[Self experimentation and in vitro research will not suffice: a plea for treatment]

Alcoholism in humans is a field in which lots of animal experiments, meaning the deaths of thousands of rats and mice, have been carried out and are still being carried out. The question is whether the results of these experiments can be of any help as far as this very complex human disorder is concerned. To find an answer to this question, 86 scientific papers of the years 1990 to 2000 have been analysed and their findings evaluated using up-to-date literature on the therapy of alcoholism. What was found was that animal testing has not led to an improved therapy.