools and quick references, plus 14 patient-facing resources. Start with one of the tools below at no cost.
AUD Lab Interpretation Cheat Sheet
Use it when reviewing AST/ALT, MCV, or PEth and you want to connect the results to alcohol use without overinterpreting them or damaging the conversation.
Motivational interviewing for AUD
Use practical prompts to explore ambivalence, reduce defensiveness, and keep working with patients who are not ready for abstinence.
Medication selection framework
Decide when and how to introduce options such as naltrexone or acamprosate.
Withdrawal management guide
Assess whether outpatient management is safe and recognize when escalation is needed.
Full access includes the complete AUD tool library integrated with the audio chapters, clinical notes, and patient resources.
Who this is for
A good fit for
- Primary care clinicians managing alcohol-related concerns
- Psych NPs and PAs working in outpatient settings
- Clinicians who do not want to default automatically to confrontation or referral
- Anyone looking for a clearer way to combine conversation, medication, and longitudinal care
Especially useful if you’ve thought
- “I know I should bring this up, but I don’t want to shut the conversation down.”
- “They’re not ready to stop. What can I still do?”
- “Can this patient stop safely outside the hospital?”
- “Where do medications fit if drinking continues?”
Get the Managing Alcohol Use Disorder Clinical Framework
Complete your purchase below for immediate, lifetime access to the audio framework, clinical workspace, private podcast feed, and CME workflow.
Managing Alcohol Use Disorder
- 1h 30m audio course
- Motivational interviewing and conversation guidance
- Private podcast feed and website streaming
- 12 clinician tools and quick references
- 14 patient-facing resources
- 2.0 CME credit
Account setup requires an email, password, and payment information. You’ll receive immediate access after completing the form.
If you later choose all three Clinical Frameworks, this purchase can be credited toward the Three-Framework Bundle.
View the Three-Framework Bundle — $229
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