FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PIONEER IN ADDICTION TREATMENT SUPPORTS PROPOSED RESEARCH Dr. Sheila Blume Advocates Testing Baclofen for Alcohol Dependence Bridport, VT– February 26, 2013 – The Foundation for Alcoholism Research (FAR) announces that Sheila Blume, MD endorses the FAR campaign to fund a study on the effects of the medication Baclofen on alcohol dependence. The National Institutes of Health has given the University of Pennsylvania a million dollar+ grant to study Baclofen’s impact on nicotine addiction. The cost to extend this research to study Baclofen’s impact on alcohol dependence is $60,000. FAR has taken on the challenge to raise the $60,000 to fund the alcohol addiction portion to this important research.
“It is 50 years since I began treating patients with alcoholism, and I have seen great changes in the field during that time.
One of them is the birth and growth of the field of addiction medicine, which didn't exist in 1962,” said Dr. Blume.
“Although we now have some medications to work with that are able to provide modest help to some patients, we are in
need of more effective medicines. This study is exactly the kind needed to evaluate whether or not Baclofen has the right physiological effects to become the next important alcoholism treatment." After studying the proposed Baclofen research materials, Dr. Blume commented, “The proposed research study by
Teresa R. Franklin, Ph.D. and Reagan Wetherill, Ph.D. to investigate the effects of the drug Baclofen on alcohol
dependent patients, seems a meritorious one to me, and is a good project for FAR to undertake. Baclofen is an accepted
part of medical practice for several indications, and there is reason to believe that it may be a great help in treating
alcoholism. One great advantage is the availability of sophisticated measurements, including the use of magnetic
resonance imaging to assess the ability of Baclofen to produce a measurable response. The ability to link to a large
ongoing study of Baclofen in nicotine dependence, and the extensive experience with Baclofen of this research group,
under the direction of Charles O'Brien M.D., will assure a that a maximum of useful data will be realized.”
The FAR fundraising campaign includes both individual and corporate donors. Donors may contribute by mailing a
donation (100% to research) to PO BOX 51, Bridport, VT 05734 or online at FAR
encourages those with matching grants from their employers to make sure their company is aware of their donations.
Dr. Blume began treating alcoholic women in 1962 when women were routinely excluded from treatment programs. She directed the first rehabilitation units in the New York State hospital system. Later, she advanced the inclusion of psychodrama in alcoholism treatment. Dr. Blume became the Commissioner of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse for the state of New York and went on to serve in several government and medical institutions throughout her career.
The Foundation for Alcoholism Research is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2008 to raise and
distribute funds to perform research in the following areas: Causes, Identification, Detection, Prevention, Treatment,
Control, and Cure of/for Alcoholism. FAR can be reached at 802-758-2243 a
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