Very cool post.. this could be a real game-changer if the signal holds up. The review + early human data on GLP-1 receptor agonists are compelling: beyond metabolic effects, GLP-1R activation seems to modulate core reward circuits (dopamine, GABA, etc.) linked to craving and addiction. At the same time, i would prefer a bit more caution i.e. reality check. Most of the data are still preclinical or from small/short Phase 2 trials; we need larger, longer, and more diverse studies to know who benefits, at what dose, and what the safety/side-effect profile looks like when used for ASUD.

My personal experience (i was a rather heavy drinker for decades) is not that you quit drinking, but you simply don't want to drink a lot. 2 glasses of wine and you don't want more.

A few times in a company of friends i felt compelled to have a 3rd glass but i could never finish it - not that it felt disgusting, or felt too drunk (i practically stopped feeling any effects from alcohol at all, at least not in amounts that i can drink), but i had a weird feeling much akin to being overly full with food. Like, i just didn't want any more of it.

So in practice, you quit drinking completely - in 2 years that i've been on Wegovy, i've never been even tipsy once, let alone drunk.

As expected, it had negative social consequences, i lost a lot of contacts and had a hard time building new ones, so i feel more lonely than before, but of course, the benefits of quitting drinking - especially without making any effort for this, or even trying - are more than worth it.

Appreciate the comment!! Even if just anecdotally - you mention loneliness etc. - did you experience any negative (particularly emotional) side effects?

From Wegovy itself? Naturally so, while actively losing weight - before it reached equilibrium so for first 5-7 months - i did, everyone does. When losing weight as quickly as that, the body assumes that "i've got almost no food and am starving, perhaps gonna die soon", which naturally makes a person depressed. When someone is dieting the "good old way", they feel acutely hungry all the time so don't concentrate on emotional part and it's probably not nearly as bad for them, but on Wegovy, one doesn't get hungry.

But once weight stabilised, this goes away and then the mood is pretty stable.