A new pill that curbs the alcohol cravings, being hailed as ‘Ozempic for drinking’ can help people fighting liquor addiction, reports The Sun.
One of the reasons why people binge-drink or enjoy alcohol is due to its euphoric effect that makes them feel relaxed, confident, and better about life. Drinking can make your brain release more dopamine, the chemical linked with pleasure.
Known as Naltrexone, the pill works by blocking the feeling of euphoria linked with drinking, which could help subside the cravings and make people less dependent on alcohol and get over this unhealthy addiction.
Prof Simon Coulton, from the University of Kent, tells the Sun that this can over time cause a person to stop associating alcohol use with pleasure and reduce their consumption.
The pill that rewires the brain to reduce alcohol cravings can be a gamechanger as people who drink moderately or heavily, face greater cancer risk than those who do not. According to CDC, drinking three or more alcoholic drinks per day can increase the risk of stomach and pancreatic cancers. Moderate to heavy alcohol consumption is associated with 1.2- to 1.5-fold increased risks of cancers of the colon and rectum.
Moderate drinkers have 1.8-fold higher risks of oral cavity and throat cancers and 1.4-fold higher risks of larynx cancers than non-drinkers, and heavy drinkers have 5-fold higher risks of oral cavity and pharynx cancers and 2.6-fold higher risks of larynx cancers, says National Cancer Institute.
What is binge drinking?
As per The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), binge drinking is a pattern of drinking alcohol which can bring blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08%—or 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter—or more. This can happen if a woman has four or more drinks, or a man has five or more drinks, within about 2 hours.
More about the drug that is touted as ‘Ozempic for drinkers’
Naltrexone was approved in 1984 and is currently available on the NHS, but it is used to treat gambling addiction. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry last year demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing alcohol use. In this study, a group of men who drank, participated. Half of the group was given Naltrexone while the other half were given a placebo. In a 12 week trial, it emerged that people who were administered naltrexone reported bingeing less frequently and consuming less alcohol compared to those who had been given a placebo.
Given drinking excessively not only causes health issues but can also cause road accidents and domestic violence, this pill offers hope to people who are struggling with alcohol addiction.
US: How rewards help recovery from addiction
