Drugs/Therapy

Radical Ketamine Therapy: New Cure For Alcohol Addiction

By Joie M Gahum | Update Date: Jan 25, 2017 09:00 AM EST

Tranquilizer drug Ketamine is believed to be capable of erasing drink-related memories and suppressing alcohol addiction. Psychologists in the University College London are looking into whether a dose of this drug can help alcoholics reduce their alcohol intake.

Alcohol addiction is a very notorious psychological disease that is very difficult to treat. Unfortunately, there are only very few effective therapies available for this condition. The Guardian narrates that Ketamine, a recreational drug, is being used in research to disrupt the harmful patterns of behavior as an adverse effect of alcoholism.

Although the use of the drug may sound counterintuitive due to its abilities to disrupt the formation of memories, this capability is believed to be the solution by overwriting memories that drive the addiction of an individual to alcohol.

An alcoholic's memory associated with alcohol can be hijacked with the use of the drug, per the research. Removing the memories that can trigger the urge of an individual to drink can help him avoid that environment that leads them into addiction.

One subject, Nikki, a consultant who works in London realized that she was already drinking more than she used to. Her experience with Ketamine was more overwhelming and intense rather than unpleasant. Weeks after sessions she felt that she was constantly in a good mood and was more conscious of her decision to drink or to skip the glass completely.

An article from CNN implied that around 10 million to 15 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse. Alcoholism is also being linked as a cause of heart problems, which is the primary cause of death worldwide.The popular belief that the resveratrol in wine is a good reason to grab a glass or two every day has been glamorized too much, leading to an excess of its consumption.

Continuous tests are being made for the effects of Ketamine and to identify if this approach is indeed the best option possible to target alcoholics and people who are at risk for abuse. Although there are still several resistances in using the recreational drug, further studies are being conducted to acknowledge the possible adverse effects that come with Ketamine use.

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