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.
Alcohol Addiction and GLP-1 Inhibitors
Due in part to informal reports that GLP-1s reduced alcohol cravings in humans, researchers began to study that phenomenon in animals. Some promising evidence emerged from those experiments.
Although similar work has begun in humans, it is still early days. For instance, a small U.S. study (only 48 adults) also showed promising signs that GLP-1s reduced alcohol cravings. That study used an experimental setting (a bar set up in a lab) and was relatively short-term.
The Ireland-based group collected data on the alcohol intake of patients who were being treated at a Dublin obesity clinic . Since the study involved 262 participants and extended four months, any results derived from it would be both more statistically reliable and provide a longer-term look at the drug’s effects on alcohol consumption.
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Reducing Alcohol Intake
The participants, who were being treated with GLP-1s at a Dublin obesity clinic, were separated into nondrinkers, rare drinkers and regular drinkers. The subjects reported how many units of alcohol they consumed per week before beginning weight loss treatment, with rare drinkers imbibing less than 10 units, and regular drinkers consuming more than 10 units.
After four months, the regular drinkers reduced their alcohol intake from an average of 23.2 units per week to 7.8 units week. This 68 percent reduction essentially matches the efficacy of Nalmefene’s efficacy in Europe. That drug works by blocking the opioid receptors that trigger cravings. How GLP-1s reduce the desire for alcohol is less understood.
“The exact mechanism of how GLP-1 analogues reduce alcohol intake is still being investigated but it is thought to involve curbing cravings for alcohol that arise in subcortical areas of the brain that are not under conscious control,” Carel le Roux, a University College Dublin researcher and an author of the paper, said in a press release. “Thus, patients report the effects are ‘effortless.’”
Researchers are still learning about the exact mechanisms by which GLP-1s support weight loss. The results so far, are complex.
Other studies have shown signs that the class of drugs can improve cognitive and overall mental health. However, GLP-1s also elevate risk for kidney problems, pancreatitis, and other issues.
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.
