Medications like semaglutide and liraglutide—often used for diabetes and weight loss—may also help people reduce alcohol and drug use. A new scientific review explains how these drugs affect the brain and why they might become future treatments for addiction. Researchers are still learning, but early signs are promising.
Understanding Addiction and Why New Treatments Are Needed
Alcohol and substance use disorders (ASUDs) affect millions of Americans every year and can cause major mental, physical, and social problems. The article explains that ASUDs happen when a person keeps using alcohol or drugs even when it harms their health or life. These conditions change how the brain handles reward, stress, and self-control.
Current treatments—including counseling, support programs, and a small number of medications—help many people, but do not work for everyone. Fewer than one-quarter of people with ASUD get treatment, and less than 2% receive medications for alcohol use disorder. Because of this treatment gap, scientists are searching for new and more effective options.
How GLP-1 Medications Affect the Brain and Body
GLP-1 drugs were designed to treat diabetes by improving insulin release and lowering appetite. But research now shows they also act on parts of the brain linked to cravings, reward, and decision-making.
Key facts from the article include:
- GLP-1 receptors are found not only in the pancreas and gut, but also in the reward centers of the brain, such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens.
- Activating these brain areas may reduce the “reward” people feel from alcohol, nicotine, opioids, and stimulants.
- In animal studies, drugs like exenatide, liraglutide, and semaglutide have reduced alcohol intake, drug-seeking behavior, and withdrawal-related changes.
Because addiction and obesity share some overlapping brain pathways, it makes sense that medications designed for appetite control might also help with substance cravings.
What Did the Research Discover?
This paper is a review article, meaning the authors collected and examined results from many previously published studies instead of conducting one new study. The reviewers included evidence from:
- Rodent studies using alcohol, nicotine, opioids, cocaine, and amphetamines
- Non-human primate studies on alcohol use
- Human pilot studies and clinical trials
- Pharmacoepidemiology, which looks at health record databases
- Social media reports, where people described changes in cravings while taking GLP-1 drugs
Main findings from the research review:
- Alcohol use: GLP-1 drugs reduced alcohol intake in many rodent studies and in non-human primates. One human trial found semaglutide lowered drinking and cravings.
- Nicotine use: A GLP-1 medication exenatide reduced nicotine use in animals. One human study found that exenatide helped people quit smoking and reduced withdrawal symptoms.
- Opioid use: In rodents, GLP-1 medicines reduced heroin, oxycodone, and fentanyl seeking. Real-world health data showed lower rates of opioid overdose among people prescribed GLP-1 drugs.
- Stimulant use: Some animal studies found reductions in cocaine- and amphetamine-related behaviors, although human research is very limited.
- Cannabis use: Early population-level data showed fewer cannabis use disorder diagnoses among people taking semaglutide.
The review concludes that GLP-1 medications may help lower cravings, reduce substance use, and affect brain signaling linked to addiction. However, large, long-term studies in humans are still needed before these medications can be recommended for addiction treatment.
How Can I Apply This Information?
This article highlights research, not medical guidance. GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide, liraglutide, and exenatide are not approved for treating alcohol or substance use disorders at this time.
However, the results show that possibly in the future:
- These medications may one day provide a new option for people who do not respond to current treatments.
- They might be especially useful for individuals who have both addiction and obesity, since the medications can help with both conditions.
- More research—especially large clinical trials—is already underway to test GLP-1 medications for alcohol, nicotine, opioid, and stimulant use disorders.
For now, the findings show a promising new direction in addiction science, but GLP-1 medications should only be used as prescribed for diabetes, weight management, or other approved conditions or as your health care provider prescribes the medication.
Source:
Srinivasan NM, Farokhnia M, Farinelli LA, et al. GLP-1 therapeutics and their emerging role in alcohol and substance use disorders: An endocrinology primer. J Endocr Soc. 2025;9(11):bvaf141.bvaf14 Accessed by: https://academic.oup.com/jes/article/9/11/bvaf141/8277723
