--- title: "Ozempic Could Be Used to Treat Alcohol and Drug Addiction, Study Finds" description: "In a huge new study, researchers have found evidence that drugs like Ozempic can help with alcohol and opioid addiction. " date: "2024-10-17" modified: "2024-10-17" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/ozempic-alcohol-drug-addiction" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "addiction" - "alcohol" - "glp-1" - "opioids" - "ozempic" --- # Ozempic Could Be Used to Treat Alcohol and Drug Addiction, Study Finds ![In a huge new study, researchers have found more evidence than ever that drugs like Ozempic can help with alcohol and opioid addiction. ]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* In a new statistical analysis, researchers have found evidence that drugs like Ozempic may help curb alcohol and [opioid addiction](). Published in the journal *Addiction*, this [new study]() saw researchers from Loyola University Chicago sift through more than 1.3 million health records to see how those who had been prescribed glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) fared when it came to substance abuse. Among those records, the Loyola researchers settled on more than 8,000 people diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) and more than 5,600 with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who'd been prescribed a GLP-1 like Novo Nordisk's Ozempic or Eli Lilly's Mounjaro. Looking at nearly a decade of healthcare outcomes for those cohorts, the study found that the drugs can not only mimic the gut's feeling of fullness, but they can also curb cravings for things other than food, something that seems to have extraneous health benefits. The medical experts behind the study saw 50 percent lower rates of intoxication among people diagnosed with AUD who had been prescribed a GLP-1, and 40 percent lower rates of overdose for people with OUD who used the injectable weight loss drugs. Though the study's authors point out that there will need to be more direct research done to further establish the link between GLP-1s and better outcomes for people who struggle with addiction, they nevertheless think this could be a bellwether. "The existing medications for treating substance use disorder are underutilized and stigmatized," pointed out biostatistician Fares Qeadan, the study's first author, in an [interview with *ABC*](). "These medications intended for diabetes and weight loss can help addiction without the associated stigma, which will be a new window for how to deal with addiction." News of these promising findings come after a banner press year for GLP-1s, which have [exploded in popularity]() as weight management tools. More and more studies have also investigated their so-called "[off-label]()" uses teasing everything from [smoking cessation]() to reduced risk of [heart attack and stroke](). There will, of course, be a long road ahead to get FDA approval for Ozempic as a substance abuse treatment — but considering the latest findings, it's perhaps only a matter of time. **More on GLP-1s:** [*Ozempic-Style Drug Slows the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease, Experiment Finds*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()