How he found the combination of treatment and support that works for him.
For John Howard Ward, childhood exposure to substances and trauma was the slippery slope to decades of alcohol dependence. Now, at 52, John is grateful to be in recovery through a combination of medication and counseling, as well as support from those around him.
John remembers being only 10 years old the first time he got drunk. “My friend and I emptied a bottle of brandy at his apartment. His mother was away. I was too drunk to ride a bike, so my mother picked me up.”
A few years later, at 13, John was introduced to an older relative who, John remembers, “offered me a daiquiri as soon as I walked through the door.” The relationship immediately turned abusive, and John drank heavily for the next ten years in an effort to cope with the emotional and physical trauma he experienced. It wasn’t until he was 30 that John admitted to anyone what had happened.
During his 20s and 30s, John was able to control his drinking enough to build a career in event production. He married and had a daughter. A passionate musician, John lived a life of travel, partying, and late nights. Despite having a family and earning a good income, he acknowledges that, by his late 30s, “things had gotten out of control” and he began to experience consequences of his drinking.
“A low point in my life was when I had a DUI accident at age 40.” Thankfully, nobody got hurt in the accident, but it precipitated two months in jail, tens of thousands of dollars in fines and associated costs, and a suspended driver’s license. Over the years, John says, “I lost everything, including my home during the recession, and six jobs. My marriage crumbled. My health deteriorated.”
In 2008, John found himself in inpatient rehab where he was diagnosed by a healthcare provider with alcohol dependence , a disease that affects about 11 percent of U.S. adults. 1 The journey to diagnosis and treatment is different for each person and may include multiple approaches and attempts at recovery. During John’s initial treatment, he says, “I wasn’t committed to making a change, and I didn’t have the support system I have now.” Ultimately, he relapsed.
Over and over, John sought recovery. He attended thousands of 12-step and group recovery meetings and went through seven rehab stays in four different states. A move to upstate New York in 2023 to be near family put John in touch with a local primary care provider who also had a focus in addiction medicine.
This physician recommended John try VIVITROL ® (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) along with counseling, and he agreed. VIVITROL is a once-monthly prescription injectable medication for alcohol dependence in patients who are able to abstain from alcohol in an outpatient setting prior to initiation with VIVITROL treatment.
VIVITROL contains naltrexone, an opioid antagonist. Patients should not be actively drinking at the time of initial VIVITROL administration and VIVITROL should be part of a comprehensive management program that includes psychosocial support. You should not receive VIVITROL if you are using or have a physical dependence on opioid-containing medications or opioid street drugs, are having opioid withdrawal symptoms, or are allergic to naltrexone or any of the ingredients in VIVITROL.
VIVITROL can cause serious side effects, including risk of opioid overdose, severe reaction at the injection site, sudden opioid withdrawal, and liver damage or hepatitis.
See additional Important Safety Information below.
John has now taken VIVITROL for nine months. The medication, coupled with counseling, working with his healthcare provider, and the support of family and friends, has opened a path to recovery John didn’t know was possible.
The toll from John’s decades of alcohol misuse is significant, including memory loss and the end of his career. Through it all, he remains hopeful and grateful. “By focusing on my overall health, I have reconnected with family, my ex-wife, and my daughter, and returned to activities important to me like playing music.”
“I have so much to be thankful for and I feel like the only way a heavy drinker can truly apologize is to finally get treatment.” With this perspective, John feels privileged to share his story to let everyone know that it’s never too late, and help is available.
This is John’s story and does not represent all people living with alcohol dependence. The information included is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always talk to your healthcare provider.
Please read the Important Safety Information below . Discuss all benefits and risks with a healthcare provider.
VIVITROL is a prescription injectable medicine used to:
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- treat alcohol dependence. You should stop drinking before starting VIVITROL.
- prevent relapse to opioid dependence, after opioid detoxification.
You must stop taking opioids before you start receiving VIVITROL. To be effective, VIVITROL must be used with other alcohol or drug recovery programs such as counseling. VIVITROL may not work for everyone. It is not known if VIVITROL is safe and effective in children.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Do not receive VIVITROL if you:
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- are using or have a physical dependence on opioid-containing medicines or opioid street drugs, such as heroin. To test for a physical dependence on opioid-containing medicines or street drugs, your healthcare provider may give you a small injection of a medicine called naloxone. This is called a naloxone challenge test. If you get symptoms of opioid withdrawal after the naloxone challenge test, do not start treatment with VIVITROL at that time. Your healthcare provider may repeat the test after you have stopped using opioids to see whether it is safe to start VIVITROL.
- are having opioid withdrawal symptoms which may include anxiety, sleeplessness, yawning, fever, sweating, teary eyes, runny nose, goose bumps, shakiness, hot or cold flushes, muscle aches, muscle twitches, restlessness, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach cramps.
- are allergic to naltrexone or any of the ingredients in VIVITROL or the liquid used to mix VIVITROL (diluent).
