Abstract: Is there a need for new pharmacotherapies to treat alcohol use disorders (AUDs)? AUD is a highly prevalent condition in the world population that causes medical, psychological, personal, social and economic problems. The most severe dimension of AUDs is alcohol dependence, a condition in which individuals lose control over alcohol intake despite the negative consequences. Although some medications have been approved for this purpose, existing pharmacotherapies are not effective for all people due to the heterogeneity of AUDs. Current approved medications include: Disulfiram (Antabuse®), which induces an aversion to drink by increasing alcohol metabolism-derived acetaldehyde; Naltrexone (ReVia®, Vivitrol®), a competitive opioid antagonist for μ-receptors that decreases heavy drinking and prevents relapse; Acamprosate (Campral®), an indirect partial agonist at N-methyl-D-aspartic acid glutamate receptors and antagonist at metabotropic glutamate receptors that is used to prevent relapse in detoxified alcoholics. Strong efforts to develop new medication are ongoing, with multiple pharmacological targets being explored. Whereas initial medical development for AUDs focused on the binge/intoxicating state of addiction, current challenges involve finding new targets for the craving and withdrawal/ negative emotional states of addictive behaviour. Thus, extensive research is currently looking for new drugs that correct the dysfunction of the reward and stress systems by improving the motivational signs of withdrawal, which are a hallmark of alcohol dependence. Some new targets, such as γ-aminobutyric acid or glucocorticoid receptors, have shown their efficacy not only in preclinical models but also in human laboratory models (Gabapentin and Mifeprestone, respectively) (Koob and Mason, 2016).