‘Only takes five minutes’: Surgical chip implant first could help end scourge of alcoholism in China and offer hope to people with other addictions

A man whose life was almost destroyed by alcohol has become the first person in China to be implanted with a chip to cure his addiction. Experts say the chip, which only takes a few minutes to implant, is expected to combat the craving for a drink for up to five months. — SCMP

A 36-year-old man with an addiction to alcohol has become the first person in China to receive a surgically implanted chip designed to remove his craving for a drink.

The man, surnamed Liu, underwent a five-minute procedure on April 12 at the Hunan Brain Hospital in central China, as part of a clinical trial led by Hao Wei, a former vice-president of the United Nation’s International Narcotics Control Board.