WSJ: New research on treating addiction

This week, The Wall Street Journal reported that "new research is identifying the molecular reasons why alcohol and drug habits are so difficult to break," possibly leading to new medicines to help addicts achieve recovery.

The new research bolsters the validity of previous findings that, by transforming the brain's chemical architecture, "drinking and drug use trigger feelings of anxiety and tension that can only be eased by more consumption."

A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that a drug targeting the stressful effects of substance use helped people stop. "About 45% of the 150 alcoholics who took the highest dose of the drug, known generically as gabapentin, either stopped drinking altogether or did so only occasionally."

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VIDEO: The Science Behind Overcoming Addiction (WSJ)