Alcoholism Cure Foundation

Alcoholism is an addiction to alcoholic beverages where drinking interferes with the individual's physical and mental health, and family, social and work responsibilities. The Alcoholism Cure Foundation, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is one of many organizations offering help to alcoholics, but with a different approach that relies on a novel treatment involving neurotransmitters in the brain.

Alcoholism Cure Foundation

• The Alcoholism Cure Foundation says it relies on nutraceutical treatment programs, which have never been tried before in treating alcoholism. The programs supposedly work by acting on the molecules in the brain that cause the craving for alcohol. This is opposed to the relief offered by therapies and medications that seek to make recovering alcoholics feel good about themselves and their lives. The foundation claims to have based its programs on research that indicates alcoholism to be a result of inadequate brain-reward neurotransmitters. As a result of this breakthrough, the foundation reports a 96 percent permanent cure of alcoholism.

  The Alcoholism Cure Foundation supports its claim through long-term cure rates, which it says are better than the prescriptions Revia or Campral. The foundation claims that all the ingredients it uses are recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. On the same note, however, at the end of its website, it clearly states that "No statements on this website have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration." Individuals who sign up for any programs of the foundation need to note that their claims lack governmental backing.

  The Alcoholism Cure Foundation offers the rehabilitation of alcoholics through two programs: Permanent Cure and Cure Yourself.

Permanent Cure

• The Permanent Cure is a customized program that aims to help an alcoholic stop drinking by supplying the neurotransmitters that the brain seeks as it grows dependent upon alcohol. The program is continually monitored and, according to foundation records, all participants entering this program have been cured.

Cure Yourself

• The Cure Yourself approach teaches alcoholics to monitor their condition and treat themselves accordingly by experimenting with ingredients that can be safely used without continual monitoring by a medical doctor. This approach involves detailed directions that need to be followed carefully. The foundation claims a success rate for this treatment that is 50 percent better than that achieved at other, more expensive alcoholism clinics.

Assessing Credibility

• Considering the fact that the foundation admits that its claims lack any evaluations by the FDA and hence are not backed by the government, it should suffice to note that the foundation is also a business that sells a service that may or may not work. Some participants in the foundation's treatment programs have alleged that the claims the foundation makes are misleading (see Resources).