Why prescription medication to treat alcoholism is ‘vastly underutilized’

Nearly 30 million Americans struggle with alcohol addiction. Medication used to treat alcohol-use disorder have been on the market for decades, but is rarely prescribed. Dr. Sarah Wakeman, medical director of the Substance Use Disorder Initiative at Mass General Brigham, joins Ali Rogin to discuss medication’s potential for treating this disease and why it’s underused.

Correction: The introduction to this segment misidentified Mass General Brigham. We regret the error.

Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

Follow us:
Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour
Twitter:   / newshour  
Instagram:   / newshour  

Subscribe:
PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe