Alcoholics will be given ketamine-assisted therapy to help treat the condition as part of a new trial.
Researchers at the University of Exeter will examine the use of the drug alongside therapy in a phase III trial after previous studies showed the treatment was safe for heavy drinkers.
A previous trial found that 86 per cent of participants who had ketamine combined with therapy were completely sober six months later.
As well as being used a recreational drug in the club scene, ketamine is widely used as an anaesthetic. Research has found that it can also quickly ease depression and soothe suicidal thoughts in the short term.
It is classified as a Class B banned substance by the Home Office.
Researchers will recruit 280 alcoholics over the summer to take part in the £2.4m phase III trial. Half will be given ketamine at the dose used in the first clinical with psychological therapy, while the other group will receive a low dose and seven sessions of education on the harmful impacts of alcohol.
It will take place at seven NHS sites across the UK. The Ketamine for Reduction of Alcohol Relapse (KARE) trial will now move to the next step of drug development, with the aim of rolling it out into the NHS if it proves effective.
Trial lead Professor Celia Morgan, from the University of Exeter, said: “Alcohol-related harm is estimated to cost the NHS around £3.5bn each year, and wider UK society around £40bn.
“Alcohol problems affect not only the individual but families, friends and communities, and related deaths have increased still further since the pandemic. We urgently need new treatments."
The UK is increasingly becoming one of the frontiers of research into psychedelic-assisted therapy. On Monday, the Standard reported how four North American research firms have struck a deal with a London-based company to conduct trials into the use of psychedelics in treating tobacco addiction and depression.
Earlier this year, the Standard reported how scientists were trialling psilocybin, the chemical component in magic mushrooms, as a potential treatment for anorexia nervosa.
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The ketamine trial has been funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with additional funding from biotech firm Awakn Life Sciences.
