Experience of a "slip" among alcoholics treated with naltrexone or placebo.

OBJECTIVE

This study tested the hypothesis that naltrexone reduces relapse rates among alcoholics by modifying the reinforcing effects of initial alcohol consumption and alcohol-induced craving.

METHOD

Sixteen alcoholic patients treated with naltrexone and 27 treated with placebo who participated in a 12-week clinical trial reported retrospectively on their subjective responses to their first episode of a lapse into alcohol consumption and on their reasons for terminating the drinking episode.

RESULTS

Compared to the subjects who received placebo, the subjects who received naltrexone reported lower levels of craving for alcohol and were more likely to give reasons for terminating drinking that were consistent with decreased incentive to drink.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings support the hypothesis that a central effect of naltrexone is the modification of alcohol-induced craving.