When we saw this article about how Ozempic seemed to curb people’s desire to drink, we about fell off our chairs with excitement.
Anecdotal reports say that Ozempic seems to kill the desire for drinking, smoking, gambling, and other self-destructive habits. It may even reduce tolerance for alcohol, causing people to drink less because they’re getting drunk faster than usual.
If that proves true, it could be an incredible boon not only to people trying to lose weight or improve their health, but also to those hoping to cut back or quit drinking. It makes sense: the drug is meant to curb cravings triggered by dopamine, and it appears its effects may extend well beyond the desire for food.
But before you get too excited, here’s why you shouldn’t necessarily run to your doctor just yet for Ozempic for reducing drinking:
Ozempic has been approved for reducing blood sugar and reducing heart attack risk in diabetes patients, not for treatment of alcohol use disorder. Similarly, Wegovy is approved for weight loss support, but not for treatment of alcohol use disorder. Studies will need to prove out their effectiveness at helping people drink less alcohol.
Per the above, there are not yet large, controlled human studies confirming that medications like Ozempic help people drink less. Some studies are already in progress, though, so stay tuned for updates! Plus, there are studies showing promising effects in mice: similar medication caused mice to reduce their drinking by 50%, and reduced the chances of relapse into problem drinking (yes, problem drinking in mice exists!).
There have been hundreds of anecdotal reports of psychological side effects from using semaglutide medications, including suicidal thoughts and worsened depression. To be clear, these are just individual stories, and it’s hard to assess how often they happen and whether they can be traced back to the medication or not. Studies will need to determine how common these side effects are, and if there are identifiable factors that influence the likelihood of experiencing them. But it’s obvious that people struggling with excessive drinking might also struggle with depression or anxiety, and ought to be cautious with medication that might make things worse.
We’re excited to follow the progress of studies in this area; cutting back or quitting drinking is tough, even for motivated people, and we’re always on the lookout for new helpful tools!
Speaking of which: if you want to cut back or quit drinking alcohol in the meantime, we have an app for you.
Where medications like Ozempic may be able to reduce your desire to drink, behavioral health apps like Drinker’s Helper can help you decide to do it, build the motivation to stick with it, and build a life that supports you in your new, low-or-no alcohol lifestyle.
Drinker’s Helper is an app that provides motivational exercises, an insightful drink tracking system that helps you understand why you drink, and a personalized support group of your peers to help you make needed changes. We’ll help you stick to a weekly limit that reduces your health risks from drinking and helps you stay in control. Plus, it’s completely anonymous - even we don’t know who our users are, and we will never ask! If you’re working toward a healthier relationship with alcohol, try the app today!
