Popular weight loss drug may reduce risk of substance addiction: Study
Updated: Mar 9th, 2026
A new study published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) has found that popular weight loss and diabetes medicines like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide may help reduce the risk of substance use disorders such as alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, and opioid addiction.
The research was conducted by scientists from “Washington University School of Medicine” in St Louis. They studied more than 6,00,000 US veterans with Type 2 Diabetes, whose average age was about 65 years.
The study found that people who used GLP-1 drugs had a 14% lower risk of developing substance use disorders compared to those taking other diabetes medicines.
The result showed that the risk of addiction decreased for several substances, the risk dropped by 18% for alcohol, 14% for cannabis, 20% for cocaine and nicotine, and 25% for opioids among people who used GLP- 1 medications.
The study also found benefits for people who already had substance use disorders. Over a period of three years, there was a 30% decrease in emergency hospital visits, 25% fewer hospitalisations, 40% fewer overdoses, and 50% fewer drug-related deaths among patients using these medicines.
According to Ziyad Al‑Aly, the senior author of the study, most addiction treatments work only for one substance. For example, nicotine patches help with smoking but not alcohol addiction. However, GLP-1 drugs may work differently because they reduce the craving that leads to addiction, not just the substance itself.
Researchers believe these medicines may affect the reward system in the brain, which controls craving and pleasure. People who take these drugs for weight loss often say they feel less ‘food noise’, meaning they think less about food. Scientists now think the drugs may also reduce ‘drug noise’, or the constant urge to use addictive substances.
Experts say more research is needed before these drugs are widely used to treat addiction. However, the findings suggest that GLP-1 medicines could open a new way to treat different types of addiction by targeting the common craving behind them.
