MDMA appears to be an effective treatment against alcoholism

Ecstatic results

According to researchers at Imperial College London, the MDMA party drug – commonly known as "ecstasy" or "molly" – could be an effective treatment against alcoholism, The Guardian reports.

The researchers concluded that the therapy is not only safe, but also seems quite effective – a bold new treatment option for problem drinkers who want to change.

Promising results

They found that of the eleven people who joined the initial stage of the human trial, only one person reoffended, five completely stopped drinking alcohol and five "drank one or two glasses without reaching to a diagnosis of alcohol-related disorder ", Ben Sessa, addiction psychiatrist, principal investigator at Imperial College London and lead investigator of the trial, said The Guardian.

This is in contrast to standard treatment, in which up to 80% of patients tend to relapse, according to the newspaper.

Treat a trauma

MDMA can be effective because addiction – including alcoholism – tends to be based on underlying trauma.

"MDMA selectively alters the response to fear, MDMA psychotherapy gives you the opportunity to tackle rigidly held personal stories that are based on early trauma," said Sessa. "It's the ideal drug for trauma-focused psychotherapy."

Important caveat: The trial should still be compared to a randomized control group receiving placebos, which the next steps of the trial will test. But the trial has hope for the researchers.