Ease Alcohol Memory Triggers and Empower Your Control Over Drinking

Alcohol Use Disorder is the most common substance use disorder. It causes economic, psychosocial, medical, and personal burdens across the globe that nothing else compares to.

During the pandemic, people who’ve lost jobs and income, or been hospitalized with COVID, or who’ve lost loved ones to the vicious virus, have clear and easy-to-identify reasons for depression.

But the vast majority of people who haven’t experienced things like this still struggled with depression and anxiety — and didn’t understand why. For many, that anxiety led to heavier drinking and substance use than was typical for them. And so for them–and maybe for you–taking a second look at ketamine’s effectiveness in erasing alcohol memory triggers is even more relevant if they’re trying to reduce the heavier drinking they’ve been doing. People need to get jobs again, and need to reduce their use of alcohol and other substances they’ve been turning to to cope. They need to take action.

If this is you, maybe you need to take action. Jump in.

We know that the rate of relapse for those attempting to achieve sobriety is very high. Unfortunately, with so many alternative and creative FDA approved treatments available, none has really demonstrated robust success. So, that leads to a closer look at ketamine treatment.?

While there are good outcomes with ketamine treatment for alcohol use disorder, this treatment calls for in-depth exploration through further studies.

Two recent studies offered more information about these outcomes. (Still, more are needed. We know that and applaud our colleagues who continue to break ground in this field.)

One study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry December 2019 right before COVID-19 began to grow in the US revealed plenty. The stress of COVID-19 might show a thwarted effect. The monumental stress so many experienced. And to which so many succumbed. Thankfully, during this study, no one had heard of COVID.

Ketamine Plus Motivation Enhancement Therapy = Better Abstinence

Study shows abstinence from alcohol improved when ketamine and talk therapy were combined. We’ve talked before about the benefits of ketamine to reduce the craving for cocaine and for alcohol use, as well. A substance use disorder is can be a prison with no way out. We’re going to talk about the work of researcher who … Continue reading

Elias Dakwar, M.D., led this study, then followed it with one focused on cocaine use. He’s Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University. And he’s become intrigued with whether ketamine can reduce craving in addictive disorders...Interesting, right?

Motivational Enhancement Therapy targets a person’s motivation and determination to stop drinking alcohol. Ketamine can improve motivation and initiative... and motivational enhancement therapy can, too.

So the synergy between the two can be remarkably effective.

But wait...

There is another way that ketamine helps empower an individual to stop drinking. It impacts your memories tied to drinking in the past by erasing alcohol memory triggers.

In a study published in Nature, Ravi Das and his research team looked at whether ketamine could put the brakes on a phenomenon called maladaptive reward memories. They play a big role in substance abuse.

The idea is that when you see a cocktail, or a cold beer, it triggers memories associated with drinking it in the past.

(The same thing happens to sugar addicts. See a moist brownie, or a sundae dripping with hot fudge, and it triggers memories of the depth of enjoyment you experienced when you ate those before.)

And you want more.

Who can drink just one beer... or eat just one s’more?

We say these are maladaptive reward memories, because that decadent taste and texture, or the good feeling you had when you drank that cocktail or ice cold beer, is the reward you received from it. It’s maladaptive because those rewards are not necessarily good for you. More of the chocolatey treat leads to weight gain... and all the ills associated with too much sugar.

By the same token, the desire to have more of that feeling you get with more beer or cocktails, can lead to intoxication, impaired driving... and, we all know, to a PROBLEM.

So that’s where control comes in. To have one treat, or one alcoholic drink, then to stop and have no more. (We’re using the example of chocolate to make the problem more relatable for you if you don’t use alcohol. Hits a little closer to home, doesn’t it?)

Back to this new study. The researchers displayed a glass of cold beer, along with photos of people drinking, laughing, having a good time. It was all about studying the effect of memories associated with drinking alcohol. Ketamine treatment blocks the memory formation associated with alcohol consumption. They believed it could erase the triggers in the environment that seem to spur you to drink.

Their conclusion was that while ketamine can erase alcohol memory triggers, it is not a magic bullet all in itself—but rather it would be most effective when it’s combined with motivational enhancement therapy.

So if you understand that you need to incorporate the two together, to get the most out of treatment... then your power to stop drinking, or even greatly reduce drinking alcohol can be dramatically increased.

It’s like 1 + 1 = 3.6. (I love this kind of new math.)

It’s interesting that ketamine’s ability to erase or rework memories has been considered by some as a negative. So let’s be really clear here: ketamine doesn’t erase memory. But it can and it does dampen and strips the thrill away from memory rewards.

Innovative thinking and an innovative approach to alcohol- a problem that just about everyone thinks they have an answer for. We're grateful for Drs. Dakwar and Das for giving us a whole new fresh idea for a substance use disorder that kills millions every year.

Sometimes it takes a village. Sometimes it takes an innovator.

At Innovative Psychiatry, we see so many people whose drinking has changed dramatically following IV ketamine treatment. Reduced cravings, renewed motivation, abstinence. They get their lives back, they get their jobs back, and they get their relationships on track. Since alcohol use disorder can be right in there along with depression, anxiety, PTSD and other substance use disorders, IV ketamine can address multiple disorders at the same time. Ketamine’s ability to rewrite those memories, to change your experience when you’re exposed to scenarios that had previously provided triggers for you, can bring such freedom, hope, and a sense of control over your life... that you’ll be thrilled to get to know your best self.

We offer IV ketamine treatment in a soothing, relaxing, and private environment so you can settle in and get the most from your treatment.

We also have prepared our offices for you by installing technology that destroys viruses, bacteria, and molds in the air and on surfaces. See the little white box in the photo? It’s amazing that such a small container can be so powerful. NASA and The Department of Defense designed our disinfecting technology. (We’ve learned we can’t be too safe, haven’t we?) So you can rest reassured when you come for IV ketamine treatment. You can rest. You can set an intention... create a mindset... that will allow you to move forward while ketamine goes to work.

If you have found you don’t have the control you wish you did over alcohol, call us.

It delights us to talk with you, and with your healthcare team, to coordinate treatment to help you enjoy more success as you build your life and relationships.

Innovative Psychiatry is a full-service psychiatric practice, and we offer IV ketamine treatment. If you find you drink more alcohol at a time than you wish, or more often than you intend, give yourself the benefit that ketamine can provide. Call us and let’s find out if you’re a candidate for this extraordinary treatment.

Ketamine isn't for everyone. But we can absolutely evaluate whether you're a good candidate or not for this treatment. Since the percentage of those who don’t respond is low, chances are IV ketamine will give you the advantage you need to move forward in your life without the burden of excessive and harmful drinking.

Cut yourself some slack.

To the restoration of your best self,

Lori Calabrese, MD