Most people take Campral (acamprosate) for at least 6 months, and many continue for 12 months or longer. The exact duration depends on your individual recovery, but the medication works best when taken consistently over an extended period alongside counseling or a support program.
The Standard Treatment Timeline
Campral is not a short-term medication. Unlike drugs you might take for a week or two, it’s designed to support your brain chemistry over months while you build the habits and coping strategies that sustain sobriety. The VA’s pharmacy guidelines note that most people take it for at least 6 months, with many continuing beyond that point. A full 12-month course is common in clinical practice.
There’s no hard cutoff date built into the prescription. Your prescriber will work with you to decide when it makes sense to stop, typically based on how stable your recovery feels, whether you’re still experiencing cravings, and how strong your support systems are. Some people stay on Campral well past a year if the benefits continue and side effects remain manageable.
How Campral Works Over Time
Chronic alcohol use disrupts the balance between excitatory and calming signals in your brain. When you stop drinking, the excitatory system stays dialed up, which creates restlessness, anxiety, and persistent cravings. Campral helps restore that balance by calming overactive brain signaling. It also reduces the heightened dopamine response associated with alcohol withdrawal, which is part of what makes early sobriety feel so uncomfortable.
This rebalancing doesn’t happen overnight. Your brain needs time to recalibrate, and Campral provides a steadier chemical environment while that process unfolds. That’s why the medication requires months of consistent use rather than days or weeks. Stopping too early, before your brain has had enough time to stabilize on its own, can leave you more vulnerable to the cravings and distress the medication was managing.
What the Daily Regimen Looks Like
The standard dose is two 333 mg tablets taken three times a day, for a daily total of about 2,000 mg. That’s six tablets spread across morning, midday, and evening. The three-times-daily schedule can be inconvenient, but it’s necessary because the drug is absorbed slowly and cleared from your body relatively quickly.
If you have reduced kidney function, your prescriber may lower the dose to one tablet three times daily. Campral is processed almost entirely by the kidneys, so kidney health is an important factor in both dosing and whether the medication is appropriate for you at all.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember, then continue with your regular schedule. Don’t double up to make up for a missed one. Missing occasional doses happens, but frequent gaps reduce the medication’s effectiveness. Some people find it helpful to tie each dose to a meal or set phone reminders until the routine becomes automatic.
What Happens If You Relapse While Taking It
A relapse doesn’t mean you should stop taking Campral. The medication is specifically designed to be continued even if you drink. Unlike some other medications for alcohol use disorder, Campral won’t make you sick if you consume alcohol. It simply keeps working to reduce the neurological drive behind cravings. Many prescribers encourage patients to stay on it through a slip and refocus on their recovery plan rather than abandoning treatment.
Stopping Campral Safely
Campral does not cause physical dependence, so you won’t experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking it. This is a meaningful difference from some other psychiatric medications that require gradual tapering. That said, you should still coordinate with your prescriber before discontinuing. Stopping abruptly without a plan in place can leave you without the craving support you’ve been relying on, and the timing matters.
The best time to stop is when you and your prescriber agree that your recovery is well established. That typically means you’ve been abstinent for a sustained period, your cravings have significantly decreased, and you have reliable coping strategies and support in place. Many people find that after 6 to 12 months, the combination of brain recovery and behavioral change means they no longer need the medication’s support. Others benefit from a longer course.
Why Longer Treatment Often Works Better
Research consistently shows that longer treatment durations improve outcomes in alcohol recovery. In one year-long study published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, patients on medication maintained higher abstinence rates at 12 months compared to shorter treatment windows. The first year of sobriety carries the highest relapse risk, and having pharmacological support throughout that period gives your brain more time to heal while you develop the patterns that keep you sober long-term.
Campral also works best when combined with counseling, therapy, or mutual support groups. The medication addresses the chemical side of cravings, but it doesn’t teach you how to handle triggers, rebuild relationships, or manage stress without alcohol. Pairing the two gives you the strongest foundation. If you’re considering how long to stay on Campral, the answer for most people is: at least 6 months, ideally closer to a year, and potentially longer if it’s still helping and your prescriber agrees.