This old pill could take the pain out of battling alcoholism

No matter how many months he had been sober, no matter how, objectively, he knew that drinking was the road to hell, the visceral craving for alcohol overcame his resolution and he repeatedly relapsed.

The relapses destroyed his relationships

He was a cardiologist in one of the most admired cardiology teams in the world. And an alcoholic. His binge drinking started during his student days, when, as a high achiever, he was constantly anxious, permanently on edge. Prescription anti-anxiety drugs helped. A bit. But the complete intellectual extinction provided by a non-prescription dose of alcohol helped even more. The hangover wasn’t great, but it was worth it.