According to the CDC, every year, about 178,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes, and that number has nearly doubled since the COVID-19 lockdowns.[1] Alcohol use is also tied to over 200 major health problems, yet it often goes ignored in doctors’ offices.[2] That’s troubling enough, but here’s something even more surprising: a medication that could help millions of patients is barely being used. As of 2025, the use of medications to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a well-established part of evidence-based treatment, though still underutilized in many, if not most, settings (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). While the world buzzes about trendy new weight- loss drugs like Ozempic, a decades-old proven medication called naltrexone could be making just as big a difference in substance use treatment, if only more people knew and understood what it can do.