“Can alcohol addiction be cured with medications?”

Unfortunately there is no permanent cure for alcoholism. However, if you do your treatment with the right medication for you and attend AA meetings and individual counseling you have a high probability of remaining sober for the rest of your life. You could be an alcoholist in remission for the rest of your life if you are fully compliant with the treatments. There are a number of medications to treat your alcohol problem and you should discuss with your general physician or psychiatrist which would be the best option for you. But remember, those medications are not going to "cure" your alcoholism but they will help you achieve maybe permanent remission. Unfortunately, many people who have not been drinking for many years can still relapse. One has to be very careful of situations (such as stress, mood problems, etc.) that can lead a person to drink again. Working with a counselor and having a sponsor helps those situations.

Over the years I've become increasingly impressed by the capacity of alcohol to cause terrible misery. I once read an article that addressed the actions of alcohol upon entering the system. It said that alcohol was a very "promiscuous" little molecule. By that he meant that because alcohol is such a tiny entity it can enter any cell it wishes to...therefore it can attack every system in the body. And alcohol attacks women with particular intensity. There are several FDA approved medications to treat alcohol dependence....Antabuse, (Acamprosate)Campral, Vivitrol (Naltrexone extended release injectable suspension, and Naltrexone. Each works in some to reduce cravings but none work in all. Do they "cure"? Maybe some people experience abstinence over a long enough period of time that they feel "cured". But as the first step of Alcoholics Anonymous says, "we admitted we were powerless over alcohol...." Relapse can occur years after one achieves abstinence. Was the individual cured? The combination of one of the various psychosocial treatments (AA, Smart Recovery to name just 2) and medication might improve the long term outlook. The treatment of concurrent depression with antidepressants is also a powerful therapeutic strategy. I have worked with clients with many years of abstinence--no longer on an approved medication. They may attend AA meetings sporadically or not at all. People with long term sobriety define recovery in a myriad of ways.