How weight-loss medication is changing relationships with alcohol
New research indicates that GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy may help reduce alcohol cravings and consumption. Patients report that the drugs alter their physical response to alcohol, leading to decreased desire or inability to drink heavily.
Why it matters
This potential secondary benefit could offer a new pharmacological approach to treating alcohol use disorder, impacting public health strategies.
Image source, Peter Cade/Getty Images By Grace Dean Published 9 August 2026, 00:30 BST When Lisa Rees took her first dose of weight-loss medication in April, she hoped she would end up losing a few kilograms.
What she did not expect, though, was the side effect she has described as the drug's "best benefit": as well as eating less food, she has been drinking much less alcohol.
Lisa used to drink two bottles of wine on a night out, but now, after she has had a couple of glasses, the 46-year-old from South Wales finds that she "just physically cannot drink another drop".
Image source, Albane McGuinness Image caption, Lisa says that she simply cannot drink as much wine as she used to
There is a growing body of research into the link between weight-loss drugs and alcohol consumption.
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