Drinkers face music

COULD the ability to say no to another drink be as simple as listening to a piece of music?

Scientists at Yale University in the US asked 12 men and women with alcohol addiction to rate their cravings for a drink while listening to music through headphones. They then repeated the experiment, but instead played white noise — a hissing sound that has no frequency patterns.

The participants’ desire for a drink was much lower with the music. The researchers believe that music stimulates the mesolimbic system — the same part of the brain that alcohol and drugs activate.