Anti-Smoking Drug May Fight Alcohol Dependence

If you drink or smoke, there's a new pill out that may help you kick the habit. Varenicline is already being used to help smokers overcome addiction. Preliminary research shows it could do the same for heavy drinkers. Because the pill targets the pleasure centers in the brain, it may eventually be useful in treating addictions of everything from painkillers to gambling.

Developed by Pfizer as a stop-smoking aid, varenicline is sold in the US under the name Chantix. It works by adhering to the same brain receptors to which nicotine binds when inhaled in cigarette smoke. The drug prevents dopamine from being released into the brain's pleasure centers, making smoking less rewarding.

Often smoking and drinking go hand-in-hand so it's not surprising that the same drug might help curb both addictions. However, since the drug doesn't work with all smokers, it's unlikely that it will work with all drinkers. "Is this going to be a cure-all? No, not for smoking or alcoholism, because both diseases are more complicated than a single target or single genetic issue," said Allan Collins, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Colorado. Human trials are scheduled to start soon and will be conducted by Selena Bartlett, a neuroscientist with the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco in conjunction with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.