Virtual reality could treat alcoholism

Virtual reality therapy is a “promising approach” to the treatment of alcohol dependence, a new study suggests.

A group of South Korean scientists are optimistic about the potential for virtual reality therapy in treatment of alcohol use disorders after getting positive results.

Their study, titled “Virtual reality therapy for the treatment of alcohol dependence: A preliminary investigation with positron emission tomogrpahy/computerised tomography”, has been published in the July issues of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

The team of eight researchers recruited 12 patients who were being treated for alcohol dependence, all of whom went through a week-long detox plan before taking part in 10 sessions of virtual reality therapy.

The sessions took place twice a week, for five week and involved the patients being put in difficult and challenging virtual reality scenarios, within a safe and controlled space with the idea being to expose people to ‘situations that trigger fear and anxiety’.

The first scenario was a relaxing environment where an individual may wish to have enjoy a drink, the second was a ‘high risk’ environment where the patient was put in a restaurant with two other people who were having a drink. It was followed with an aversive scenario.

In the aversion scenario patients were surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of people getting sick from too much alcohol.

Virtual reality therapy has previously been used to treat phobias and post traumatic stress disorders, but ‘less is known about substance abuse’, according to senior researcher Doug hyun Han, M.D., Ph. D, of Chung-ANg University Hospital in Seoul, Korea.

He suggested it is a ‘promising approach’ because ‘it puts patients in situations similar to real life and requires their active participation’. “It also means that sessions can be ‘tailor-made’ for each individual.”

However, larger, more long-term studies are still needed to verify whether virtual reality has a meaningful impact on the lives of patients and helps them to avoid relapses.