What if you found out there was a cure for addiction? A medication that eradicates the need for a fix? This is the story of Olivier Ameisen, a brilliant physician and cardiologist who developed a profound addiction to alcohol. He broke bones with no memory of falling. He nearly lost his kidneys; he fractured ribs and suffered a hemopneumothorax that left blood and air in the sac around his lungs. He gave up his flourishing practice and, fearing for his life, invested himself in Alcoholics Anonymous and, later, rehab. Nothing worked. So he did the only thing he could: he took his treatment into his own hands. Searching for a cure for his deadly disease, he discovered baclofen, a muscle relaxant that had proven effective in curing rats addicted to every substance from nicotine and alcohol to cocaine and heroin. Ameisen prescribed himself the drug and, over a two-year period, experimented with the dosage until he reached a level high enough to leave him free of "any "craving for alcohol. That was four years ago. "The End of My Addiction "is both a memoir of Ameisen's own struggle and a groundbreaking call to action--an urgent plea for research that can rescue millions from the scourge of addiction, and spare their loved ones the collateral damage of the disease. |
