For years, people taking Ozempic or other drugs in the same class for diabetes and weight loss have noticed the medicines don’t just curb their desire to eat; for some, they also lead them to drink less alcohol.

The drug semaglutide has been linked to a lower risk of alcoholism before, but now we have strong evidence that it really does help curb drinking

Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster GLP-1 diabetes drug Ozempic led to improvements in some measures of alcohol use disorder in a small trial, researchers reported on Wednesday. The 48 participants in the nine-week trial all had moderately severe alcohol use disorder and were given either once-weekly Ozempic or a placebo.

A new study (the first clinical trial of its kind) has shown that the GLP-1 agonist semaglutide — known by the brand name Ozempic — may help reduce not only alcohol cravings, but the amount of alcohol consumed when someone on the drug does drink

In 2022, when the surge in popularity of the GLP-1 class of weight loss and diabetes drugs really began, stories of surprise benefits besides shedding pounds soon surfaced. One of those – that the medication changed drinking and smoking habits overnight – understandably piqued the interest

"The popularity of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists increases the chances of broad adoption of these treatments for alcohol use disorder." His team published its findings Feb. 12 in JAMA Psychiatry.