In psychiatric out-patient departments the number of patients treated on account of alcohol dependence is increasing. Drinking has a serious impact on family and professional life and is a complex medical, social and economic problem. In psychiatry different ways of treatment of addiction were used but only now we have the opportunity to combine them or use new preparations focused on a specific type of addiction. One of the most recent substances used as an anticraving substance is also calcium acetylhomotaurinate or calcium acetylamino propane sulphonate (acamprosate). In the submitted study we tried to find out whether acamprosate can help in the treatment of alcohol addiction syndrome. The study comprised 23 patients, 9 women and 14 men who were followed up from Jan. 1 2001 to Oct. 31 2001. The mean period of drinking was 10.47 years (range 2 years – 39 years) with a mean period of abstinence of 7.52 months (range 5 weeks to 10 months). The mean age of the patients 43.26 years (range 27 to 59 years). Abstinence was violated after acamprosate by 5 patients, by three patients within three months and two patients after three months of abstaining. None of the patients discontinued acamprosate treatment because of undesirable effects of the drug.

        Key words: alcohol dependence, acamprosate, craving, period of abstinence