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The first ever trials using the psychoactive drug MDMA are to begin in Bristol.

Researchers hope to discover whether the drug – which is commonly referred to as ecstasy – will help treat alcoholics more effectively than current medication.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the trial was granted ethical approval by a panel of experts a few weeks ago, and the first dose of MDMA is set to be administered within the coming two months. The trial is being conducted by scientists at Imperial College London and will take place in Bristol.

Around 20 people suffering from alcohol addiction have been selected from services in Bristol. Participants are described as ‘heavy drinkers’ who typically consume up to five bottles of wine per day and have relapsed after undergoing other methods of treatment.

The study will see each participant undertake a physical detox before being given two standard therapy sessions.

They will then attend a day-long session where they will be given a very high dose of pure MDMA in a capsule. Throughout the day the participants will talk with a therapist and spend time “lying down with an eye-mask in a state of quiet meditation”, the Guardian newspaper has reported.

Ben Sessa, a clinical psychiatrist on the trial and senior research fellow at Imperial College London told the paper: “We know that MDMA works really well in helping people who have suffered trauma and it helps to build empathy. Many of my patients who are alcoholics have suffered some sort of trauma in their past and this plays a role in their addiction.”

Mr Sessa has said that trial is not “all about the drug”, rather it is hoped the drug will enable the patient to dig down to the root of the problem with the therapist.

Scientists have allocated £62,000 to buy the 12 grammes of MDMA needed for the study.