Thank you for these responses! I read up on Antabuse extensively before taking it and found a very diverse range of reviews. As with any drug, it absolutely must be taken precisely as directed, which does indeed include a program of sobriety and some kind of treatment, whether outpatient or therapy or both. As I mentioned, I'm mainly using it to break the cycle. By this I mean to get enough sober time by any means necessary that I can hopefully think outside the vicious trap of drinking to forget drinking.
I would definitely not underestimate the potency of this drug, as I know several people who drank on it and had awful side effects, including mimicking alcohol withdrawal so severe she was put in the ICU for almost a week. As it is, I've unknowingly eaten a few things that had trace amounts of alcohol (soy sauce, for example) and have gotten the uncomfortable red flushing in the face and neck. It's certainly nothing to mess around with.
Thanks again for being so forthcoming!