'Chip' helps suppress alcohol addiction

A hospital in Fuyang, Anhui province, has completed the province's first implant surgery of an alcohol cessation "chip", according to local health authorities.

The implant, also known as a sobriety "chip", is not an electronic device but a set of drug pellets inserted through minimally invasive surgery, the Third People's Hospital of Fuyang said in a statement after the procedure on April 9.

The pellets gradually release naltrexone hydrochloride, a medication that suppresses psychological cravings in alcohol-dependent individuals and reduces the risk of relapse.