Weight loss injections such as semaglutide (prescribed by the trade names Wegovy and Ozempic) and liraglutide (Saxenda) have, over the past few years, been described as a game-changer in obesity wars. The medication, which is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, has treated millions of individuals for weight by suppressing hunger and elevating the blood glucose level.
But today, revolutionary research reveals that such injections can produce a shock additional advantage: squashing cravings and consuming alcohol.
The discovery can hold big stakes for millions of people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) a brain- and body-destroying disease. Can diet shots be included in the war on alcohol, too?
Let us listen to what the science has to say, what the drugs are doing, and what it will all amount to in addressing addiction in the future.
The Study: Less Drinking and Weight Loss Are Together
Researchers at University College Dublin reported findings from their study, which they had performed at the 2024 European Congress on Obesity, of monitoring the impact of GLP-1 medication on drinking. What they discovered was astonishing.
Scientists followed 262 overweight or obese patients, some of whom consumed alcohol regularly, for four months while on GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide or liraglutide.
Key Findings:
- Regular drinkers cut back by 23.2 units to 7.9.
- Occasional drinkers also cut back from 11.3 units to 4.3 units weekly.
- This is equivalent to a cutback of 65–70% in overall alcohol intake.
To everyone’s surprise, the decrease was not due to any particular command to reduce alcohol. The patients were treated only for obesity but developed the long-term side effects of impacting alcohol.
Lead researcher Dr. Eleanor Rees explained how weight reduction and appetite suppression could be expected, while the decrease in alcohol was “unexpected and profound.”
Learning How GLP-1 Drugs Work
To understand why this is taking place, it is useful to look at how the GLP-1 medicines work.
GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is a hormone released in the gut and aids in insulin regulation, slowing the digestion process, and reducing appetite. The medications that are prescribed in injectable forms like Ozempic and Wegovy are synthetic versions of the hormone.
But that’s where it gets most fascinating: GLP-1 also impacts the brain’s reward system of mesolimbic – the same region of the brain implicated in addiction.
The reward system controls the release of dopamine, the “pleasure” neurotransmitter linked with pleasure, motivation, and reward. Alcohol, like all addicting drugs, takes over this reward system, fueling the compulsive urge to drink over and over again.
Experiments on the primates and mice have discovered that GLP-1 drugs suppress the release of dopamine induced by alcohol.
They actually anaesthetize the brain’s reward system to alcohol – reducing the pleasure of drinking.
So if a person on semaglutide or liraglutide has a drink, they might just not enjoy it as much or be less likely to reach for another.
The Human Experience: Real-Life Reports
These are not only bolstered by clinical evidence – they are the things that occur in the real world.
Patients of weight-loss injections frequently report an odd lack of interest in alcohol. Others report ceasing alcohol consumption altogether. Even if they were consuming daily before this, this is something that occurs.
On Reddit forums and weight loss forums, patients taking Ozempic say they feel “indifferent” to alcohol. Or comment that it “doesn’t hit the same level anymore.”
That reduction is not, however, solely due to the action of alcohol. Other users report reduced cravings for nicotine, sugar, or other addictive variables – prompting researchers to look to GLP-1 agonists for further anti-addiction potential beyond alcohol.
What This Could Mean for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
The alcohol use disorder touches more than 280 million individuals across the world, as per the World Health Organization (WHO) estimation. It causes 3 million fatalities every year and is most frequently caused by liver disease, cancer, mental disorders, or accidents.
Counselling, behaviour therapy, and medication (such as naltrexone or acamprosate) have yielded modest efficacy when used traditionally as AUD treatments. Patients constantly relapse and are at risk for treatment nonadherence.
That is why the promise of GLP-1 medications is so intriguing.
Why GLP-1s Could Be a Game-Changer:
- Dual Action: Targets obesity and alcoholism – two highly comorbid conditions.
- Voluntary Compliance: Weekly shots are more tolerable than daily pills or therapy.
- Biological Solution: Targets the neurochemical underpinnings of addiction, not the behaviour.
Others warn against labelling it a “miracle cure,” however. Additional clinical trials are needed to establish:
- Maximum dose to decrease alcohol craving.
- Duration of treatment.
- Long-term risk or side effects.
- Differential efficacy by age and sex.
Risks and Considerations
Like all medications, GLP-1 receptor agonists have risks and side effects. The most prevalent are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Headaches
More serious but less frequent risks are pancreatitis and gallbladder disease.
Furthermore, the medication is costly, around $900-$1,300 per month out-of-pocket in the United States. Availability is an issue in all but a few countries.
Patients with a history of eating disorders, drug abuse, or mood disorders need to be carefully monitored medically.
Future Directions: Trials and Possibilities
Some new research is being conducted to further explore the connection between GLP-1 drugs and the treatment of addiction.
In the United States, semaglutide alcohol addiction treatment trials are being funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
Successful, this might usher in a whole new generation of anti-addiction medications — not only for alcohol, but nicotine, opioids, and even gambling or food addiction.
Other researchers even hazard a guess that GLP-1 agonists might be repurposed as psychiatric medications, so patients can handle impulsivity, cravings, and compulsive behavior better.
Conclusion: A New Era of Addiction Medicine?
The potential that weight-loss injections will cure alcoholism is more than a fascinating side effect – it is a potential paradigm shift for treating mental illness and addiction.
The more that is known, the more drugs such as semaglutide can not only be life-saving as an anti-diabetes and anti-obesity drug but also be an incredibly useful weapon in the battle against one of the world’s most pervasive and debilitating addictions.
With each new discovery about the complex interplay between brain chemistry, reward pathways, and compulsive behaviour, one thing is certain: The future of addiction treatment has never seemed brighter.