New Drug To Fight Craving For Drinking And Smoking

By Author: Joshua Daly
Total Articles: 18
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The drug Chantix has already to help smokers kick the habit, but researchers have found that the drug may also help alcoholics do the same.

According to ABC News, A study conducted by the University of California at San Francisco shows that varenicline, marketed by Pfizer under the name Chantix, has the potential to curb excessive alcohol consumption.

Selena Bartlett, who led the study said, There are very few effective medicines to treat alcoholism. Our hope is that this drug will provide a new and improved method for treating alcoholism.

The study took lab rats that were trained for months to consume large amounts of alcohol each day cut their drinking in half after taking Chantix. The drug has a affect on curbing the urge to smoke as well. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 85 percent of alcoholics are smokers.

Chantix works by blocking the dopamine receptors which release the good feeling stimulation when you smoke or drink alcohol. That in turn blocks the craving for the stimulants.

Although it sounds like a magic pill, Bartlett warns that this drug ...
... is not a cure all. Developing drugs is a long process and we are just in the beginning," she said. "Our results are promising but we don't want people to think this is a cure-all."

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