Alcohol abuse is common in the United States with 14.1 million adults estimated to have some degree of alcohol use disorder. Emergency physicians will encounter this quite often, either as the primary presenting problem or as a complicating factor in a patient’s care. Unfortunately, alcohol consumption appears to be increasing, with the World Health Organization projecting ongoing increases through at least 2025. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important that we understand the serious and potentially life-threatening consequences of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) and the treatment options that exist in order to best manage these patients. The following three journal club articles sought to investigate potential clinical benefits for the use of phenobarbital in the emergency department (ED) for the treatment of AWS.