VIVITROL can cause serious side effects, including:
- Risk of opioid overdose. You can accidentally overdose in two ways.
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- VIVITROL blocks the effects of opioids, such as heroin or opioid pain medicines. Do not try to overcome this blocking effect by taking large amounts of opioids—this can lead to serious injury, coma, or death.
- After you receive a dose of VIVITROL, its blocking effect slowly decreases and completely goes away over time. If you have used opioid street drugs or opioid containing medicines in the past, using opioids in amounts that you used before treatment with VIVITROL can lead to overdose and death. You may also be more sensitive to the effects of lower amounts of opioids:
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- after you have gone through detoxification
- when your next VIVITROL dose is due
- if you miss a dose of VIVITROL
- after you stop VIVITROL treatment
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Tell your family and the people closest to you of this increased sensitivity to opioids and the risk of overdose.
Talk to your healthcare provider about naloxone, a medicine that is available to patients for the emergency treatment of an opioid overdose.
Call 911 or get emergency medical help right away in all cases of known or suspected opioid overdose, even if naloxone is administered.
2. Severe reactions at the site of injection. Some people on VIVITROL have had severe injection site reactions, including tissue death. Some of these reactions have required surgery. VIVITROL must be injected by a healthcare provider. Call your healthcare provider right away if you notice any of the following at any of your injection sites:
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- intense pain
- the area feels hard
- large area of swelling
- lumps
- blisters
- an open wound
- a dark scab
Tell your healthcare provider about any reaction at an injection site that concerns you, gets worse over time, or does not get better within two weeks.
3. Sudden opioid withdrawal. To avoid sudden opioid withdrawal, you must stop taking any type of opioid, including street drugs; prescription pain medicines; cough, cold, or diarrhea medicines that contain opioids; or opioid-dependence treatments, including buprenorphine or methadone, for at least 7 to 14 days before starting VIVITROL. If your doctor decides that you don’t need to complete detox first, he or she may give you VIVITROL in a medical facility that can treat sudden opioid withdrawal. Sudden opioid withdrawal can be severe and may require hospitalization.
4. Liver damage or hepatitis. Naltrexone, the active ingredient in VIVITROL, can cause liver damage or hepatitis. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of these symptoms during treatment with VIVITROL:
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- stomach area pain lasting more than a few days
- dark urine
- yellowing of the whites of your eyes
- tiredness
Your healthcare provider may need to stop treating you with VIVITROL if you get signs or symptoms of a serious liver problem.
Before you receive VIVITROL, tell your healthcare provider if you:
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- have liver problems, use or abuse street (illegal) drugs, have hemophilia or other bleeding problems, have kidney problems, or have any other medical conditions.
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if VIVITROL will harm your unborn baby.
- are breastfeeding. It is not known if VIVITROL passes into your milk, and if it can harm your baby. Naltrexone, the active ingredient in VIVITROL, is the same active ingredient in tablets taken by mouth that contain naltrexone. Naltrexone from tablets passes into breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you will breastfeed or take VIVITROL. You should not do both.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take any opioid containing medicines for pain, cough or colds, or diarrhea.
If you are being treated for alcohol dependence but also use or are addicted to opioid containing medicines or opioid street drugs, it is important that you tell your healthcare provider before starting VIVITROL to avoid having sudden opioid withdrawal symptoms when you start VIVITROL treatment.
Do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how VIVITROL affects you. VIVITROL may make you feel dizzy and sleepy.
VIVITROL can cause serious side effects, including:
Depressed mood. Sometimes this leads to suicide, or suicidal thoughts, and suicidal behavior. Tell your family members and people closest to you that you are taking VIVITROL.
Pneumonia. Some people receiving VIVITROL treatment have had a type of pneumonia that is caused by an allergic reaction. If this happens to you, you may need to be treated in the hospital.
Serious allergic reactions. Serious allergic reactions can happen during or soon after an injection of VIVITROL. Tell your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you have any of these symptoms:
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- skin rash
- swelling of your face, eyes, mouth, or tongue
- trouble breathing or wheezing
- chest pain
- feeling dizzy or faint
Common side effects of VIVITROL may include:
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- nausea
- sleepiness
- headache
- dizziness
- vomiting
- decreased appetite
- painful joints
- muscle cramps
- cold symptoms
- trouble sleeping
- toothache
These are not all the side effects of VIVITROL. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. You are encouraged to report all side effects to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch , or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Read the Medication Guide, which is available at vivitrol.com and by calling 1-800-848 -4876, option 1.
Please see Prescribing Information and Medication Guide .
References:
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- Substance Abuse Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables, SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/release/2020-national-survey-drug-use-and-health-nsduh-releases . Accessed January 2025.
ALKERMES ® and VIVITROL ® are registered trademarks of Alkermes, Inc.
©2025 Alkermes, Inc. All rights reserved.
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