The impact of gambling addiction plagues those who suffer from the affliction as well as their loved ones. Studies have determined problem gambling is the result of an addiction as strong as a dependency on alcohol or other drugs and chemical changes within the brain mirror are similar.
Now, a research group in Alberta is testing a drug that is used to treat alcoholics to see if it can assist problem gamblers. The drug naltrexone, used to address drug dependency, has shown promising results as a treatment intended to reduce the cravings of a gambling addict but the exact scientific effect of the drug on a gambler’s brain has yet to be proven.
The team of researchers is recruiting problem gamblers in an attempt to further understand the drug’s impact while assisting those afflicted in their efforts to stop gambling.
“Perhaps this is a treatment that could be successful especially if you have a high urge to gamble and that is not going away even through counselling or whatever other treatments you are using,” said Darren Christensen, a researcher at the University of Lethbridge.
Study participants will be provided with the drug and undergo a series of tests, including MRI scans, to see how it is affecting the parts of their brain that govern impulse and reward.
For additional information on the study, visit the University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Health Sciences – Naltrexone as a Treatment for Gambling Disorder.
With files from CTV's Kevin Green
