There are basically four medications which are used to assist people addicted to alcohol (to gain or maintain sobriety). All of these medications require a prescription and their use must be overseen by a doctor.
Antabuse (disulfiram) has been around for years. It interferes with the metabolism of alcohol resulting in unpleasant effects when known alcohol is consumed (it makes the person ingesting alcohol sick).
Naltrexone (also know as Revia) is a medicine that reduces the desire for alcohol. It has been shown to assist sobriety by reducing the cravings for alcohol. It is not a cure, but when used with other treatments, has increased the success rate and the length of sobriety achieved. Naltrexone blocks the part of the brain which feels pleasure when alcohol (or narcotics) are consumed. Based on the blocking, a person does not feel the pleasure from the alcohol and therefore drinks less and stops drinking more easily. A person using this drug must make medical professionals aware of its use before undergoing surgery or receiving treatments including pain medications or anesthesia.
Vivitrol: Is an injectable form of Naltrexone which is administered only once a month. It involves a lower dose of the drug than oral Naltrexon but has equal or better results because of the continuous levels of the drug in the system. It is also preferred because it does not require the frequent dosing of the oral medication.
Campral: Campral is also an oral medication which works to restore the chemical balance in the brain in an alcohol dependent person who has recently stopped drinking. It assists a person who has quit to continue to abstain from drinking. It is not helpful to someone who has not already quit drinking and/or undergone detoxification.