May 15, 2025, 12:30 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
After just a few months of using the “weight loss injection,” 262 participants in an Irish study experienced a drastically reduced craving for alcohol. While this finding is not yet clinically significant, the study serves as an important indicator of a potential dual benefit of GLP-1 analogs.
Alcohol abuse is a serious illness responsible for 2.6 million deaths annually. This accounts for 4.7 percent of all deaths worldwide, according to a publication by the European Association for the Study of Obesity.1 Treatment methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy can usually only help in the short term, as 70 percent of patients relapse within the first year. A new study now seems to confirm a previously suspected side effect of the so-called weight loss injections: They dampen the craving for alcohol.
Overview
Using Weight Loss Injections to Combat Alcohol Addiction?
It feels like half of Hollywood is injecting themselves, and Ozempic, Semaglutide, and similar drugs have long since reached mainstream society. These substances are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which not only regulate blood sugar levels and curb appetite but apparently also dampen addiction cravings. Initial studies on mice had already provided indications of this (FITBOOK reported).
Researchers at University College Dublin wanted to investigate further and recruited 262 adults for their study, of whom 188 completed it. The results were published in the journal “Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.”2
Study Procedure
The participants (79 percent women) all had a BMI over 27 at the start and were treated with either Semaglutide or Liraglutide. The average age was 49 years, and the average weight was 98 kilograms. They were divided into
- Non-drinkers (31 people or 11.8 percent of the participants)
- Occasional drinkers with less than 10 alcohol units per week (52 people or 18.8 percent of the participants)
- Regular drinkers with more than 10 alcohol units per week (179 people or 68.4 percent of the participants)
An alcohol unit corresponds to eight grams of pure alcohol, which is equivalent to a small glass of beer, a small glass of wine, or a shot.
How Strongly Weight Loss Injections Reduced Alcohol Cravings
Four months later, the researchers took stock. None of the participants had increased their alcohol consumption. On the contrary, the reduction in alcohol consumption was statistically significant. The average consumption of 11.8 alcohol units per week dropped to 4.3. So, those who previously enjoyed 12 small drinks only reached for the glass about four times.
Heavy Drinkers Benefited Greatly
Heavy drinkers also benefited greatly. Their alcohol consumption dropped from a risky 23.2 units to 7.3 units per week. The reduction by about one-third is comparable to the effect of Nalmefene, a medication used to treat alcohol abuse, according to the study report. Additionally, participants lost an average of 7.7 kilograms.
No Gender-Specific Differences
The study analyzed differences between male and female participants regarding the reduction in alcohol consumption and found that these differences were not significant. The study also found a weak positive correlation between the reduction in alcohol consumption and weight loss.
How Can the Effect Be Explained?
Weight loss injections, specifically GLP-1 medications, seem to significantly reduce not only weight but also the craving for alcohol—and apparently without self-discipline. Patients report an “effortless effect.” How is this possible? “How exactly GLP-1 analogs reduce alcohol consumption is not yet fully understood,” says study leader Professor le Roux. “They likely work by suppressing the craving for alcohol—in brain areas that lie outside our conscious will.” There, the medications apparently reduce dopamine release in response to alcohol.
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A Study with Limitations
The assumption that weight loss injections like Semaglutide or Liraglutide not only influence eating behavior but also the craving for alcohol was further strengthened by the study. However, there is no control group, and the researchers had to rely entirely on the self-reports of the participants. This can lead to recall bias and socially desirable responses. Additionally, the study period was relatively short at four months, and about 28 percent of participants were “lost” during the study.
While the results clearly suggest that these medications could play a supportive role in treating alcohol abuse, the findings will only become clinically significant when randomized controlled studies with longer observation periods, control groups, and more objective measurement methods confirm the hypothesis. The study shows only an association, not causality.