This CME activity was made possible by an educational grant from

INTRODUCTION
eMedicine is delighted to offer this free CME activity based on presentations given at a University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) CME symposium in New York City on September 24, 2005. Persons who attended this symposium (and other symposia in which the same material was presented) are NOT eligible to receive credit for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for completing this enduring material. Please note that the course is accredited only for physicians (MD, DO, or equivalent). All other participants receive a certificate of completion. The UMDNJ–Center for Continuing and Outreach Education designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
There is a significant need for new treatment strategies for alcohol dependence. While psychosocial treatments are effective in reducing alcohol consumption and maintaining abstinence, the majority of patients return to alcohol use within a year following treatment. Pharmacotherapy is emerging as a means to enhance abstinence and prevent relapse in alcohol-dependent patients, complementing psychosocial interventions.¹ Furthermore, improved understanding of the neuroadaptive changes that occur as a result of chronic alcohol consumption has led to the development of targeted pharmacotherapies that modify the neurotransmitter systems thought to be responsible for sustaining alcohol use.

Current research suggests obstacles and a general lack of awareness to the use of new pharmacotherapies for alcohol dependence at the community level and the need for improved understanding of how pharmacotherapies can be integrated into treatment strategies to improve maintenance of abstinence from alcohol.

This course addresses the need for improved understanding of alcohol dependence and the current pharmacotherapies available to aid rehabilitation and abstinence.

¹Garbutt JC, West SL, Carey TS, Lohr KN, Crews FT. Pharmacological treatment of alcohol dependence: a review of the evidence. JAMA. 1999;281:1318-1325.

This activity is composed of the following interactive
audio/slide/video presentations:

• Welcome and Program Introduction
  (Kathleen T. Brady, MD, PhD)
• Neuroadaptive Responses to Alcohol and Implications
  for Pharmacotherapy (Richard N. Rosenthal, MD)
• Optimizing Outcomes With Pharmacotherapies
  for Alcohol Dependence (Kathleen T. Brady, MD, PhD)
• Case Studies: Incorporating Pharmacotherapies for Alcohol Dependence Into Clinical Practice (Kathleen T. Brady, MD, PhD, and Richard N. Rosenthal, MD)