The unpleasant reaction to alcohol experienced by patients taking disulfiram was reported twenty-four years ago (Hald and Jacobsen, 1948; Martensen-Larsen, 1948). For as long as patients continue to take oral disulfiram they may be too afraid to drink. Unfortunately in practice they often discontinue the therapy, and drink with impunity a few days later. Thus a long-acting preparation of disulfiram would be desirable.

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A previous paper (Malcolm and Madden, 1973) has described the use of disulfiram implantation as a method of treatment for some alcoholics. The results obtained were satisfactory, measured in terms of duration of abstinence and social improvements made in the post-implant period. However, it was suggested that the success of the implant might be due to psychological rather than pharmacological factors. In an effort to clarify the nature of any deterrent effect of the implant, further clinical and biochemical evidence has been collected.

Chlormethiazole (Heminevrin) is a sedative and anticonvulsant that has been reported by Glatt et al. (1965) to be more effective than placebo for the alcohol abstinence syndrome. The present study was designed to compare the substance with trifluoperazine (Stelazine).