Yes Campral helped me a lot. Some people have side effects, often they are initial and wear off. I also had counseling to back up the Campral treatment. I noticed on it my thoughts seemed calmer and clearer, less extreme in general - it was sort of a revelation (is this the way that 'normal' people think?) I was using it for a year. It may take awhile to kick in, supposed to be 2 weeks, though I thought I noticed an improvement before then.
I held off for a year before I tried it, it's not for everyone, many people don't like to take a pill to get well from alcoholism... it's a highly personal choice, and in truth it takes more than a pill to stop drinking. If you really work on the recovery I think you can achieve the same effects without a pill. But I had good personal experience with it, alcohol is no longer destroying my life and that's what counts most to me.
You don't have to wait until the 1st, I quit later in the year, I'd just had enough. I set up a lot of dates before then though... all in all, I waited about 10 years for the 'right time' to quit.
The first time I went to a therapist, I was fairly closed off (went because everyone else was telling me to go), it didn't really benefit me at all. The second time I went back, a bit humbled after not managing very well on my own, I was more willing to listen and it made all the difference.