Abstract
Alcoholic beverages, socially accepted drinks around the world, are consumed (legally by adults and illegally by minors) to socialize, celebrate, and relax. However, persistent drinking results in the development of tolerance that necessitates a perpetual increase in alcohol drinking to achieve desired effects. In genetically predisposed subjects and in the presence of certain environmental cues, chronic alcohol drinking induces addiction, characterized by excessive uncontrollable drinking associated with rapid onset of the withdrawal symptoms. Currently, there are only three medications approved by the U.S. FDA to treat alcoholism: disulfiram (alcohol metabolizing enzyme inhibitor), naltrexone (opiate receptor antagonist), topiramate, and acamprosate (NMDA receptor inhibitor). Because pharmacotherapy alone or in combination with behavioral approaches is only modestly effective in treating alcoholism symptoms, there is an urgent need for developing effective and safe therapies. In this chapter, we describe upcoming biopsychosocial (BPS), pharmacologic, pharmacogenetic, pharmacogenomic, genomic, phytomedicinal, and deep brain stimulation approaches for the treatment of alcoholism.
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