A new study suggests that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, used mainly for weight loss and diabetes, might also lessen the effects of alcohol. While this could be disappointing for social drinkers, experts at Virginia Tech see it as a hopeful new way to help people who struggle with serious alcohol problems. Alcohol addiction is one of the world’s biggest problems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 alone, approximately 2.6 million deaths worldwide were linked to drinking. While 1.6 million deaths were due to non-communicable diseases, the other 700,000 deaths were caused by injuries. A massive number of people struggle with alcohol problems. An estimated 400 million people globally, about 7% of the world's population aged 15 and older, were living with alcohol use disorders (AUDs). A large portion of this group, 209 million people, or 3.7% of the adult population, had the more severe condition of alcohol dependence (or addiction). The WHO explains that we have effective ways to control and reduce the harm caused by alcohol, and countries need to use these strategies more often. At the same time, it’s crucial for every person to know the dangers of drinking and take personal steps to protect themselves from their harmful effects. Could these weight loss drugs become one such viable ways to help bring alcohol addiction down? How Does Weight Loss Medication Help Alcohol Cravings? GLP-1 medicines work by copying a natural body hormone that manages your appetite and how you digest food. This makes people feel full longer and helps them eat less. For this small study, researchers tested 20 people who were overweight. Half of them were already taking a regular dose of a GLP-1 drug. On the test day, everyone had an alcoholic drink after a snack. The researchers then watched them for an hour, checking their health and asking how they felt. The key result was that the group on GLP-1 drugs felt less drunk, even though everyone had the same amount. Crucially, their blood alcohol level rose more slowly. Scientists think that because the drug slows down the body's processes, it slows down how fast the alcohol reaches the brain, which dulls the effects, or the "buzz." This is important because slow-acting drugs are less likely to be abused. These promising results mean researchers want to run much bigger studies to confirm that GLP-1s can be a real treatment to help people drink less. Benefits Of GLP-1 Medication The ability of GLP-1 drugs to help with cravings doesn't stop at alcohol. People taking drugs like Ozempic have also reported having fewer cravings for nicotine, opioid drugs, and even less desire for impulse shopping. Other research has already shown this potential: Opioid users on GLP-1s had a 40% lower rate of overdoses in one study. In a separate trial done by researchers from Loyola University Chicago, these medications were better than standard drugs for alcoholism at keeping patients out of the hospital for alcohol problems. Scientists believe this happens because GLP-1 drugs affect the brain's reward system (called the mesolimbic system), which controls addiction. They change the levels of a chemical called dopamine, which is central to how we feel pleasure and form habits.
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