In a surprising and promising development, popular weight-loss medications like liraglutide and semaglutide—originally designed to help combat obesity—are now showing significant potential in reducing alcohol consumption by nearly two-thirds, according to groundbreaking research from University College Dublin.
This revelation could offer a powerful new tool in the fight against alcohol use disorder (AUD), a relapsing condition responsible for an estimated 2.6 million deaths annually—roughly 4.7% of all global fatalities. Despite various treatment methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational therapy, and prescribed medications, relapse rates remain staggeringly high, with 70% of patients returning to drinking within a year.
But now, scientists are seeing hopeful results from an unexpected direction. GLP-1 analogues—the class of drugs including liraglutide and semaglutide—are believed to target subcortical brain regions responsible for cravings, regions not under conscious control. According to Professor Carel le Roux, who led the research, this mechanism may explain why patients often describe the reduction in alcohol desire as “effortless.”
In the study, published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism and presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025), 262 adults being treated for obesity were monitored for changes in alcohol consumption. Of these, 188 patients were followed over a four-month period while being treated with GLP-1 analogues.
The findings were striking:
- Average alcohol consumption dropped from 11.3 to 4.3 units per week, a 62% decrease.
- Among regular drinkers, intake plunged from 23.2 to 7.8 units per week, an astonishing 68% reduction—comparable to the results seen with established AUD medication nalmefene.
Crucially, none of the patients reported an increase in alcohol consumption during the study. And while the precise biological pathways remain under investigation, the results open exciting possibilities for dual-purpose treatments that tackle both obesity and alcohol misuse.
“These medications are already changing the way we treat obesity,” said Prof. Roux. “Now, we’re beginning to see they may offer broader benefits—perhaps even transforming the landscape of addiction treatment.”
