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<\/div>\nThe chip is expected to combat alcohol cravings for up to five months<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A 36-year-old man in China has received a surgically implanted chip\u00a0designed to help him overcome his alcohol addiction,\u00a0South China Morning Post <\/a><\/em>reported. With this, he\u00a0has become the first person in the country to receive such a treatment\u00a0to help him with addiction.\u00a0<\/p>\n The man, whose surname was mentioned in the report as Liu, underwent a five-minute procedure on April 12 at the Hunan Brain Hospital in central China. The procedure was part of a clinical trial led by Hao Wei, a former vice president of the United Nation’s International Narcotics Control Board.<\/p>\n Mr Hao said that the\u00a0chip is expected to combat alcohol cravings for up to five months. The chip, when implanted\u00a0releases naltrexone\u00a0which is absorbed by the body and targets receptors in the brain. Naltrexone is a substance commonly used in addiction treatment to prevent relapse.<\/p>\n Notably, Mr Liu\u00a0has been an alcoholic for 15 years. He had a habit of consuming half a liter\u00a0of Chinese liquor daily, which made him violent.\u00a0His daily routine included drinking alcohol before breakfast and then consuming it\u00a0throughout the day at work and evening until he passed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n He said that he” felt very anxious” when he didn’t have a bottle with him. However, his\u00a0addiction, which had become more acute in the past five years, almost destroyed his health and his relationship\u00a0with his parents and girlfriend.<\/p>\n When he heard that local hospitals had begun clinical trials of implanted chip technology, he decided to give it a shot. Though initially anxious,\u00a0\u00a0he was surprised at how quick and easy the procedure was.<\/p>\n ”It only took five minutes, and then I bid farewell to alcohol,”\u00a0Mr Liu said. After the successful surgery, he hopes\u00a0he can now enjoy a life free from alcohol.\u00a0<\/p>\n As per a 2018 report by The Lancet medical journal<\/a>, China topped the world for alcohol-related deaths.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n