All about AUD and Care Options
If you are unable to manage cravings for alcohol, and feel a compulsion to drink regardless of how that may affect your personal, family or work relationships, you may have Alcohol Use Disorder.
On these pages, learn more about the disorder, and how to determine if this might be an issue for you or someone you care about. You’ll also find information about supports, treatment options and how to begin a care journey. No matter where you are at, or the goals you want to accomplish, help and resources are available. And, most importantly, with new knowledge and treatment options, there is new hope for a better future. If you don’t find the information you need, please feel free to contact us.
Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder as a Health Condition
As a non-profit, we advocate for a compassionate, holistic, evidence-based approach to treating Alcohol Use Disorder as a health condition.
This includes supporting the psychological, social and biological components of Alcohol Use Disorder, in order to make a full recovery possible for just about everyone.
For those struggling with cravings, this approach can include the prescribing of safe, effective and proven medications, usually for a short period of time, in order to:
reduce or extinguish cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
give people the choice to stop or simply reduce the amount they drink.
complement and provide stability for seeking counselling and other psycho-social supports.
Find a wide variety of resources in the drop-down menu below, including a letter to take to your care provider to start a conversation about AUD.
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What is Alcohol Use Disorder? a one-page overview from the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society
Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder as a Treatable Medical Condition by the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society
Facts about Substance Use: Alcohol: a list of facts and resources from the Interior Health Authority
About Problematic Substance Use: Alcohol a compendium of resources and information from Health Canada
5 Myths about Addiction by the First Nations Health Authority
About Alcohol Use Disorder from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Helpful Videos:
Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society video series, award-winning documentary and more
A Sober Approach: Can Modern Medicine Help Alcoholics Recover? an NBC news story
Wasted… CBC’s Nature of Things a CBC documentary
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Are you wondering if you or someone you know may have AUD? Check out out this handout to learn more.
You can also check your drinking and find out if it may be an issue for you using this quiz: AUDIT self-assessment tool
While these tools can help you discover if you or someone you know may have a concern, AUD is assessed and diagnosed by a health professional. Please visit your care provider for a conversation about AUD.
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To begin your care journey:
Make an appointment with your family physician or nurse practitioner to start a conversation about alcohol use disorder.
Review these tools and checklists to help you prepare for your appointment This new resource from the BC Centre on Substance Use provides a wealth of information on how to prepare, what to expect, and how advocate for yourself, including how to navigate a negative interaction.
At your appointment, your provider may ask about alcohol consumption. This is routine screening, and is a recommendation in Canadian clinical guidelines for providers.
Your provider may then ask you a few more questions to determine at what level alcohol consumption may be an issue for you. They will discuss what treatment options may be a best fit for you as a part of your overall care plan, and about complementary supports that you may want to pursue.
You can also start this conversation. To help, you can share this patient package with your doctor or nurse practitioner.
If you are without a family provider, you can seek care at a walk-in clinic, urgent care clinic, or with other care professionals such as specialists, who may be able to help, or point you towards someone who can help you start your care journey.
Dial 8-1-1 in Canada for immediate information/advice on general health concerns.
Understand that national clinical management guidelines for prescribers are relatively new, and because this treatment model is not yet known to all, it may take time and persistence to gain access to treatment, and to find the right medication. Keep advocating for treatment because the right medication, depending on personal, family and consumption history, will work for just about everyone.
If you are prescribed medication, you will be given information about ongoing care and follow-up.
Believe that you can fully recover from AUD, and let yourself have hope for a better future.
Get informed: Watch our videos about understanding Alcohol Use Disorder, peruse our FAQ and Facts pages, and read stories by others who have found lasting success.
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This new website created by the BC Centre on Substance Use provides information on how to talk to others, and points to consider.
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Drinking Less is better: Learn why we should aim to drink less in this Canadian Centre on Substance Use handout
Canada’s Safe Drinking Guidelines a one-pager about safe and low-risk drinking by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
Tips to help you stay on target with your drinking goals from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use.
Short video: Are you ready to change your relationship with alcohol? (from Interior Health)
Knowing Your Limits with Alcohol: a practical guide to assessing your drinking an in-depth handout by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and addition
This Here to Help: Safer Drinking resource provides many tips on safer drinking including: Before you start, while drinking, when going out, long-term risks, and getting help.
This Here to Help: Things to Think About and Ways to Make Changes Workbook contains all kinds of strategies, tips and tools and where to go if you want more help.
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Review these Canadian AUD Society handouts for an overview of why medications can help, and what medications are currently approved for use:
Did you know? Medications can Treat Alcohol Use Disorder
List of medications can reduce cravings
Please also check out our 6-part video serieswhere Dr. Andrew Ashley talks about how medications work on healing the brain.
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Check out this NIAAA site that shows how alcohol affects your brain, heart, liver, bones and can cause several types of cancer. Or check out their interactive image to see effects on the body.
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Drinking less is better: Aiming to drink less and tips for youth for staying on target from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use
NIAAA Resource: Understanding alcohol’s effects on the adolescent brain, including tips for college students
When a Parent Drinks Too Much Alcohol: CAMH Guide for youth concerned about their parents’ drinking
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Hosting a Teen Party, heretohelp information and decision-making guides
Learning about Alcohol Use and Teens by MyAlberta
Alcohol Intoxication in your teen, after care instructions by MyAlberta
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Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society Video: A New Approach to AUD Care, A First Nations Perspective
BCCSU website with resources and links for Indigenous Peoples
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Helping People who use Substances by heretohelp, University of Victoria Centre for Addictions Research of BC and Canadian Mental Health Association
Talking about Substance Abuse Do’s and Don’ts by the First Nations Health Authority
Family Toolkit: understanding mental health and substance use, a family workbook by heretohelp
The Coping Kit: From Grief to Action, when Addiction Hits Home by FGTA
MetaPhi pamphlet about substance use disorders
BC government publication on alcohol and aging
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Words Matter: Ending Stigma from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
Resources for Rethinking Addiction and Ending Stigma from the organization, Addicted Australia
Read real stories from people who have experience taking AUD medical treatment options. Hear about their journey, and their advice for others.
Or, consider sharing your story
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In this handout, find out how what you eat can help you recover faster from alcohol use disorder, and can even help prevent relapse: Learn how eating Omega-3 fatty acids can help with recovery
Looking for more information? Visit helpwithdrinking.ca for more resources or contact us directly!
Clinician Resources
If you are a clinician, or would like to take a deeper dive into learning about Alcohol Use Disorder and hear from professionals and scholars about the subject, please visit our Clinician Resources page.