A National Directory of Drug Treatment Centers and Alcohol Treatment Centers, Therapists and Specialists. A free, simple directory providing assistance and guidance for those seeking help regarding alcohol addiction, drug addiction, dependency and many other conditions that affect the mind, body and soul.
Call
888-647-0579
to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.
Who Answers?
Potential Drug Treatment for Alcoholism
A drug currently approved to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may play a role in the treatment of alcoholism. The drug is called aripiprazole (Abilify); researchers say more research is needed, but this first study found the drug helps lessen the euphoric effects of alcohol.
Aripiprazole is a dopamine partial agonist, so it works differently in the body than other dopamine drugs. Study authors say the drug has different effects at different dose levels, so it is important to give the right amount of the drug to achieve the right results.
For the study, researchers recruited 18 social drinkers — nine men and nine women. Each participant completed three sessions in which they were given no medication, or 2.5 milligrams or 10 milligrams of aripiprazole. Then they were given three drinks and researchers measured their breath alcohol concentrations, heart rate, blood pressure, body sway and other subjective effects.
“Findings show that aripiprazole made the drinkers sleepier and they experienced less pleasure from alcohol than they might have without it,” says Henry Kranzler, a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Study authors say this is just preliminary research but one benefit might be that aripiprazole may be more tolerated than other drugs, causing fewer side effects. But researchers say that is still not proven and additional studies need to happen to determine if aripiprazole is a potential treatment for alcoholism.
_________ source: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 2008;32:573-578
Alcohol consumption is probably as old as human civilization, and so is its abuse. The social and physiological ill effects of alcoholism are well known. What is less clear is why certain individuals are more predisposed to it. Alcohol addiction is a multifactorial phenomenon where personality traits, individual and social influences interact with neurobiology, creating….
The country’s binge-drinking capitals have been revealed in research which shows a rise in the number of hospital admissions linked to alcohol. Official figures show a 33 per cent increase in drink-related cases seen by accident and emergency departments in England since 2005, the year in which controversial 24-hour drinking reforms were introduced by the….
All Edward Davilla Jr. wants for Christmas is to remain sober. “I want my kids’ mother to be able to tell them something nice about me,” Davilla said. “I want them to be able to trust their dad.” It’s been 17 months since Davilla took a swig of alcohol. He’s managed to stay off the….
Problem drinking comes in a range of severity and demographic subtypes but is quite common and substantially undertreated, according to several recent studies. There are two main disorders: alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. The former is less severe and is marked by drinking that leads to at least one of four problems: physically risky behavior….
Every day starts at step one. I am powerless over alcohol. With alcohol my life is unmanageable. For 23 years, Randy has begun his day with the first step of Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12 Step Program. “I always know I am one moment and one drink away from where I was,” Randy said. Randy took his….
