In the early days of the semaglutide weight loss wave, many of its users reported less interest in alcohol. A study now says that these effects extend well beyond the anecdotal, with individuals in an Irish study reducing alcohol by nearly two-thirds in four months, according to research presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025).
If this holds true on a larger scale, the drugs — collectively known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) inhibitors — could have a profound impact on treating alcohol use disorder, which accounts globally for about 2.6 million deaths a year, or 4.7 percent of all deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
Some treatments, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) — motivate patients to either stop drinking entirely or at least reduce their consumption in the short term. However, 70 percent of patients relapse within the first year.
