Although this is a liver site, alcohol abuse has long been the cause of many long-liver journeys for so many people.
I have often referred to alcohol abuse as there being two types of drinkers. Firstly, there is the person who drinks because they want to. But secondly, there is the person who now has to drink because they have to. The addiction is driving their need to drink. If ever the word, “Alcoholic” needed a true definition, then an alcoholic should be a person who has an addiction issue, and not just a drinking problem.
Severe alcohol use disorder affects nearly 4 million people in the UK, with devastating consequences to lives. Staying sober is key to reducing the harm that alcohol can do to physical and mental health. Unfortunately, treatments to help people stop drinking alcohol have been shown to be limited in their effectiveness, and people often return to drinking after only a short time of being sober.
Ask any drug addict what is the hardest substance to quit, and they’ll tell you it’s alcohol.
But, help may be at hand. The findings of a recent trial have shown that benefits from the use of Ketamine, “Ketamine for reduction of Alcoholic Relapse (KARE)”
The (KARE) trial is the first of its kind to investigate whether a low dose of ketamine combined with therapy could help prevent heavy drinkers from relapsing after giving up alcohol. The trial followed preliminary evidence that controlled ketamine therapy can reduce the number of alcoholics who relapse. Currently, few effective treatments exist for severe alcoholism, which has a devastating impact on lives.
The trial was led by the University of Exeter in collaboration with Imperial College London and University College London, and funded by the Medical Research Council. The study was conducted at the NIHR Exeter and NIHR UCLH Clinical Research Facilities.
The team also found some evidence that ketamine and therapy may prevent any drinking over six months, though the results were more mixed. Patients having ketamine also experienced less depression after three months, and better liver function than those on placebo, regardless of whether it was combined with therapy or not.
For those interested, more information can be found here: exeter.ac.uk/news/research/...
Richard