Service use can refer to an alcohol or drug program (e.g., clinics or detox programs, outpatient care), mental health services (e.g., inpatient psychiatric ward, community mental health center), individual professional therapy, emergency room care, mutual aid (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous [AA] meetings), self-help, family or social services, or clergy assistance (Alvanzo et al., 2014; Chartier et al., 2011). Each of these services can be places where individuals with AUD seek help for their alcohol problems or begin treatment. It is possible to seek help without utilizing treatment (e.g., an individual discusses their alcohol consumption with a therapist but does not otherwise treat their alcohol problems), and it is possible to go straight into long-term treatment without first seeking help (e.g., a family member convinces an individual to go to an inpatient facility for immediate treatment or an individual solely relies on self-help groups). Thus, help-seeking and treatment utilization are related but conceptually distinct behaviors that fall under the umbrella of “service use,” yet all three terms are often used interchangeably.
