A drug used to treat Alcohol addiction may help kleptomaniacs curb their urge to steal, according to a study by the University of Minnesota.

The researchers have been studying the drug, naltrexone, for several years as a possible treatment for a variety of compulsive behaviors, including gambling and drug addiction.

In the latest study, Dr. Jon Grant recruited 25 men and women who "spent an average of at least one hour a week stealing," according to a report published Wednesday in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry. For eight weeks, some of the volunteers took naltrexone, the others a placebo.

At the end of eight weeks, those on the medication reported "significantly greater decline" in stealing behavior, the report said.

"It gets rid of that rush and desire," said Grant, an associate professor of psychiatry. "The difference in their behavior was significant." Grant said that these are people who steal "even though they can easily afford not to," and that they are troubled by their behavior. The drug works by blocking nerve interactions in the brain that create feelings of pleasure. Grant said that this is not a cure for kleptomania (compulsive shoplifting), but most likely would work in combination with counseling.

In previous studies, Grant and his colleagues have found that naltrexone helped compulsive gamblers resist the urge to gamble. It has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat Alcohol and drug dependence. MAURA LERNER