Obesity and Alcohol Misuse

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Sally-Anne Turner

Since GLP-1s became a common part of the mainstream weight loss scene in the UK a couple of years ago, people who took them noticed a few things.

Firstly, and obviously, their food cravings lessened. This is a core part of how these medications work. Mimicking the glucagon receptor, they help those who take them to feel fuller for longer, as well as slowing gastric emptying.

However, unlike standard weight loss patches, when they took GLP-1s for weight loss, they had minimal to no cravings for alcohol. At the end of a long week, for some, a core part of their routine was to have wine or a lager. But after the GLP-1s, there was no craving for them. Or, when they did consume alcohol, it didn't "hit the same way." Interestingly, this is far from anecdotal, with researchers studying GLP-1 injections and pills noting the same thing in their studies.

At the Bodyline Clinic, we consider this to be an interesting development. We know that when it comes to GLP-1s, the majority of people who take them will experience an upset stomach and so on, but to learn about a potential benefit is interesting. Of course, we help people reach their weight loss goals and have 18 years of successfully helping people lose weight. But this research may change the face of weight loss, and even alcohol-related addiction, forever.

So, let's take a look at what's been found and explore the real questions of why GLP-1s seem to impact alcohol consumption.

Alcohol Misuse Disorder

BUPA defines alcohol misuse disorder as: "Alcohol misuse, also called problem drinking, is when you regularly drink more than the recommended limits of alcohol. This can harm your mental and physical health and cause problems at home and work. You may rely on alcohol and keep drinking even though it's causing you harm."

So, it is what used to be called alcoholism. What's shocking are the statistics. A survey from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2025 used the AUDIT Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and found that:

• 2.7% of adults (1.3 million people in England) consume alcohol at harmful or dependent levels.
• For harmful drinking, 3.8% of men versus 1.7% of women were noted to fit criteria for alcohol misuse.
• 3.7% of adults stated that they had been alcohol dependent, equalling 5.2% of men and 2.4% of women.

Men are over twice as likely as women to develop alcohol misuse disorder. Looking at the numbers, the Adult Substance Misuse Treatment Statistics, published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in December 2025, noted that adults receiving treatment in the UK for alcohol-only related problems in 2025 were 60,080 men (60.1%) and 39,875 women (39.9%).

So, among people actually receiving treatment for alcohol-only problems, the sex split was approximately 60% men and 40% women. A study from the UK noted that, of everyone diagnosed as overweight or obese according to the NHS BMI calculator, 70% of all men are overweight or obese, and 62% of women are overweight or obese.

This begs the question: is there something happening which may correlate being overweight with developing alcohol misuse disorder, or vice versa? And has access to GLP-1s highlighted this link? Or is it a coincidence?

Alcohol Misuse and Obesity

Has any clinical research found a link between being overweight or obese and having alcohol misuse disorder?

In simple terms, sort of, but not in a major way. The core connection between the two comes in the form of the brain's reward system. Both eating and drinking alcohol activate a neurochemical in the brain called dopamine, which causes pleasure and motivation and also helps people feel more motivated. Interestingly, dopamine is also found in the gut-brain axis, which is why many people are impacted heavily by what they are eating.

This does not mean that alcohol and obesity are one and the same. Indeed, there was a study published in Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, which looked at 24,869 adults and determined that the association between problematic alcohol consumption and obesity varied based on weight, social status and sex. Much as before, men were found to have higher rates of alcohol misuse if they were obese. Interestingly, among women, it was those who had a healthy weight who were more likely to consume alcohol in a problematic way.

So, it is fairer to say that if someone is overweight, the mechanism for developing alcohol misuse is more prevalent — likely due to higher levels of dopamine and impaired impulse control.

Why Do GLP-1s Impact Alcohol Consumption?

It's an interesting question and, as is the case, the researchers in the area of GLP-1s have a few theories. Remember, these are theories and may change as research develops.

The Feel-Good Brain Chemical

Dopamine is thought to have a large part to play in the secondary effects of GLP-1s on alcohol consumption. It has been found time and time again in psychological and neurobiological research that people who become addicted to substances or behaviours (such as gambling) often have abnormally high levels of dopamine in their brains, which can fluctuate.

GLP-1 receptors reduce dopamine in the brain, which suppresses reward-seeking behaviours, which extends to addiction to both food and alcohol.

