Treatment of alcoholism in Germany.

Alcohol dependence is associated with a wide range of physical, mental, and social harms. The related economic and social costs can be reduced by an adequate addiction therapy. This therapy should not only focus on the psychotherapy of addiction but should also include the possibility to treat psychiatric co-morbidity and take into account gender-specific aspects of addiction. The first steps of reintroducing the patient to employment are also of major importance especially in areas of high jobless rates. A highly efficient system of addiction treatment has evolved in Germany over the past decades. Ambulant treatment centers, units offering "qualified alcohol withdrawal programs", and inpatient addiction therapy programs are closely interlinked with each other. The Friedrich-Petersen-Klinik in Rostock is presented as an example. The therapeutic needs of the patients and the social situation of north-eastern Germany are reflected in the concept of the Clinic. It is shown how the Friedrich-Petersen-Klinik integrates with other therapeutic modalities to ensure a continuous attendance over many months on the patient's way to stable abstinence.