The first visit is a conversation about your drinking, not a lecture. Dr. Vassar asks how much and how often you drink, when it started, and what happens when you try to cut back. He also reviews your health history, current medications, and any past withdrawal symptoms. Some patients complete a short screening questionnaire called the AUDIT, and some are sent for lab work to check liver health. Anxiety, depression, and other conditions are screened too, since these can drive drinking and slow recovery if they are missed. You leave with a clear explanation of your diagnosis and the treatment choices open to you.
Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment
Alcohol use disorder, often called alcoholism, is a medical condition where a person keeps drinking even when it causes problems at work, at home, or with health. It affects millions of adults in the United States, and many never get treatment for it. Our Oak Creek, WI psychiatric team offers a full evaluation, medication support, and steady follow up visits built around how much you drink and what happens when you try to cut back. Book an appointment to talk with a psychiatrist about your next step.
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What is alcoholism
What Is alcoholism
Alcoholism, clinically known as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), is a condition in which drinking becomes difficult to control and begins to affect a person’s health, relationships, work, or everyday life. It is more than simply drinking too much from time to time. Someone with AUD may have strong cravings, find it difficult to cut back, or continue drinking even when it is causing problems.
Symptoms can vary from person to person and may range from mild to severe. Some people may drink more than they originally planned, need more alcohol to experience the same effect, or spend a significant amount of time drinking or recovering from its effects. Others may experience withdrawal symptoms when they try to reduce or stop drinking.
At our Oak Creek, WI practice, we take a personalized and nonjudgmental approach to alcohol use disorder. We begin with a thorough evaluation to understand your drinking patterns, health history, medications, and overall well-being. We also consider concerns such as anxiety, depression, stress, or sleep problems that may occur alongside alcohol use.
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Types of Alcohol Use Disorder
Types of Alcohol Use Disorder We Treat
Alcohol Use With Anxiety or Depression
Many people drink to calm anxiety or lift a low mood, which often makes both conditions worse over time. Treating the drinking and the mood condition together works better than treating just one.
Mild Alcohol Use Disorder
Two or three signs of a drinking problem within the past year, such as drinking more than planned or trying to cut back without success. Early treatment often keeps the problem from growing.
Moderate Alcohol Use Disorder
Four or five signs, such as strong cravings, missing work or family events, or needing more alcohol to feel the same effect. Treatment often includes medication along with regular visits.
Severe Alcohol Use Disorder
Six or more signs, often along with physical dependence. Stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal, so a doctor should guide any plan to cut back.
Binge Drinking Pattern
Drinking five or more drinks for men, or four or more for women, within about two hours. It raises the risk of injury and blackouts even when a person does not drink every day.
Alcohol Dependence With Withdrawal
The body has adjusted to regular alcohol use, so stopping brings shaking, sweating, nausea, or anxiety. Severe withdrawal can include seizures and needs medical care right away.
Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder
- Drinking more, or for longer, than you meant to
- Trying to cut back and not being able to
- Strong urges or cravings to drink
- Spending a lot of time drinking or recovering from it
- Skipping work, school, or family plans because of alcohol
- Drinking even when it causes health or relationship problems
- Needing more alcohol to feel the same effect
- Shaking hands, sweating, or nausea when you have not had a drink
- Trouble sleeping or feeling anxious after you stop drinking
- Drinking in the morning to steady your nerves
- Blackouts or memory gaps after drinking
- Thoughts of hurting yourself, or feeling like life is not worth living
Meet Codie Jordan Vassar, MD, MS
Codie Jordan Vassar, MD, MS, is a board-certified adult psychiatrist and the founder and medical director of NEH Psychiatry, the physician-led outpatient psychiatric practice of Nuestra Esperanza Health. He provides comprehensive ADHD evaluation, diagnostic, clarification, individualized medication management, and ongoing treatment planning for adults.
Dr. Vassar’s approach is warm, collaborative, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive. He emphasizes careful listening, clear explanations, and shared decision making so patients can understand their options and participate confidently in care. His experience spans outpatient, integrated-care, addiction, emergency, consultationliaison, and telepsychiatry settings. He earned his MD and completed adult psychiatry residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin and holds an MS in Clinical Informatics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Care is available in English and Spanish.
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Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment
NEH Psychiatry provides flexible in person and telehealth alcohol use disorder treatment options for individuals in Oak Creek, keeping diagnosis, medication management, and follow up care accessible.
In-Person Appointments
In person appointments let you meet directly with your provider in a private clinical setting. This option may be preferred by patients who value face to face conversation or who feel more comfortable receiving care in an office.
Telehealth Appointments
Telehealth can make ongoing alcohol use disorder treatment more convenient by letting eligible patients meet with their provider from a private location. Virtual appointments can reduce commuting, transportation trouble, parking concerns, and the scheduling barriers that can interfere with consistent follow up care.
WHY CHOOSE US
Finding the right provider for alcohol treatment in Oak Creek, WI starts with a doctor who takes your drinking seriously and checks for safety before anything else. Dr. Vassar completes a full evaluation so your plan fits your drinking pattern, your health, and what you want out of treatment.
- Board Certified Psychiatrist Work directly with Dr. Codie Jordan Vassar, MD, MS, a board certified adult psychiatrist with experience treating alcohol use disorder.
- Safety Checked Before You Cut Back Your provider asks about past withdrawal, seizures, and other health risks before recommending how to reduce your drinking.
- Medication Monitored Over Time When medication fits your case, it is started, checked, and adjusted at regular visits.
- In Person and Telehealth Access Choose office visits in Oak Creek or telehealth appointments anywhere in Wisconsin.
Get Professional Support When You Need It
Schedule Your Consultation Today
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Questions you may have about Us
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about our ADHD treatment services.
What is the difference between alcoholism and alcohol use disorder?
They mean the same thing in everyday use. Alcoholism is the common name, and alcohol use disorder is the medical term. Doctors rate alcohol use disorder as mild, moderate, or severe based on how many symptoms a person has.
Is it safe to stop drinking on my own?
Not always. Heavy daily drinking can make sudden stopping dangerous, causing seizures, confusion, or a serious condition called delirium tremens. Talk with a doctor before you cut back, and call 911 if you have seizures, hallucinations, or severe shaking.
What medications are used to treat alcoholism?
Doctors often use naltrexone to lower cravings, acamprosate to help the brain settle after stopping, and disulfiram, which causes an unpleasant reaction if you drink. Dr. Vassar will explain which option fits your health and goals and will check how you respond over time.
Do I need to go to rehab?
Not always. Many people with mild to moderate alcohol use disorder do well with outpatient care, meaning office or telehealth visits while living at home. People with severe dependence or dangerous withdrawal symptoms may need medical detox first. Your provider will tell you which level of care is safest for you.
Can you treat alcohol use disorder along with anxiety or depression?
Yes. Drinking and mood problems often feed off each other. At NEH Psychiatry, both are evaluated at the same visit and treated together, so one condition is not left out while you work on the other.
Do you offer telehealth for alcohol use disorder treatment?
Yes. Patients located anywhere in Wisconsin can be evaluated and treated by telehealth, in addition to in person visits at our Oak Creek office.
We Provide Exceptional Mental Health Care
Our behavioral health services are designed to meet the diverse mental health needs of our patients through accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and ongoing support.
