Chronic hepatitis B is a common infectious disease caused by hepatitis B virus infection, and antiviral is the fundamental treatment measure, which is the consensus of hepatologists worldwide. The short-term goal is to remove or inhibit the replication of hepatitis B virus, reduce the inflammatory response of hepatocytes, and improve and stabilize liver function, while the long-term goal is to prevent or control the development of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis and reduce the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, due to the biological characteristics of hepatitis B virus itself, anti-hepatitis B virus treatment is long-term and recurrent. By long-term, we mean that the treatment process should be adhered to without interruption for a long time, as little as 1-2 years, as much as 3-5 years, or even longer. And recurrence means that even after a successful treatment the patient’s disease may still relapse and require antiviral treatment again. Therefore, anti-hepatitis B virus treatment is valuable in persistence. Clinically, we often find that many patients give up halfway when receiving antiviral treatment. The reasons for this are many and varied. Objective reasons include difficulty in using medication due to changes in work or study environment (fear of privacy exposure), intolerance of side effects of medication, unsuitability of the disease to continue medication, financial difficulties, etc. Subjective reasons include lack of awareness of the long-term and recurrent nature of antiviral treatment, and loss of confidence after a certain period of treatment without results. Some are afraid of trouble, do not know the importance of antiviral treatment, think it does not matter whether antiviral treatment is given or not, and stop the medication at will when difficulties arise. It is understandable to interrupt treatment for objective reasons, but it is totally unacceptable to interrupt treatment for subjective reasons. Patients with hepatitis B must weigh the pros and cons when deciding whether to receive antiviral therapy and make a careful decision. From a medical point of view, health always comes first. Once a decision is made, antiviral treatment should be adhered to under the guidance of a physician and under close medical observation. The most common anti-hepatitis B drugs are alpha-interferon and nucleoside analogues. alpha-interferon is an antiviral, antitumor, anti-fibrotic and immunomodulatory agent. alpha-interferon is available in short-acting and long-acting forms. For short-acting alpha-interferon, the adult dose is 5 million units, injected once every other day. The long-acting interferon, pegylated interferon, has a large molecular weight and slow metabolism in the body, resulting in stable blood concentrations, and requires only one subcutaneous injection per week to increase antiviral efficacy and reduce side effects. Regardless of the dosage form, the course of anti-hepatitis B virus treatment is 12 months, and if the results are good, the course of treatment can be extended appropriately to consolidate treatment in order to reduce relapse. However, the disadvantage of interferon is that it has significant side effects, manifested as fever, headache, general malaise, nasal congestion and runny nose and other flu-like symptoms at the beginning of the medication, as well as hair loss and leukocyte and platelet reduction in some patients. It should also be emphasized that interferon should not be used in patients with contraindications such as decompensated cirrhosis, autoimmune diseases, and those with psychiatric abnormalities or family history of psychosis. Therefore, no matter which dosage of interferon is used in clinical application, it must be carefully screened by an experienced professional doctor according to the patient’s specific situation whether it is suitable or not. Moreover, it is important to have regular follow-up examinations and receive guidance from professional doctors during the treatment process. Do not use the medication without authorization and out of supervision. Another class of anti-hepatitis B virus drugs are nucleoside analogues. The existing drugs include entecavir, telbivudine, adefovir, lamivudine and tenofovir. Because of the different development and marketing time, the time of clinical application also varies. All of these drugs are effective in controlling the progression of the disease by blocking the activity of the viral reverse transcriptase enzyme, thereby inhibiting the replication of the virus. The advantage is that they have broad indications and are easy to administer, as they can be taken orally once a day. Therefore, nucleoside analogs are a worthy choice as effective antiviral agents. However, it should be clear that nucleoside analogs are only inhibitors of the hepatitis B virus, and they do not remove the virus by themselves. Therefore, they need to be taken for a long period of time, generally for at least 3-5 years, and they cannot be easily stopped during treatment, as rash discontinuation can lead to relapse or even aggravation of the disease. It should also be noted that long-term application of the drug may cause the hepatitis B virus to mutate and become drug-resistant. The time at which resistance can occur varies from one type of nucleoside drug to another. The longer the drug is used, the more likely it is that the virus will mutate. When mutation occurs in the early stages, there is often only an increase in viral indicators, without liver function abnormalities or clinical symptoms. Problems can only be detected through regular laboratory monitoring. If the patient fails to follow the doctor’s instructions for timely review, the hepatitis B virus replication in the patient’s body becomes active again as time lengthens, leading to liver cell damage, abnormal liver function, and recurrence and aggravation of the disease through re-invigoration of the hepatitis B pathogenesis. Therefore, careful adherence to medical advice and regular review can identify problems in time and avoid damage. This is especially important in patients taking nucleoside analogues for a long time. Therefore, no matter which antiviral drug treatment is chosen, it must be carried out under the guidance of a professional physician and must not be done hastily. During treatment, it is important to strictly follow the doctor’s orders, to review regularly, to observe the efficacy and adverse effects as well as the occurrence of drug resistance, and to adjust the treatment regimen if necessary. In conclusion, through full knowledge of hepatitis B disease and treatment, we hope that you will adhere to treatment and follow medical advice more consciously. This will reduce recurrence, stabilize the disease, and facilitate the control and recovery of our disease.