Anti-smoking drug may kill two birds with one stone

2/16/2012

Employee wellness programs are not just about weight loss, as they also aim to get workers to quit smoking and monitor their alcohol intake. Drinking large amounts of alcohol may not only impair a person's judgement and work performance, but can also have long-term effects on physical health. Recently, a study has found that a drug commonly used to help people give up cigarettes may also curb drinking.

The drug varenicline, sold as Chantix, has been found by researchers at the University of Chicago to increase the unpleasant effects of drinking, and made study participants like alcochol less.

According to Hugh Myrick, associate professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, these results are very important because smoking and alcoholism often go hand-in-hand.

"Varenicline may find a nice niche in those individuals who are both nicotine and alcohol dependent, who we know represent a large portion of alcohol-dependent individuals," said Myrick. "Since there is a high comorbidity between nicotine and alcohol dependence, a single medication that could decrease the use of both substances would be ideal."

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