Chicago – Alcoholics who were motivated were able to dramatically cut back on drinking over four months no matter what type of treatment they stuck with, including taking dummy pills, a rigorous short- term study found.
The findings suggest a variety of options can help if drinkers are determined to quit and if they regularly meet with a doctor or nurse for guidance, researchers said. They said the study also indicates drinkers can make strides without going to a costly alcohol treatment center.
That could expand access to care for a problem that affects about 8 million Americans – most of whom never seek help.
The 1,383 alcoholics studied were assigned to get 16 weeks of treatment – either counseling, medication or fake pills – most with the help of a doctor or nurse.
All greatly wanted to quit, a factor that led some outside experts to question how broadly these results can be applied.
And one critic said getting alcoholics to drink less over just four months doesn’t prove they’ve kicked the habit.
But the researchers argued that cutting back is an important step and said the results should help convince skeptics that alcoholism isn’t hopeless.
The study “really does open up the possibility of people having more choice and it could significantly expand access,” said Dr. Mark Willenbring, director of treatment and recovery research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which funded the research. The findings appear in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
The most effective treatments were naltrexone, a drug that reduces craving, and specialized counseling. When each was combined with medical management, abstinence rose from about 25 percent of the days to about 80 percent. Combining fake pills was about as effective.
Unexpectedly, a newer drug called Campral, used more often in Europe than in the United States, was no more effective than dummy pills. The researchers aren’t sure why and said more study is needed.
A Charleston, S.C., artist, 58, said taking a placebo every day helped her “stay focused on what the goal was, to get rid of this habit.” Sylvia, who asked that her last name not be used, said counseling with doctors and nurses helped, teaching her tips such as keeping alcohol out of the house and finding healthy substitutes – for her, tea.
That kind of advice is similar to that given newly diagnosed diabetics, the researchers said, and involved nine 20-minute sessions with a doctor or nurse.
“I’ve had some backslides,” Sylvia said, but “the longer you stay sober, the easier it gets.”
