Three weekly infusions of ketamine (0.8 mg/kg) helped people with severe alcohol use disorder stay abstinent more days over six months than placebo infusions did. The ketamine group averaged 10.1% more days abstinent than the placebo group. Combining ketamine with mindfulness-based relapse prevention therapy produced the largest improvement, with 15.9% more abstinent days compared with placebo plus alcohol education. No serious adverse events occurred. Relapse rates did not differ significantly between ketamine and placebo groups. The findings suggest ketamine is safe and may support abstinence, especially when paired with psychological therapy.
People with alcohol use disorder experience changes in consciousness from 0.8 mg/kg intravenous ketamine administration. Ketamine's effects remain broadly consistent across three repeated infusions. Reductions in alcohol consumption linked to ketamine do not appear to be caused by the acute psychoactive effects of the drug.
Brief breath counting training reduced the increase in alcohol motivation caused by negative mood in hazardous community drinkers. In two online studies (n=122 and n=111) and one in-person pub study (n=62), participants were randomized to a 6-minute breath counting exercise or a control audio. Breath counting eliminated the negative mood-induced rise in alcohol craving (Study 2) and the stress-induced increase in choosing alcohol over food pictures in a pub setting (Study 3). Study 1 found reduced craving but could not demonstrate reversal of a mood-induced increase because the mood induction did not raise craving. Breath counting appears a practical method for reducing emotional triggers of alcohol motivation.
Breath counting helped people recover from stress-induced alcohol-seeking behavior and reduced stress-related negative emotions. The findings suggest that breath counting could be a treatment for stress-induced relapse, and that mindfulness therapy may work by building resilience against negative drinking triggers.