Q: My adult son recently admitted to me that he is an alcoholic. He has stopped drinking and seems to be doing OK, but I am wondering if he should attend AA meetings. I haven't mentioned this to him, but was wondering if I should. Any advice would be appreciated.

A: I think that AA can be an enormous resource for people who struggle with alcohol and other drug addictions. The support and practical strategies that AA offers can be extremely helpful and for many people, AA has been a life saver.

I see no harm in asking your son if he has considered checking out AA meetings in his community. Let him know that it could be a great resource for him. If he isn't sure whether he wants to, you can suggest that he simply check out some, as he has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Rather than making the commitment to attend forever, suggest that he attends a meeting or two each week for a month, which will give him some time to see if it helps him. If he absolutely doesn't want to attend, I would accept that, but let him know that at any time, he can change his mind, and you simply wanted to suggest it.

You can also ask him if he has considered seeing a therapist who may be able to support his lifestyle change. As with AA, he can make an appointment to evaluate whether therapy is helpful, and if it isn't, he can always stop. And if he absolutely refuses, it is his decision, and he can always decide to make an appointment if and when he is ready.

I would also say that given that he has told you about his drinking problem, it may be useful down the road to ask him how things are going. Without being intrusive, this lets him know that you care. If things continue to go well for him, let him know that you think that is great.

On the other hand, if things aren't going well, it could be another opportunity to suggest some kind of treatment, if he initially declined.

Q: Someone was telling me that there is a new drug to treat alcoholism called Balcofen. Have you heard of this and do you recommend this?

A: I believe what you are referring to is a medication called Baclofen. Baclofen is a muscle relaxer and antispastic drug. It is useful to treat the signs and symptoms of spasticity that result from multiple sclerosis, as well as possibly having value for patients who have suffered from spinal cord injuries and other spinal cord diseases.

There has been a report from a physician in France who used this drug to treat his own alcoholism, and he reported that it helped him tremendously. Other doctors in Europe have also used this drug to treat addiction, and some have reported very positive results. There has also been one randomized controlled study that showed positive benefits using Baclofen for the treatment of alcohol dependence.

Some are suggesting that more research be conducted to see whether Baclofen can help others who suffer from alcohol and cocaine dependence, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism stated that further research is warranted.

At this time, however, this drug is not approved for the treatment of alcohol or other addictions. Until more research is conducted, I cannot recommend this agent.

Send questions about addictions or related problems to: Take The First Step, c/o The Eagle-Tribune, 100 Turnpike St., North Andover, MA 01845; or send e-mail to michael_levy@cabhealth.org.