New clinical trial confirms what thousands of users have been saying: the weight loss drug significantly reduces alcohol cravings
When people start taking Ozempic for weight management, they expect to feel less hungry. What many don't expect is losing all interest in their nightly glass of wine.
Christie Martin, a 58-year-old realtor in Las Vegas, told ABC News in December 2023 that after starting Ozempic, she simply stopped wanting alcohol. She had been drinking nearly a bottle of wine per night. "I did not want to drink anymore," Martin said. "I would even go out with friends and other coworkers and clients and maybe I would try to order a glass of wine at dinner, and I couldn't even finish it."
Martin is one of thousands of Ozempic users who've reported a phenomenon that sounds almost too convenient to be true: the drug appears to be turning off their desire for alcohol, gambling, compulsive shopping, and other addictive behaviors. Now, clinical research is catching up to confirm what users have been experiencing.
New research validates user reports
A randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry in February 2025 has provided the first prospective evidence that semaglutide can reduce both alcohol consumption and cravings in people with alcohol use disorder. The Phase 2 trial, led by researchers at the University of North Carolina, found that participants taking semaglutide drank significantly less and reported lower cravings compared to those on placebo.
This builds on a major study published in Nature Communications in May 2024, which analyzed electronic health records of more than 83,000 patients with obesity. Researchers found that those taking semaglutide had a 50 to 56 percent lower risk of developing alcohol use disorder compared to those on other weight loss medications.
According to NPR, Dr. Lorenzo Leggio, clinical director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, noted that GLP-1 drugs don't just work on blood sugar. "They also work in your brain," he told NPR. The drugs appear to modulate dopamine pathways in areas that control reward and pleasure.
The science behind the unexpected effect
The explanation lies in understanding that Ozempic doesn't just work in the gut. The drug, whose active ingredient is semaglutide, mimics a hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). While GLP-1 receptors exist throughout the digestive system, they're also densely concentrated in the brain, particularly in areas that control reward and pleasure.
"GLP-1 agonists influence dopamine pathways in the brain, particularly within the reward system," Fares Qeadan, co-author of a study published in the journal Addiction and associate professor at Loyola University Chicago, told National Geographic in November 2024. "By modulating these pathways, GLP-1 agonists seem to dampen cravings and reduce the reinforcing effects of addictive substances."
This isn't entirely surprising to neuroscientists. The brain's reward system doesn't distinguish sharply between food cravings and other cravings. The same circuits that make you reach for a bag of chips at midnight can drive you toward a slot machine or a shopping app.
Clinical trials confirm early promise
The pharmaceutical industry has taken notice. According to BioSpace, Novo Nordisk currently has a Phase 2 trial underway studying semaglutide and other compounds in patients with alcoholic liver disease, with alcohol consumption as a secondary endpoint. Multiple academic institutions are also running independent trials.
A Swedish cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry in November 2024 examined over 227,000 individuals with alcohol use disorder and found that those using semaglutide had a 36 percent lower risk of alcohol-related hospitalizations compared to periods when they weren't using the medication.
The "food noise" connection
Many Ozempic users describe the drug's primary effect as silencing "food noise," the constant background chatter of thoughts about eating. This same quieting appears to extend to other compulsive urges.
Shannon Hinderberger, a marketing consultant in Oregon, told National Geographic that looking back, she was mildly dependent on alcohol to self-medicate for stress. After starting a GLP-1 medication in 2022, she lost not only 60 pounds but also her desire to drink. Researchers believe this reflects the drug's broad effect on the brain's reward system, reducing the intensity of craving itself rather than targeting specific substances.
Important caveats
Not everyone experiences these effects, and experts caution against using Ozempic off-label for addiction treatment. The drug carries its own risks, including potential thyroid tumors, pancreatitis, and gastrointestinal side effects.
Additionally, it's unclear what happens when patients stop taking the medication. Some users report that their old cravings return, suggesting the drug suppresses rather than cures addictive tendencies. Currently, semaglutide for alcohol use disorder is considered off-label and unlikely to be covered by insurance, with costs running over $1,000 monthly without coverage.
What's next
Phase 3 trials evaluating semaglutide for alcohol use disorder are now underway, according to recent reports in medical journals. Results from these larger, better-designed studies will determine whether GLP-1 drugs can receive FDA approval specifically for treating addiction.
If successful, these medications could transform how alcohol use disorder is treated. For now, the mounting clinical evidence confirms what thousands of users have been saying all along: this weight loss medication may be doing something unexpected and profound to the brain's relationship with desire.
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