Publishing their findings in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute recently dug into how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro affect alcohol use.
In a controlled study involving 20 people with obesity, half of whom were taking a GLP-1 drug, participants were asked to drink the equivalent of three alcoholic beverages within an hour. Then, researchers monitored their blood alcohol levels, vital signs, and how drunk they actually felt over a four-hour window.
GLP-1 users absorbed alcohol more slowly and reported feeling less intoxicated. Even before the drinks, they had less craving for alcohol, and that didn’t change much afterward.
Ozempic Could Be Curbing the Joy of Drinking (and That’s Not All Bad)
The theory explaining why GLP-1 medications seem to cut alcohol cravings zeroes in on how these wonder drugs affect the gut. They seem to slow gastric emptying, meaning booze gets into your bloodstream at a slower pace. A slower delivery means fewer chemical reactions going on in your brain that can eventually lead to a potentially lower risk of addiction.
That might explain why some GLP-1 users have said that the meds have curbed their food cravings, along with their cravings for alcohol, cigarettes, and maybe even harder substances. GLP-1s could be suppressing appetites, along with everything else your brain makes you think you are craving.
While this Virginia Tech study is small and technically a “pilot,” meaning it’s a small-scale and often preliminary study, it does add some credence to the growing body of evidence suggesting that GLP-1 drugs are a great all-around (possibly only temporary) way to treat substance use disorders, with those “substances” ranging from alcohol to food to narcotics.
Suppose even more studies show that GLP-1s can meaningfully reduce cravings. In that case, it might revolutionize how we think of treating addiction, as it completely changes our idea of how addiction works and what it even is.
There’s still a long way to go before we can stamp Ozempic as a sobriety tool, but right now it seems like this weight loss drug might’ve been a lot more than its creators thought it was.
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