美国国家公共电台 NPR A Medicine That Blunts The Buzz Of Alcohol Can Help Drinkers Cut Back

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

A strategy to help problem drinkers cut back, a strategy that involves a prescription¹ drug that's been around for more than 20 years. Here's NPR's Allison Aubrey.

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE²: Millions of people drink more than they should or want to. And for those who struggle, this may sound familiar.

JOHN: It's hard to admit that you have a problem. I would say, for me, that was the No. 1 thing that held me back initially³.

AUBREY: That's John. He asked us not to use his full name. He worries disclosing his trouble with alcohol could affect his career. He says for years, he was a social drinker. He'd grab a few beers with his softball team after a game. But then after several deaths in his family, he sunk into a dark depression.

JOHN: So I definitely tried to seek solace⁴ in the bottle, so to speak. You know, I wanted to kind of numb⁵ my thoughts.

AUBREY: He'd started about 10 in the morning with hard liquor. He'd pour a glass of vodka and drink it straight up. This went on for months. He works from home, and he continued to do well professionally. So at first, no one noticed. Some afternoons, by the time his family came home, he'd had eight drinks or more.

JOHN: As any alcoholic⁶ or anyone that struggles with alcohol will tell you - we become very good at hiding things.

AUBREY: He would sneak⁷ empty bottles out on garbage day. But eventually, his wife was on to him.

JOHN: She had come home, and I was rushing to hide a glass that I had been using. And she was furious with me - just absolutely furious.

AUBREY: He knew he needed help, but the prospect⁸ of being sent off to rehab or going to AA turned him off.

PAULA DESANTO: I would say his story is not unique.

AUBREY: That's Paula DeSanto, a therapist in Minneapolis area who works with John.

DESANTO: I think a lot of people are reluctant to get treatment because it traditionally can mean a significant disruption in their lives. There's a lot of stigma⁹, shame and embarrassment¹⁰.

AUBREY: She says there are alternatives to residential¹¹ rehab and 12-step abstinence programs, and the recommendation she gave John was to get counseling to help him deal with the loss and grief he was feeling and to try a prescription drug. The drug is called Naltrexone. It blocks the opiate receptors in the brain. It's used for treating drug addiction¹². And George Koob, who directs the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the NIH, says it can help drinkers too.

GEORGE KOOB: With alcohol, it tends to blunt the effects of alcohol's pleasurable effects. So you know, the report that people say is they have a drink and it's OK, and then they have a second drink, and it's really not doing much for them.

AUBREY: So they don't keep refilling the glass. Koob says there are multiple studies to show it can help drinkers cut back or even abstain¹³. He says Naltrexone is safe. It doesn't make you feel sick. And above all, as a recent clinical trial shows, it means people can receive effective treatment for alcohol use disorders¹⁵ from their primary care doctors by combining the medication with a series of brief office visits for support.

KOOB: Absolutely. I mean, Naltrexone is an effective medication for the treatment of alcohol use disorders. And its effectiveness is similar to that of antidepressants for major depressive episodes.

AUBREY: John says the first time he took Naltrexone, he noticed a difference. Normally, after one drink, it was hard for him to stop but not after taking this pill.

JOHN: I actually didn't really feel any of the alcohol effects, and it was startling at first.

AUBREY: It's been about five months since he started taking Naltrexone. And he says he has not stopped drinking completely, but he has cut way back.

JOHN: This is clearly helping¹⁶ me. And I can go out with friends and not worry that I'm going to escalate¹⁷ it or that I'm going to end up inebriated¹⁸ and sloppy¹⁹ and all of those things.

AUBREY: Now, Naltrexone won't help everyone, especially if a drinking disorder¹⁴ is too severe. But for John, the combination of Naltrexone and counseling has put him on the right path. And the important thing is he's actually getting help. Here's George Koob again.

KOOB: The biggest problem we have in the field is that less than 10 percent of individuals with an alcohol use disorder get any treatment whatsoever²⁰.

AUBREY: This is in part due to patients' resistance but also because many primary care doctors don't get much training in treating alcohol use disorders.

KOOB: Physicians are actually unaware²¹ that there are medications. So it's really a problem, and we are stepping up our efforts in the medical community.

AUBREY: And the NIH is also reaching out directly to the public. They have a website called Rethinking Drinking, which guides you through all the treatment options that are available.

Allison Aubrey, NPR News.

1 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

4 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

5 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

6 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

7 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

8 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

9 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

10 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

11 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

12 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

13 abstain   

v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免

参考例句：

• His doctor ordered him to abstain from beer and wine.他的医生嘱咐他戒酒。
• Three Conservative MPs abstained in the vote.三位保守党下院议员投了弃权票。

14 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

15 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

18 inebriated   

adj.酒醉的

参考例句：

• He was inebriated by his phenomenal success. 他陶醉于他显赫的成功。 来自互联网
• Drunken driver(a driver who is inebriated). 喝醉了的司机（醉酒的司机） 来自互联网

19 sloppy   

adj.邋遢的，不整洁的

参考例句：

• If you do such sloppy work again,I promise I'll fail you.要是下次作业你再马马虎虎，我话说在头里，可要给你打不及格了。
• Mother constantly picked at him for being sloppy.母亲不断地批评他懒散。

20 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

21 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。