This type of surgery is performed for the first time in China, an effective process to combat the terrible addiction to alcohol that destroys the physical integrity of the person and the emotional tranquility of their relatives.
According to the South China Morning Post, a 36-year-old male patient named Liu with fifteen years of alcoholism underwent surgery to implant a chip to eliminate his addiction to alcohol. Liu was part of a clinical trial at the Hunan Brain Hospital. The surgery was supervised by Hao Wei, a former vice president of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board and an expert on substance abuse and addiction mechanisms at the Second Xiangya Hospital of South China Central University.
After the chip implantation process, which takes just five minutes, the chip releases naltrexone, a substance used in addiction treatment to prevent relapse. This substance is then absorbed by the body and received by sensors in the brain. The expectation is that the chip will deal with addiction for up to five months, Hao said.
According to a study by the scientific publication The Lancet, China statistically recorded approximately 700,000 deaths from causes related to alcohol addiction in 2017, 93% of whom were men.
This advance in medicine is extremely important, knowing the unfavorable scope of alcoholism, because this disorder controls the patient, leading him to drink without control and putting his health or safety at risk.
The disorder associated with the use of alcohol can be mild, moderate or severe, these are the signs and symptoms:
Not controlling the amount of alcohol you drink
Intending to reduce the amount you drink without success
Spend a lot of time drinking.
Craving alcohol and not being able to stop.
You do not meet your social obligations to consume alcohol
Having withdrawal symptoms when you don’t drink.
Seek professional help if you have any of the above symptoms.
Terms used:
Chip: It refers to a very small element, made of a semiconductor material, which has numerous integrated circuits.
Naltrexone: is a type of medicine used for the treatment of opioid addiction. It is used to help avoid the use of illegal drugs and alcohol, but it will not prevent or alleviate withdrawal symptoms that can occur when use of these substances is stopped.
