3.2- How long should I take medication

Addicted Brain

Addiction is a chronic brain disorder. In this picture, you can see how brain circuits have undergone changes due to long-term alcohol drinking

Medication will help !!

• Long-term alcohol use changes the brain’s wiring — these are the changes that drive craving.
• Repairing that wiring takes at least 3 months.
• Medications like naltrexone, acamprosate, and baclofen work on different brain chemicals (opioid, glutamate, and GABA systems) to help stabilise these changes.
• Recommended duration: 3 to 6 months, sometimes longer depending on your progress.
• Visit your doctor at CAM (OPD: Monday-Thursday-Saturday) every month while on these medications to review how you’re doing.
• These medications are not addictive — you won’t develop a dependence on them. Stopping too early, before the brain has stabilised, raises the risk of relapse.