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Document Overview

Design and created by Guideline Central in participation with the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Alcohol Withdrawal Management

American Society of Addiction Medicine

Publication Date: Mar 20, 2020

Page Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Document Overview

Document Title: Alcohol Withdrawal Management

Authoring Society: American Society of Addiction Medicine

Endorsing Society: American College of Preventive Medicine

Document Publication Date: Mar 20, 2020

Page Last Reviewed/Updated: May 5, 2026

Document Type: Guideline

Country of Publication: United States

Full Text Freely Available: Yes

Full Text Guideline: www.asam.org/Quality-Science/quality/guideline-on-alcohol-withdrawal-management

Source Citation: ASAM Guideline on Alcohol Withdrawal Management. Available at: https://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/quality-science/awg-3-20-20.pdf

Supplemental Implementation Resources

Document Scope, Criteria, and Use Cases

Document Objectives: The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) developed this Guideline on Alcohol Withdrawal Management to provide updated information on evidence-based strategies (hereafter referred to as the Practice Guideline) and standards of care for alcohol withdrawal management in both ambulatory and inpatient settings. While the current clinical guideline focuses primarily on alcohol withdrawal management, it is important to underscore that alcohol withdrawal management alone is not an effective treatment for alcohol use disorder. Withdrawal management should not be conceptualized as a discrete clinical service, but rather as a component of the process of initiating and engaging patients in treatment for alcohol use disorder.

Scope: Assessment and Screening, Counseling, Management, Treatment

Keywords: AA, Addiction Medicine, Alcohol Withdrawal, Binge Drinking, Relapse, alcohol

Target Patient Population: ambulatory and inpatient patients with alcohol withdrawal

Inclusion Criteria: Male, Female, Adult, Older Adult

Health Care Settings: Ambulatory, Correctional Facility, Hospital, Outpatient

Intended Users: Addiction Treatment Specialist, Counselor, Law Enforcement, Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Paramedic/EMT, Physician, Physician Assistant, Psychologist

Recommendation Development Processes & Methodology

Supplemental Methodology Resource: Data Supplement

Number of Source Documents: 170

Literature Search Start Date: Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Literature Search End Date: Monday, November 6, 2017

Includes peer/external review process?: Yes

Includes public comment process?: Yes

Methodologist involvement?: Yes

Patient involvement?: No

Includes multi-disciplinary group?: Yes

Includes systematic review?: Yes

Grades quality of strength of evidence?: Yes

Grades quality of strength of recommendation?: Yes

Discloses funding source?: Yes

Discloses conflicts of interest?: Yes

Includes benefits/harms analysis with recommendations?: Yes

Identifies study selection process?: Yes

Identifies study selection criteria?: Yes

Identifies methods used to evaluate and analyze the evidence?: Yes

Identifies key questions addressed by the systematic review?: Yes

Identifies search strategy?: Yes