Heavy drinkers to be given ketamine to 'reprogramme' their brains and cure them of alcoholism

Heavy drinkers are going to be given the party drug ketamine to 'reprogramme' their brains and block their 'alcohol reward' memories.

Scientists at University College London believe the horse tranquilliser could help alcoholics and are trialling it on people who drink at least 17 pints of beer a week.

The drug is a powerful anaesthetic used in the NHS, on animals and recreationally as 'Special K' – and researchers hope it could help drinkers control their addiction.

Dr Sunjeev Kamboj from UCL told the London Evening Standard: '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.'

The reader in clinical psychology added that memories 'could be dismantled' with the drug and it might be able to reduce the habit of 'drinking without thinking'.

Fifty people took part in the project last year and another 40 in their mid-twenties to mid-forties who want to cut down on drinking are now being sought.

The volunteers must drink at least 40 units a week, which is almost three times the recommended limit of 14, and consume alcohol at least four days a week.

The drug will be injected in a controlled environment by an anaesthetist - before brain reactions, eye movement, heart rate and blood pressure are monitored.

The dose, which would be too low to put someone to sleep, will then be followed by tests 48 hours later to analyse any changes in reactions to pictures of alcohol.

More tests will be held in the weeks and months later - while half of the volunteers will simply receive a saline placebo, according to the Standard report by Ross Lydall.

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