Virtual Reality Treating Alcoholism? South Korean Study Taps on Detox Sessions & Real-Life Simulation

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A new South Korean study suggests that virtual reality could be a suitable alternative to therapy for alcohol use disorders.

The study, which was published online in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, suggested that virtual reality may alter the way how the brain processes its response to alcohol.

"This technology is already popular in the fields of psychology and psychiatry," said lead researcher Doug Hyun Han, M.D., Ph.D., of South Korea's Chung-Ang University Hospital, as per Eureka Alert.

He added that virtual reality has been used as therapy for phobias and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In addition, there have been findings that virtual reality therapy can minimize cravings for alcohol and tobacco.

According to Han, virtual reality therapy sessions are a favorable way of treating alcohol dependence. This is because it simulates real life where patients are required to participate and that each scenario can be customized to fit their situation with alcohol, according to Science Daily.

For the study, Han and colleagues studied 12 patients that have alcohol dependence disorders. They all went through a detox program and were given 10 sessions each of virtual reality therapy, twice a week for five weeks.

The sessions involved three virtual scenarios, one where they are "relaxed," another where they are in "high risk," a situation that compels them to drink alcohol, and third where the situation was "aversive," a scenario where the patients were simulated in an environment where people are getting sick from over consuming alcohol.

As a result of the sessions, the participants had a low hankering for alcohol which was suggested by the low activities in their brain metabolism. The researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) and computerized tomography (CT) brain scans to measure all the patients' metabolism as base measurement.

The results are promising but according to Han, more research and studies are needed to find out if virtual reality can help patients swear off alcohol for good or prevent relapses.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been about 88,000 deaths linked to overconsumption of alcohol in the United States from 2006–2010. In addition, 1 in 10 deaths are caused by excessive drinking among adults aged 20 to 64.

Short-term and long-term health risks of excessive drinking include increased risk for violence and alcohol-related injuries and deaths, alcohol poisoning, unintended pregnancies, miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women, and increased risk for development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, live disease and high blood pressure.