Three pints or half a bottle of wine a night is considered too much by doctors, putting lives at risk. But a pill could be the answer for those who can’t say no to another drink.
The tablet acts by dampening the pleasure of alcohol and cutting cravings for more booze than is recommended.
Experts claim that almost 600,000 would be eligible for the nalmefene pill, which costs £3, and would be taken once a day when people feel the urge to drink.
Men would qualify to receive the treatment if they consume 7.5 units of alcohol per day – around three to four pints of standard strength lager – while women would qualify if they drink five units a day, which amounts to around half a bottle of wine.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended the drug’s use after trials showed it cut drinking by 61 per cent over six months when used with counselling.
A final decision on whether to roll it out across the country will be in November, but it has already been provided to patients in Scotland since October last year.
How do you know if you're alcohol dependent?
Doctors diagnose someone as having a dependency on alcohol, if they show three out of six principal symptoms at the same time within the last year:
- strong desire to take alcohol
- difficulties in controlling the use of alcohol
- neglect of hobbies due to alcohol use
- persisting with alcohol use despite seeing it harm themselves
- tolerance to the effects of alcohol
- withdrawal symptoms.
If nalmefene, also known as Selincro, was to be introduced across England for this specific group of drinkers – at a cost of £288m a year – GPs would ask all their patients about their alcohol intake to try and find out how much they drink, even when they are there for unrelated health issues.
Nice said the pill could save 1,854 lives over five years and prevent 43,074 alcohol-related diseases and injuries.
Professor Carole Longson, for Nice health technology evaluation centre, said: “Alcohol dependence is a serious issue for many people. Those who could be prescribed nalmefene have already taken the first big steps by visiting their doctor, engaging with support services and taking part in therapy programmes.
“We are pleased to be able to recommend the use of nalmefene to support people further in their efforts to fight alcohol dependence.
“When used alongside psychosocial support, nalmefene is clinically and cost effective for the NHS compared with psychosocial support alone.”
Nalmefene is the only licensed medicine which helps people reduce their drinking rather than aiding them to stop drinking altogether. And Nice was keen to say that severe alcoholics and those who are able to cut down without help would not be eligible for the drug.