What Medication Is Used for Alcohol Addiction?

Medical Treatment for Alcoholism

Medicine to help quit alcohol comes to recovery from several angles. There are medications aimed at aiding you before, during, and after your recovery. This makes alcohol medication very versatile for numerous people, wherever they are in their journey. 

Let’s explore some of the primary kinds of medication for alcoholism. Hopefully, you can get a better idea of the options available to you and what you can expect them to do. 

Acamprosate

Acamprosate, also known as Campral, is a drug that aims to manage your dopamine receptors in a way that curbs cravings. As an alcohol craving medication, it makes it a lot easier for you to breeze through those first few months of recovery that tend to lead to relapse. 

You’ll still experience withdrawals and have to contend with the social and personal elements of the addiction, but the craving will be weaker. That’s a big benefit when you’re already faced with many triggers and challenges. 

Naltrexone

Naltrexone is an interesting medication in that it assists you to ease into quitting by adjusting your experience of alcohol. When you’re on Naltrexone, your dopamine receptors are adjusted in a way that reduces the euphoria of alcohol. 

In other words, you don’t enjoy being drunk as much. Your BAC will still be high, and you might experience other symptoms, but the pleasure response to alcohol will dim. 

The idea is that you won’t be as compelled to drink if you’re not going to enjoy it. 

Nalmefene

Nalmefene is another drug to stop drinking alcohol, motivating a person to get into a new relationship with the substance. Nalmefene has shown that it can reduce alcohol consumption in individuals who aren’t ready to quit but might have a problem. 

We can extend this line of reason and use it to reduce alcohol consumption to lower the intensity of withdrawals and cravings when a person quits. 

Disulfiram

Disulfiram is a medication to stop drinking that blocks the enzyme needed for metabolizing alcohol. When a person on Disulfiram does drink, the experience they have is wretched. 

The experience is worse than drinking is enjoyable, so the idea is that it would keep an individual from drinking. It’s a quit drinking medication that makes drinking feel even more terrible than it would the next day. 

Interested in Recovery?

If you’re interested in medical help for alcoholism, medications tablets to stop drinking, or insight into sobriety, we’re here to give you advice. There are dozens of ways that a person can get sober, and they’re all worth exploring. 

Explore our site if you’re interested in learning more about tablets to stop drinking alcohol and more. Contact us for more information on recovery, options, or pricing.