Free Republic

When Aaron, a 33-year-old writer from New York, decided to get help for his five-year addiction to painkillers, there was really only one option. Every morning, he visited a local clinic for a small cup of methadone, the standard treatment for addiction to heroin and other opiates since the 1960's. But his life soon revolved around the clinic's hours, he said, and the daily routine was humiliating. "I had to stand in line with a bunch of people who were talking about getting high," and take a urine test for illicit drugs each week, said Aaron, who spoke on the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new pill that aims to keep alcoholics from drinking again after they have quit could hit the shelves by the end of this year after U.S. health officials approved the drug on Thursday. The drug, called Campral, may not work for people who are actively drinking when they start taking the pill or who are abusing other substances, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. It was not clear how the pill worked, health officials said, but studies showed more patients who took the drug stayed away from drinking compared to those who...