Drug Combats Drinking & Smoking

Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A drug approved to combat alcohol-dependence (AD) could stop social drinkers from lighting up, too!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved naltrexone in 1994 for treatment for AD. However, non-AD smokers who drink heavily in social situations could also benefit from naltraxone. A recent study found these smokers significantly decreased their smoking and heavy drinking rates when pairing the drug with nicotine patches and behavioral counseling.

"Persons with the heaviest drinking patterns appeared to benefit the most from naltrexone, in terms of alcohol and smoking outcomes; it also increased their quit rates more so than in lighter drinkers," Andrea C. King, a psychologist and associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Chicago and first author of the study, was quoted as saying.