Heavy drinkers offered ‘party drug’ ketamine to curb alcohol cravings

Heavy drinkers offered ‘party drug’ ketamine to curb alcohol cravings
Shutterstock / Syda Productions
Ross Lydall @RossLydall24 January 2017

Londoners who drink “hazardous” amounts of beer are being offered the party drug ketamine in a bid to stop them “drinking without thinking”.

Researchers at University College London are trialling the drug, a powerful anaesthetic used in the NHS and on animals, to block or dismantle the “alcohol reward” memories that cause cravings and addictions.

It is hoped the drug, known as Special K on the party scene, will help drinkers “reboot” their brain and get their habit under control.

The project began last year, with 50 taking part, but a further 40 volunteers are required.

People in their mid-twenties to mid-forties who “drink for various different reasons” and want to cut down rather than stop completely are being sought.

Participants have to drink at least 40 units a week — almost three times the recommended maximum of 14 and equivalent to at least 17 pints of lager or beer a week. They must also drink on four days out of seven.

Dr Sunjeev Kamboj, reader in clinical psychology at UCL, said: “By using it [ketamine] in a particular way, we can block these unhelpful alcohol memories.

We think it’s a potentially interesting way of tackling heavy drinking.

“We don’t describe it as a treatment. It’s just an experiment at this stage. We had this idea that memories could be dismantled with this particular drug.

“It’s not about making alcohol less pleasant, it’s about reducing that habit of ‘drinking without thinking’.”

A dose of ketamine, which is known to have psychedelic effects, is injected under controlled conditions by an anaesthetist at University College Hospital.

Eye movement, brain reactions, blood pressure and heart rate are monitored.

The dose is said to be “much lower than would put you to sleep” but higher than a typical recreational dose.

Tests are then usually conducted 48 hours afterwards to check for changes in reaction to images of alcohol.

There are more tests a week later and at three-monthly intervals.

The response of a volunteer’s brain to alcohol is measured before ketamine is given. Half the participants receive a saline placebo.

The process also involves an undisclosed “psychological procedure”. Researcher Dr Ravi Das said: “Part of that is looking at people’s responses to images of beer.

We look at how rewarding people find images relating to beer — the idea of a cold beer on a warm day.

“They see that picture and it can inspire cravings, the feeling ‘I really want a drink’. It is these kind of associations we’re looking to break down.

“We are hoping for at least a significant reduction [in alcohol consumption]. We will have to wait and see whether people can stop completely — or whether they want to.”

Rules attached to the £477,500 of Medical Research Council funding the research team receive mean they cannot disclose provisional results.

Ketamine is used in medical settings as a pain reliever and an anaesthetic, often in war zones or trauma care.

Last year separate research on mice suggested it could provide a rapid treatment for depression.

While it is licensed for health use, it is also a class B drug. Possession carries the risk of up to five years in jail and an unlimited fine.

Supplying ketamine can result in up to 14 years in prison.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in