Acamprosate is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of alcoholism. The purpose of this study is to see if initiating acamprosate early in alcohol detoxification instead of waiting until detoxification has been completed effects the course of detoxification, adverse events during detoxification, drop out rate during the rehabilitative treatment phase, or overall efficacy of acamprosate for those with alcohol dependence who plan to receive at least two months of rehabilitative pharmacotherapy with acamprosate.