I: General Concepts.- 1 The Epidemiology of Alcohol Abuse and the Response of Physicians.- 2 Definition of Alcoholism.- 3 The Etiology and Natural History of Alcoholism.- II: The Clinical Pharmacology of Alcohol.- 4 The Clinical Pharmacology of Alcohol.- III: Primary Care of the Alcoholic Patient.- 5 Early Diagnosis and Screening.- 6 Presenting the Diagnosis: Working with Denial.- 7 Negotiating Treatment and Monitoring Recovery.- 8 The Use of Disulfiram.- 9 Outpatient Treatment of Withdrawal.- 10 Management of the Alcoholic Inpatient.- IV: Resources in the Community and Workplace.- 11 Alcoholics Anonymous.- 12 Employee-Assistance Programs and the Primary Care Practitioner.- V: Pathophysiology and Medical Complications.- 13 The Nervous System.- 14 The Liver.- 15 The Gastrointestinal Tract and Pancreas.- 16 Nutritional Status, Cardiovascular, Hematologic, Reproductive, and Musculoskeletal Systems.- 17 Metabolic and Renal Effects of Alcohol.- 18 Alcoholism and Cancer.- VI: Alcohol and Special Populations.- 19 Alcoholism and the Family.- 20 The Elderly.- 21 Women and Alcohol Abuse.- 22 The Adolescent Drinker.- 23 The Impaired Physician.- 24 The Patient with Mixed-Substance Abuse.- VII: Ethical and Legal Issues.- 25 Ethical and Legal Issues in the Treatment of Alcoholism: Drunk Driving.- Annotated References.