Varenicline, a pill that is already on the market to help smokers quit has recently been shown to hold some promise as a medication to stop drinking as well. Unlike most other drugs used to stop smoking - patches, gums, etc. -- which provide some doses of nicotine, this twice-daily prescription pill, marketed by Pfizer under the name Chantix, works by binding to the same receptors that nicotine affects when we smoke, thus cutting both the urge to smoke and the effects of withdraw.

A study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that since alcohol acts on the same of areas of the brain, it makes sense that the pill could also curb users' appetite for alcohol. While studies have only been conducted on rats, this early research is promising.

Researchers believe that many more uses may be found for the drug in the future - perhaps even helping users to decrease their urge to gamble. But before it is used to cure all of our vices, researchers believe that they will likely find it useful in other, less unusual, areas like pain relief.