Website design By BotEap.comIf only the cravings for alcohol disappeared, people trying to overcome the clutches of alcoholism would have a much better chance of fighting the disease. Anyone who has had alcohol cravings knows what this is all about. It’s one thing to experience a little temptation, but it’s another to have an overwhelming and persistent urge and need for alcohol. There is always a problem. First we want to alleviate the problems of the day, so we have a drink. So we want to alleviate the craving for alcohol.

Website design By BotEap.comThose who have participated in 12-step recovery turn to their “higher power” for strength and support, trusting that the “higher power” will restore them to sanity. They decide to put their will and their life in the care of God, as they understand it, to be a guiding light and a source of comfort. This is achieved through a deepening personal relationship. But this is America and we want relief NOW. There could be a pharmacological intervention.

Website design By BotEap.comThe drug baclofen is a muscle relaxant used to treat muscle symptoms caused by multiple sclerosis. Symptoms include spasms, stiffness, and pain. Some of the side effects include impaired thinking or reactions, so patients who need to be awake and alert should be careful when using this drug. Patients who have used baclofen for a long time may experience severe withdrawal symptoms, such as seizures or hallucinations. The use of baclofen to help alcoholics with their cravings is relatively new, so there is not much clinical evidence

Website design By BotEap.comI read an article on medscape.com, which discussed the results of clinical trials for patients with advanced liver disease. The 2007 study cast baclofen in a favorable light for a medical intervention.

Website design By BotEap.com“In conclusion, our results suggest that baclofen, due to its anti-craving action and safety, could have an important role in the treatment of alcohol-dependent patients with advanced liver disease,” said the researchers, together with first author Giovanni Addolorato, MD, of the Institute of Internal Medicine at the Catholic University of Rome, in Italy, writes. “We have shown that a pharmacological agent can promote alcohol abstinence and prevent relapse in people with alcoholic liver disease.”

Website design By BotEap.comPatients with acidosis, who can’t stop drinking and face death if they don’t stop, and any treatment cannot progress while they are drinking. But this is a serious case. What about other patients with alcoholism, who are not in the later stages of liver disease or who are in an early stage of alcoholism?

Website design By BotEap.comAssuming that baclofen is safe and appropriate for the treatment of alcohol cravings, does it represent a comprehensive cure for alcoholism? This introduces an interesting topic for discussion. Aside from physical dependence or cravings for alcohol, what about other factors that contribute to one becoming an alcoholic, such as psychological make-up, environment, or genetics? If I drink, for example, to numb the pain in my life, will taking away the cravings for alcohol help that pain subside?

Website design By BotEap.comI can see baclofen as a puzzle piece of the solution, in limited cases. But I can’t help but go back to 12 Step, because it’s embedded in an interdisciplinary program, which means physical, emotional, and spiritual issues are addressed. Pharmacological interventions do not soothe the human spirit, nor do baclofen heal broken relationships. I can see, however, how this pharmacological intervention, in theory, can save the lives of patients in the cases discussed in the study. I would caution against looking at a pill as a “cure”.

Website design By BotEap.comThe anti-12 Step crowd will herald any drug intervention as a positive alternative to 12 Step, mainly because 12 Step takes time and is much more difficult than taking a pill. Baclofen does not require honesty, openness and willingness, nor does it require self-examination. Perhaps baclofen can stop alcohol cravings or be used as a tool to help a person regain control of their life and help restore health. I have no problem with this. But if the whole person is not treated, then the hole in the spirit that is filled with alcohol, or some other destructive force, is still there.