| Summary: | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Psychosocial treatments for alcoholism have been shown to increase abstinence rates and improve the quality of life for many alcoholics. Nonetheless, a significant proportion of alcoholics find it difficult to maintain initial treatment gains and eventually relapse to problematic drinking. Some of these individuals can now be helped with naltrexone, an opiate antagonist recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat alcohol abuse disorders. When used as an adjunct to psychosocial therapies for alcohol-dependent or alcohol-abusing patients, naltrexone can reduce (1) The percentage of days spent drinking (2) The amount of alcohol consumed on a drinking occasion (3) Relapse to excessive and destructive drinking. This TIP will help clinicians and treatment providers use naltrexone safely and effectively to enhance patient care and improve treatment outcomes. Naltrexone therapy improves treatment outcomes when added to other components of alcoholism treatment. For patients who are motivated to take the medication, naltrexone is an important and valuable tool. In many patients, a short regimen of naltrexone will provide a critical period of sobriety, during which the patient learns to stay sober without it
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