Calories and Alcohol

We all know that GLP-1s have been noted to change how people eat. As many as 4 in 10 people taking Mounjaro in a 2025 study said that they stopped craving high-calorie foods, and that their food noise was reduced.

Now, alcohol can provide calorie-dense energy, with added sugar depending on the drink. The average 500ml bottle or can of cider in the UK packs as many as 195 calories, putting it just below a 45g bar of chocolate, which has 240 calories. Many mixed fruit ciders pack around 22.5g of sugar per 500ml can — that's about 6 teaspoons of added sugar, before you look at the natural sugars in the fruit in the beverage.

This could be one of the reasons why even those who don't consume alcohol problematically note that they no longer desire alcohol at the end of a hard week. A study by Blundell et al. found that those taking 2.4mg of semaglutide no longer craved junk food — is it such a leap to put alcohol in the nutrient-deficient food and drink category?

Blood Sugar Balancing

A study from Yale University of Medicine (2026) found that those who fit the criteria for alcohol misuse disorder tend to have higher levels of glucose or blood sugar — and yes, this is even if they don't have type 2 diabetes.

So, they may develop something similar to "quasi-insulin resistance." This can make alcohol consumption something that becomes a behaviour based on blood glucose levels dropping, much as it may be in prediabetics. However, at the time of writing, the impact of alcohol on insulin needs further research.

As you can see, this is not simply a case of "GLP-1s impact this specific thing, causing alcohol cravings to drop." Instead, like many medications, it seems to have a secondary impact on this alcohol consumption behaviour, seemingly due to similar pathways being accidentally activated.

Pill vs Injection and Alcohol

As GLP-1s are now available in pill and injection form, is there a difference in potential alcohol-related cravings based on administration route? Here is a summary of the key studies to date:

Semaglutide (injectable): Hendershot et al., JAMA Psychiatry (2025) — Reduced alcohol consumption in laboratory testing, drinks per drinking day and cravings.

Semaglutide (injectable): SEMALCO trial, The Lancet (2026) — Significant reduction in heavy drinking days.

Semaglutide (oral): Schacht et al., American Journal of Psychiatry (2026) — Reduced heavy drinking days, drinks per drinking day and cravings.

Dulaglutide (injectable): Probst et al., JCI Insight (2023) — 29% lower alcohol consumption than placebo at 12 weeks.

Liraglutide (injectable): Kalra et al. (2024) — 21.4% reporting abstinence in a retrospective study.

Tirzepatide (injectable): Quddos et al. (2023) — Observational study; lower drinking noted.

Semaglutide (injectable): Quddos et al. (2023) — Observational study; lower drinking noted. (Same study as above, which also recruited people already taking semaglutide or tirzepatide and asked about their alcohol use.)

Of all of these GLP-1s, it has been noted that semaglutide (Wegovy or Ozempic) overall has the most promising results, as both injections and GLP-1 tablets.

Why might this be? Well, it is the only GLP-1 to have undergone randomised trials. It has had more research put into it and has shown a difference in alcohol consumption in both oral and injectable forms.

Again, we have to stress that this does NOT mean that semaglutide, or Wegovy, is a better medication for this potential area than others. It has simply been researched more because it is available in both injection and tablet forms.

How Our Team Can Help You with Weight Loss

It's interesting to consider that GLP-1s can help people reduce their alcohol cravings. However, at the Bodyline Clinic, the soul of what we do is to help people lose weight using a combination of GLP-1s, diet, exercise and specialised care. We have 18 years of helping people across the UK to lose weight and, thanks to our excellent clinical team and our research-supported approach, we may be able to help you too!

So, if you've tried diet, exercise or appetite suppressants and finally want to hit your weight loss goals, contact our friendly team today.

FAQs

How Common Is Alcohol Misuse in the UK?

The levels have dropped over the last decade or so. However, according to the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) from 2025, 2.7% of adults, or 1.3 million, consume alcohol at harmful levels.

Is There a Link Between Obesity and Alcohol Misuse?

Potentially. It's complicated. Research has found that there is a link between dopamine (the feel-good chemical in the brain) and addiction. As the same pathways are triggered, it would make sense that people who have an addiction to one thing are at higher risk of other addictive issues.

How Do GLP-1s Help with Alcohol Cessation?

Going back to dopamine and that neurological pathway, GLP-1s have been found to suppress dopamine, bringing the levels down to potentially pre-addiction levels. There may be secondary factors related to calories and blood sugar, both of which GLP-1s are designed to target and both of which are implicated in excess alcohol consumption.