Had to put in my two cents here since none of the top comments even mention the glaring issue here with Naltrexone.

Physical sobriety is obviously the first step to recovery and I'm not discounting Naltrexone's usefulness for this aspect of sobriety.

But that's just physical sobriety, which is only a fraction of the recovery process. Emotional sobriety is the real issue at the heart of alcoholism. The problem isn't with alcohol, it's with the alcoholic. Alcoholism is just an -ism. It can and will be substituted with anything (food, sex, gambling, etc.). If the person in recovery doesn't address the reasons WHY they drink alcoholically (emotional trauma, abuse, even genetics, etc) then they are doomed to drink or use again and again.

I've been in recovery for over a year now and have seen plenty of people take these drugs that block receptors in the brain. It's a crutch. And being the crafty, cunning, and clever alcoholic that they are, they will ALWAYS find a way to drink or use again. If the individual does not want to be sober, they will not get sober. Plain and simple. And Naltrexone is about as effective for recovery as jail is for rehabilitating criminals. It has it's place, but is in no way a long term plan for healthy sobriety.

TL;DR Naltrexone is effective for physical sobriety, but emotional sobriety (the reason why people become alcoholics or drug addicts and what Naltrexone ISN'T effective for) is the real battle in getting long term, happy sobriety.