In a world where alcohol claims nearly 178,000 lives annually in the U.S. alone, a glimmer of hope has emerged from an unlikely source: a drug best known for treating diabetes and obesity. Semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy, is now showing promise in reducing alcohol cravings and heavy drinking, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Southern California.

The results were striking. Heavy drinkers who took semaglutide cut their alcohol intake by nearly 30%, compared to just 2% in the placebo group.

An Interesting Observation

The drug, semaglutide, is part of a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. These have been celebrated for their ability to regulate blood sugar and promote weight loss. GLP-1, a hormone, helps regulate appetite and blood sugar levels, but it also appears to influence the brain’s reward system. Patients and doctors have long noticed an intriguing side effect: a diminished desire for alcohol.

“People begin weekly injections of semaglutide for obesity or diabetes — and suddenly lose their desire for alcohol,” said Christian Hendershot, the study’s first author and director of clinical research at USC’s Institute for Addiction Science.

This observation prompted Hendershot and his team to conduct the first randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to test semaglutide’s effects on alcohol use disorder.

The study involved 48 adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who were not actively seeking treatment. Participants were selected based on their drinking history, which included heavy drinking episodes and a high weekly alcohol intake.

Before the trial began, researchers invited participants to a lab setting where they could drink their preferred alcoholic beverage over two hours. This baseline measurement allowed the team to document each person’s typical drinking behavior.

Participants were then randomly assigned to receive either weekly injections of semaglutide or a placebo for nine weeks. Their drinking patterns were monitored throughout the study. At the end of the trial, they returned to the lab to repeat the drinking session.

Semaglutide and Alcohol

Those who received semaglutide showed significant reductions in alcohol cravings, the number of drinks consumed on drinking days, and the frequency of heavy drinking days. By the second month of treatment, the semaglutide group had cut their alcohol intake by nearly 30%, compared to just 2% in the placebo group. Nearly 40% of people in the semaglutide group reported no heavy drinking days in the second month of treatment, compared to 20% in the placebo group. The longer the participants were treated with semaglutide, the lower their alcohol cravings.

Semaglutide’s ability to reduce alcohol consumption without requiring abstinence is particularly promising. Many people with AUD are reluctant to pursue treatment because they fear being pressured to quit drinking entirely. Semaglutide’s effects on drinking quantity and heavy drinking days suggest it could help people cut back gradually, which is often a more realistic goal.

Strikingly, it’s just not alcohol that semaglutide reduced cravings for. Some of the participants were also smokers, and among those treated with the drug, their average number of cigarettes per day dropped substantially compared to the placebo group. This suggests that the drug’s effects might not be limited to alcohol but could extend to other addictive behaviors.

“These data suggest the potential of semaglutide and similar drugs to fill an unmet need for the treatment of alcohol use disorder,” said Klara Klein, the study’s senior author and a researcher at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Questions and Caveats

Still, the study’s authors caution that larger and longer trials are needed to fully understand semaglutide’s potential. “These initial findings are promising,” Klein said, “but we need more research to confirm the safety and efficacy of these treatments for alcohol use disorder.”

The sample size was small, and the treatment duration was relatively short. The participants were also not seeking treatment for AUD, which means the findings may not generalize to those actively trying to quit drinking.

Moreover, the study used low doses of semaglutide to prioritize safety. Higher doses, which are commonly used for weight loss, might yield even stronger effects on alcohol consumption. However, these higher doses could also pose risks, particularly for people with normal or low body weight.

“The extent of weight loss in the semaglutide group (-5% on average) has additional safety risks for people with normal or low weight,” the researchers cautioned.

Despite these caveats, the study represents a significant step forward. It builds on a growing body of evidence that GLP-1 receptor agonists could have broad applications beyond diabetes and obesity. From addiction to neurodegenerative diseases, these drugs are being investigated for their potential to address some of the most challenging health issues of our time.

A drug that helps them drink less, crave less, and perhaps even smoke less could be a game-changer. And for a condition as complex and devastating as alcohol addiction, even a small step forward is worth celebrating.

The findings appeared in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.