It has been reported that forty thousand out of one million alcoholic patients are under treatment. Therefore, abstinence therapy has been regarded as the primary treatment for the most severe alcoholic patients in Japan. But recently, the importance of early intervention in the early stage of alcoholic patients has been recognized to prevent the progress of alcohol dependence. Therefore, alcohol reduction therapy is an alternative treatment strategy. Alcohol reduction therapy may be effective for patients with milder degrees of alcohol dependence. Moreover, reduction therapy is considered to be effective for patients who refuse abstinence therapy. This prevents patient withdrawal from alcohol treatment therapy. The application of alcohol reduction therapy includes nalmefene (medication) and motivational interview and BRENDA (psychosocial treatment). How to use alcohol reduction therapy properly with abstinence therapy and which type of patients are fit for alcohol reduction therapy have not yet been clarified. This paper attempts to give some hints on how to use the above two therapies properly and how to successfully complete alcohol reduction therapy by virtual clinical cases.
 Author's abstract