ICD-10-CM still separates alcohol abuse from alcohol dependence. DSM-5 does not. DSM-5 collapsed both into a single alcohol use disorder graded mild, moderate or severe — so a clinician working from DSM-5 has a severity, and the code set wants a category. The accepted mapping is mild to F10.10 (abuse) and moderate or severe to F10.20 (dependence). Getting that backwards is the most common error on these claims. Below: the table and the rest of the crosswalk.
This page is billing and administrative reference. It describes what a code means and whether it can be submitted. It is not clinical advice and does not tell anyone what to diagnose.
| DSM-5 alcohol use disorder | ICD-10-CM | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Mild | F10.10 | Alcohol abuse, uncomplicated |
| Moderate | F10.20 | Alcohol dependence, uncomplicated |
| Severe | F10.20 | Alcohol dependence, uncomplicated |
| Mild, in early or sustained remission | F10.11 | Alcohol abuse, in remission |
| Moderate or severe, in early or sustained remission | F10.21 | Alcohol dependence, in remission |
Two things follow. Moderate and severe map to the same code, so the code alone does not preserve the DSM severity — that belongs in the documentation. And because ICD-10-CM's categories are older clinical concepts rather than DSM-5 severities, the words do not line up: “abuse” is not a lesser form of “dependence” in the way “mild” is a lesser form of “severe”.
The fourth character gives the category, and further characters describe complications such as intoxication, withdrawal or induced disorders. The uncomplicated codes are the ones an outpatient behavioral health practice uses most:
| Code | Title | Billable? |
|---|---|---|
| F10.10 | Alcohol abuse, uncomplicated | Yes |
| F10.11 | Alcohol abuse, in remission | Yes |
| F10.20 | Alcohol dependence, uncomplicated | Yes |
| F10.21 | Alcohol dependence, in remission | Yes |
| F10.90 | Alcohol use, unspecified, uncomplicated | Yes |
F10.90 is for documented alcohol use that does not meet criteria for abuse or dependence. It is not a fallback for an evaluation that did not reach a conclusion.
Worth knowing even though it is not a coding rule. Records from federally assisted substance use disorder programmes carry protections under 42 CFR Part 2 that go beyond HIPAA, with their own consent requirements for disclosure. A diagnosis code on a claim is itself a disclosure. Practices treating substance use should understand whether Part 2 applies to them before deciding how these codes flow into shared systems.
| CPT | Service | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 90791 | Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation (no medical services) | — |
| 90832 | Individual psychotherapy | 16–37 minutes |
| 90834 | Individual psychotherapy | 38–52 minutes |
| 90837 | Individual psychotherapy | 53 minutes or more |
| 90847 | Family psychotherapy, patient present | 50 minutes typical |
| 90853 | Group psychotherapy | — |
A 50-minute session is 90834, not 90837 — 90837 begins at 53 minutes.
Group therapy is common in substance use treatment, and 90853 is the code. Structured programmes such as intensive outpatient are billed with their own codes rather than the psychotherapy set.
DSM-5-TR prints ICD-10-CM codes beside its diagnoses. For alcohol use disorder it gives F10.10 for mild and F10.20 for moderate and severe, which is where the mapping above comes from. The older DSM-IV distinction between abuse and dependence, which ICD-10-CM's structure still reflects, was abandoned in DSM-5.
Afia is free and answers these by voice or chat — find a code from a condition name, confirm whether a code is billable, validate a whole list at once, or check a session length against a CPT time band. No sign-up.
It depends on severity. DSM-5 mild alcohol use disorder maps to F10.10 (alcohol abuse, uncomplicated); moderate and severe both map to F10.20 (alcohol dependence, uncomplicated).
F10.10 is alcohol abuse and F10.20 is alcohol dependence — older clinical categories that ICD-10-CM keeps and DSM-5 abandoned. Under the accepted crosswalk, DSM-5 mild maps to F10.10 and moderate or severe to F10.20.
No. Both map to F10.20, so the code does not preserve the DSM-5 severity. The severity belongs in the documentation.
F10.90 is alcohol use, unspecified, uncomplicated — for documented use that does not meet criteria for abuse or dependence. It is not a fallback for an evaluation that did not reach a conclusion.
Often, yes. Records from federally assisted substance use disorder programmes carry protections under 42 CFR Part 2 that go beyond HIPAA, with their own consent rules for disclosure. A diagnosis code on a claim is a disclosure, so practices should know whether Part 2 applies to them.
Check a code with Afia — freeCodes on this page were verified against the CMS ICD-10-CM code sets for FY2026 and FY2027 (FY2027 effective 1 October 2026). Last reviewed 19 September 2026. Verify against the current official code set before submitting.