Kappa-opioid receptor antagonism: A mechanism for treatment of relief drinking?

摘要

Of recreational users of alcohol, ~ 15% at some point go on to develop a pattern of alcohol seeking and taking that continues despite adverse consequences—that is, alcohol addiction or simply alcoholism. This proportion is not much different from what is seen with other drugs of abuse, but more than half of all Americans >12 years old report being current drinkers. As a result, in the United States, ~12 million people have a current diagnosis of alcoholism, accounting for a greater disease burden than all illicit drugs combined. Few evidence-based treatments are currently available for these patients. Efficacy of existing treatments is limited further by the heterogeneity of alcoholism.