New FDA Approved Option for Alcoholics

By John P. Landi, M.D., FACS –

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and although there is no known cure or “magic pill,” there is a new FDA approved treatment option in the armentarium to combat the disease of Alcoholism.

Facts About Alcohol
Some facts about alcohol are certainly eye opening – 50% of all fatal car accidents involve alcohol; a large percentage of violent behavior involving murder, rage, suicides and child abuse center around alcohol misuse; children of alcoholics are more likely to become alcoholics; and, unbelievably, alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug in the world.

Treatment Options
To begin to solve an alcoholic addiction, the person must first recognize that he/she has a problem and then be willing to seek help, make life changing decisions and follow through on those decisions. For many years, the only treatment options were recognition of the problem, detox, alcoholic rehab and lifelong consulting, including AA.

High Success Rate with Implantable Pellet that Helps Control Drinking Cravings
Beginning several years ago in Australia, a gynecologist devised an implantable pellet as a means of treating alcoholism in his wife. He was able to convert NALTREXONE from oral to pellet form to be time released to help control the drinking cravings of the alcoholic. This has been perfected over the last three years and Naltrexone is FDA approved in the United States. It has been used with a 85% success rate Worldwide in over 5,000 alcoholics to eliminate the craving for a drink.

How It Works
The NALTREXONE pellets (2) are inserted into the fatty tissue of the lower abdomen under local anesthesia in a 15 minute sterile procedure. The person can then return to full activities within 24 hours. The medication is released slowly over about 9 months. In order to be eligible for this treatment, the person must first contact the website, tjackoboice@freshstartprivateflorida.com  or call Tim Jackoboice at (800) 985-7574 to be evaluated. If a candidate for the procedure, they will be referred first to a psychiatrist for an evaluation and then to a surgeon trained in the procedure who will perform a physical exam and perform the procedure. Following implantation, a comprehensive follow-up program is utilized.

It should be noted that this Naltrexone slow release pellet is not a “cure” or “magic solution.” It is an adjunct in the treatment for those committed to getting better. The medication works at the brain level by decreasing the craving stimulus (by blocking opiod sites). Hopefully this new medical option will provide the vehicle for many alcoholics to achieve their goal of beating their addition.

For More Information
For more information, please contact tjackoboice@freshstartprivateflorida.com, call (800) 985-7574, or visit us at our website, www.freshstartprivateflorida.com.