Recent research bulletins from the drug and alcohol Bank:
Opioid antagonists useful supplement in alcohol treatment Comprehensive synthesis of results from 50 trials finds that the opiate-blocking drug naltrexone does on average help more detoxified alcohol dependent patients avoid relapse, but effects are generally small and inconsistent. Useful, but not a magic bullet is the verdict.
Over half Scottish alcohol treatment exits were drop-outs In the mid-2000s over 50% of terminated alcohol treatment episodes in Scotland ended with the client or patient dropping out. Considerable variation between regions suggests there was room for improvement and with it improvement in the cost effectiveness of treatment.
Use quality of life yardstick to assess alcohol treatment If alcohol treatment is to compete for scarce healthcare resources, studies must adopt the same yardsticks of success as other healthcare interventions, contends this team of UK-based health economists; prime amongst these are quality of life measures.
Blood chemicals reveal who is dependent and who has managed to stop drinking Slovenian study identifies which chemicals in the blood best identify dependent drinkers in the sense of not missing those who are dependent, confirming when they have stopped drinking, and not falsely identifying non-dependent people as dependent.
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