NIH Researchers Testing New Treatments To Help Heavy Drinkers Cut Back.

eports that investigators with the National Institutes of Health “are testing a possible new treatment to help heavy drinkers cut back – using a replica of a fully stocked bar.” The theory being tested is whether an experimental treatment will counter the urge experienced by volunteers who want to drink. Researchers are “testing how a hormone named ghrelin that sparks people’s appetite for food also affects their desire for alcohol, and if blocking it helps,” as part of their efforts to develop new options to treat alcohol abuse. The piece points out that the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has also produced an online guide to show who is at risk for alcohol abuse and what treatments exist to help. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_HEALTHBEAT_ALCOHOL_TREATMENT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-01-15-58-24