New Anti-Obesity Drugs Reduce Alcohol Consumption by 2-Thirds: Study

Breaking the alcohol habit with a slimming injection . In a study presented at the European Congress on Obesity (Eco 2025), scheduled for May 11-14 in Malaga, Spain, patients in a Dublin clinic who took liraglutide or semaglutide to lose weight reduced their alcohol consumption by about two-thirds in four months . The research adds a piece to a scientific puzzle that seems to be growing ever larger: that of the possible benefits of analogues of the Glp-1 hormone produced by the intestine, anti-diabetic drugs with a slimming effect such as Ozempic* that several famous faces have said they have used, from Oprah Winfrey to Elon Musk.

Alcohol use disorder, the authors note, is a relapsing condition that causes 2.6 million deaths a year, or 4.7 percent of all deaths globally. Treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), therapies that aim to strengthen motivation to quit or reduce alcohol intake, and medications can be very successful in the short term. However, 70 percent of patients relapse within the first year. GLP-1 analogues have reduced alcohol consumption in animal studies, but data on their effect in humans are only now emerging.

Carel le Roux of University College Dublin, with colleagues in Ireland and Saudi Arabia, collected prospective data on alcohol consumption among patients being treated for obesity at a center in the Irish capital . The real-world study involved 262 adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 kg/cubic meter or higher, 79% women, average age 46 years and average weight 98 kg, who were prescribed liraglutide or semaglutide for weight loss. Based on their reported alcohol consumption before starting the drug therapy for weight loss, the patients were divided into three groups: abstainers (31, 11.8%), occasional drinkers (less than 10 units per week, 52 participants or 19.8%) and regular drinkers (more than 10 units/week, 179 patients, 68.4%). Of the 262 adults, 188 were followed for an average of 4 months. The researchers found that none of them increased their alcohol consumption. In fact, average consumption decreased from 11.3 to 4.3 units per week after 4 months of treatment with GLP-1 analogues: a reduction of almost 2/3".

In particular, among regular drinkers, alcohol consumption decreased from 23.2 to 7.8 units per week . "This 68% reduction is comparable to that obtained with nalmefene, a drug used to treat alcohol use disorders in Europe," notes le Roux.

"The exact mechanism by which GLP-1 analogues reduce alcohol consumption is still being studied," he explains, "but it is thought to have to do with a reduction in alcohol cravings, which occurs in subcortical areas of the brain that are not under conscious control . Therefore, patients report that the effects" on reducing alcohol consumption "are achieved 'without effort'."

The scientists point to some limitations of their study (such as the relatively small number of patients, the use of self-reported data on alcohol consumption, and the lack of a control group), but also to its strengths: above all, the analysis of data collected prospectively in a real-world setting. Le Roux concludes: " GLP-1 analogues have been shown to treat obesity and reduce the risk of multiple obesity-related complications . Beneficial effects beyond obesity, such as those on alcohol consumption, are being studied, with some promising results."