Treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Treatment of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome is the first step towards the rehabilitation of alcohol-dependent patients. The objectives of treatment are relief of symptoms, prevention of complications and a smooth transition into a long-term rehabilitation programme. Recently, progress has been made in the clinical management of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome through standardization of the assessment using the CIWA-A scale and frequent monitoring of clinical findings, recognition of the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions (i.e. standardized supportive care) and simplification of pharmacotherapy by optimizing the use of long-acting benzodiadepines via a loading dose technique. Benzodiazepines, because of their cross-tolerance with ethanol, wide margin of safety and low potential for physical dependence and tolerance, are very effective and are the drugs of choice for the treatment of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome.