Paul Kolodzik, MD is board-certified in both Addiction Medicine and Emergency Medicine. He is one of the few physicians in the country utilizing GLP-1 medications, as well as other FDA-Approved medications, to reduce alcohol use.

He believes in a “harm reduction” approach. This is a treatment philosophy of using medications to first reduce alcohol use to acceptable levels. Patients then can determine if they want to continue drinking in a controlled and acceptable manner that meets their goals, or wish to pursue abstinence. 

A majority of his practice consists of treating professionals who never have viewed themselves as “alcoholics” but know they have progressed to drinking too much. These individuals realize their drinking is affecting their home life, their work performance, and maybe even their health. They are seeking a modern and effective medication-assisted approach to cutting down their alcohol use.

In a thirty-year emergency room career, Dr. Kolodzik has cared for many patients in crisis as a result of alcohol overuse. Sometimes this relates to binge drinking, but often it is the result of progressively increased alcohol use over a period of time. He has witnessed firsthand the failures of an “abstinence at all costs” approach to excessive drinking. An approach which often results in failed rehab or abstinence attempts, a cycle that is then often repeated. The result being continued excessive alcohol consumption at destructive levels.

Most patients who seek treatment with Dr. Kolodzik for alcohol issues are interested in reducing, but not always eliminating alcohol use - this being a harm reduction approach (decreasing alcohol use) as opposed to an abstinence only approach. He supports his patients’ efforts to reduce their alcohol use, using both state of the art medications as well as proven behavioral approaches.  Most of his patients are not “alcoholics” in the traditional sense, but know they are drinking too much, and want to change their relationship with alcohol. They seek reduced drinking to improve their personal relationships, home life, work performance, mental sharpness, energy levels, and, of course, their health. They find that the Medication-Assisted program Dr. Kolodzik offers is an excellent fit for helping them reach their goal of more limited drinking.

Dr. Kolodzik has over 10 years’ experience treating excessive alcohol use with both FDA-approved and GLP-1 medications. Though the use of GLP-1s for alcohol reduction is currently considered “off label” (not yet approved by the FDA) he believes it is likely to become the standard of care for the treatment of alcohol use disorder patients in the future.

He often complements the use of GLP-1s to reduce alcohol use with other FDA-approved medications to decrease drinking, such as Naltrexone.

Dr. Kolodzik is a specialist in the clinical approach of using GLP-1 medication and Naltrexone to reduce excessive drinking. These include such considerations as personalized dosing regimens (including GLP-1 microdosing), use of the Naltrexone-based “Sinclair Method”, and accompanying medication use with behavioral techniques such as journalizing (keeping a “drink log”) and setting incremental alcohol use reduction goals. Accountability is a cornerstone of Dr. Kolodzik’s program.

As a nationally recognized physician leader in using medications to reduce alcohol use, Dr. Kolodzik provides personalized virtual consultations using telemedicine services to patients in Ohio, Indiana, Florida, and Arizona. His patients are able to conveniently participate in a state-of-the-art on-line treatment program from the comfort of their home or office.

Dr. Kolodzik graduated from the University of Notre Dame and completed medical school and residency at Wright State University where he served as chief resident. His private practice is located in Dayton, Ohio, but he serves patients via telemedicine throughout the states of Ohio, Indiana, Florida, and Arizona.