For years, people taking Ozempic or other drugs in the same class for diabetes and weight loss have noticed the medicines don’t just curb their desire to eat; for some, they also lead them to drink less alcohol.

The drug semaglutide has been linked to a lower risk of alcoholism before, but now we have strong evidence that it really does help curb drinking

A new study (the first clinical trial of its kind) has shown that the GLP-1 agonist semaglutide — known by the brand name Ozempic — may help reduce not only alcohol cravings, but the amount of alcohol consumed when someone on the drug does drink

The active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy was linked to reduced cravings for drinking alcohol among people with alcohol use disorder, according to a small study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, supporting earlier research suggesting Novo Nordisk’s popular diabetes and weight loss drug could treat alcoholism.

But when averaging the number of drinks only on the days alcohol was consumed, the reduction was greater in the Ozempic group. And over time, there was a greater reduction in heav