Faculty & Research

Pharmacological Treatment of Alcoholism

   

J.C. Garbutt, M.D.

Primary Areas of Focus

  • Work in the identification of the different types of alcoholism.
  • Study of the biological differences between the alcoholism subtypes and between alcoholics and non-alcoholics.
  • Study of the biological differences and other risk factors between children of alcoholics and children from non-alcoholic families.
  • This research is implemented in collaboration with the Center's preclinical research teams, local treatment centers, and other alcoholism researchers around the country involved in the Centers for the Study of Genetics and Alcoholism.

 

Key Contributions

  • Participated in the final clinical trials utilizing Naltrexone in the treatment of alcoholism. Naltrexone was the first medication to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of alcoholism since disulfiram (Antabuse) was approved more than 25 years ago.
  • Found that the DIEM (Decrease in Ethanol Metabolism) phenomenon existed in sons of alcoholic fathers -- young men at risk for developing alcoholism.
  • Discovered in an initial pilot study that alcoholics are far more likely than non-alcoholics to prefer sweet tastes.