Naltrexone and Alcoholism

Paper Summary:

The paper presents the hypothesis that Naltrexone reduces the cravings associated with alcoholism, as well as related relapse rates and episodes of heavy drinking. The paper provides a critical review of the literature and includes recommendations for policymakers and healthcare providers alike. The paper's research shows how Naltrexone appears to be well-tolerated and effective in many patients by helping them to stop resumption of episodes of binge drinking.

Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The impact of alcohol abuse and alcoholism is well documented and need be mentioned only to establish the extent of the problem considered herein. In this regard, Bhagar and Schmetzer (2006) report that, "Alcohol dependence is a problem that affects about 10 percent of the general population. It not only impacts the affected individual with disorders such as cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, dementia, and others, but also affects the whole family from issues related to abuse, drunken driving, divorce, or loss of employment" (p. 29). Likewise in her essay, "Rationale for Combining Acamprosate and Naltrexone for Treating Alcohol Dependence," Mason (2005) emphasizes that the alcoholism is a prevalent, chronic disorder that carries with it profound worldwide public health consequences. Therefore, the identification of safe and effective medications has assumed new importance in recent years in an effort to augment the modest efficacy of current behavioral treatments designed to reduce the high risk of drinking relapse after an initial period of abstinence."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ait-Daoud, N., & Johnson, B. A. (1999). Medications to treat alcoholism. Alcohol Research & Health, 23(2), 99.
• Anton, R. F., & Randall, C. L. (2005). Measurement and choice of drinking outcome variables in the COMBINE study. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 66(4), 104.
• Bhagar, H. A., & Schmetzer, A. D. (2006). New antidipsotropics. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, 9(4), 29.
• Bean, P., & Nemitz, T. (2004). Drug treatment: What works? New York: Routledge.
• Carpenter, K. M., Kleber, H. D., Nunes, E. V., Rothenberg, J. L., & Sullivan, M. A. (2006). Behavioral therapy to augment oral naltrexone for opioid dependence: A ceiling on effectiveness? American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 32(4), 503.

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