New research suggests that ketamine may help people struggling with alcohol addiction.

The small randomized, controlled trial found that people with severe alcohol use disorder given infusions of ketamine reported more days of abstinence at a six-month follow-up than those in a control group.

Some scientists have been hopeful that ketamine might also help people with alcohol use disorder, based on some early studies.

Researchers at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom recruited 96 people diagnosed with severe alcohol use disorder.

We found that controlled, low doses of ketamine combined with psychological therapy can help people stay off alcohol for longer than placebo,” said lead author Celia Morgan in a statement from the university.

But given the lack of other reliable effective options, and the growing rise of excessive or harmful alcohol use (perhaps in part due to the pandemic), the researchers do hope that ketamine can continue to show promise and eventually become part of the treatment toolbox.