Starting alcohol use disorder treatment in the emergency department

This study is testing a new way to help people with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder by starting treatment right in the emergency department. Researchers are comparing two approaches: one that offers brief counseling and referral to treatment, and another that adds medications — naltrexone and gabapentin — started immediately in the ED. The goal is to see if giving people the medication right away, rather than waiting, helps more people stick with treatment and reduce their drinking.

Many people with alcohol use disorder go to emergency departments but never end up getting treatment afterward. This trial exists to find out whether starting this medication right away in the ED — at a moment when someone is already seeking care — can close the gap between people who need help and people who actually receive it.