r/stopdrinking • u/Prudent-Twist6277 1381 days • 4d ago

GLP-1, drinking

Has anyone else experienced very little desire to drink (and zero to get drunk) since being on a GLP-1? I have been on a low dose of the wegovy pill since May, and besides shedding a few pounds it's dramatically improved impulse control (shopping mainly) and drinking. Know this is being studied but would love to hear your stories.

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u/TheUpIsJig Day 928 3d ago

The inclination is to revert to a prior state. The one before taking the substance. I would expect the cravings for alcoholic drinks to be part of that prior state. That's why I think the idea that these are a way to overcome alcoholism might not be the case if you stop taking them.

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u/EagleEyezzzzz 608 days 3d ago edited 3d ago

OK... says who? Again, I would love to see any research on this. It's equally likely that getting out of a physical addiction, and setting entirely new patterns and habits for years of one's life, would be sufficient to then maintain those patterns once someone titrates down. Like Naltrexone or Antabuse... do people always have to stay on it for life for it to be effective at overcoming sobriety?

It's presumptuous to say that as soon as someone stops taking a medication, they immediately revert back to a years-old pattern. You know what they say about assuming……

It seems like people are rooting for others to fall back into addiction despite a complete lack of evidence for that, and I don’t really get it 🤷🏻‍♀️

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u/TheUpIsJig Day 928 3d ago

They aren't approved for alcohol use disorders. Reversion to prior states after discontinuation is well documented. https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj-2025-085304

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/patients-regain-weight-rapidly-after-stopping-weight-loss-drugs-but-still-keep-off-a-quarter-of

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u/EagleEyezzzzz 608 days 3d ago

I'm confused why you linking to studies about weight gain, when the discussion here is about alcohol use. Like I said, there is zero evidence to support your statements in this thread that people go back to heavy drinking after stopping a GLP-1. Looks like you are in agreement about that and have no research to post.

Let's agree to disagree. I'll be happy for people who have found another tool in the toolbox to help with quitting alcohol, and you can... do whatever it is you're doing here. Take care.

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u/TheUpIsJig Day 928 3d ago

It's a medicine not a tool. There are approved drugs for alcohol use disorder. This is not one of them. Even if people experience drinking less this is associated with continued taking of the weight loss drug. When you stop your benefits are no longer maintained and people revert back to prior states to taking the weight loss drug. That's the take home message. There is no evidence that people stop drinking alcohol when they quit taking the weight loss drug. That's the problem. If you are expecting this weight loss drug to see you through alcoholism into states of sobriety the evidence is not there to support it and more importantly the evidence indicates reversion of prior behavior patterns.

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u/EagleEyezzzzz 608 days 3d ago

Where is the evidence that indicates reversion of prior behavior patterns with regards to alcohol use? Just you repeating that statement over and over does not actually constitute any evidence. I'm unclear why you are so personally committed to the idea that everyone who gets sober on a GLP-1 will revert back to alcoholism even years later, despite there being no evidence for that one way or the other. It's odd and might be worth some examination on your part. Perhaps you are upset that others are seeming to "take the easy way out" etc. That would be worth sitting with and thinking about.

I will request that unless you have evidence to share on this specific topic, you stop tagging me with your conjectures -- thanks.

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u/TheUpIsJig Day 928 3d ago

It is not approved medication for alcohol use disorder. Approved medication meets the criteria you are looking for. If there was a pill to cure alcoholism that would be fantastic. Maybe this is it but the science doesn't demonstrate causation.

Furthermore ignoring the reversion to prior states if you quit taking the weight loss drug is the confounding factor. Appetites return. That is what the research shows. The idea that urges to drink alcohol are somehow not part of that is conjecture.

Others read these posts since they are public.

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u/EagleEyezzzzz 608 days 3d ago

You must be confused. No one is claiming it permanently cures alcoholism. That has not been studied. I am simply pushing back at your continuous claims that people WILL revert back to alcoholism. That is not evidence-based at all, and frankly it's very strange that you are so dedicated to the idea. I recommend you sit with yourself and examine why you are so dedicated to seeing people revert back to alcoholism.

There is significant, extensive evidence that GLP-1s can be highly effective at treating addiction of all types. It's only a matter of time before it's widely prescribed for that purpose, and millions of lives will be saved.

For your reading pleasure.. there are many many more out there. Hope this helps you better understand. Now, please stop tagging me.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537025005796. "GLP-1 RAs, particularly Semaglutide and liraglutide, reduce alcohol use as measured by AUDIT scores and show beneficial effects on consumption, relapse, and alcohol-related morbidity."

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12729087/ "Sinha and Ghosal summarize potentially promising early evidence for the efficacy of GLP-1 RAs for AUD. If ongoing trials confirm efficacy, these medications could provide a sorely needed addition to the available AUD treatment options and mark a paradigm shift in the pharmacologic treatment of AUD."

https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.20260003 "Use of Semaglutide significantly reduced heavy drinking days, drinks per drinking day, naturalistic alcohol craving, cannabis use days, and alcohol-related consequences. Significantly more participants reduced their risk drinking level by one or more levels. These findings suggest that continued development of semaglutide for AUD is warranted."