Naltrexone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, could also become a way to address an increasingly common problem: binge drinking.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, naltrexone administration reduced the number of days on which a group of people drank to excess by more than a quarter.
The medicine is taken one hour before starting to drink. It works by blocking endorphin receptors in the body, which dampens the effects of alcohol and opiates on the brain. When those receptors are blocked, cravings for alcohol are reduced and drinking becomes less enjoyable.
After 12 weeks, those taking naltrexone reported 26% fewer binge-drinking days and 17% fewer binge-drinking-free weeks per month compared to the placebo group.
In addition to helping people reduce binge drinking, the drug had a lasting effect on people’s need to abstain from alcohol.
Excessive alcohol consumption can pave the way for an alcohol dependency.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the safest amount of alcohol is zero.
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