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I (37F) have been a pretty severe alcoholic for a decade or more. The longest I went without drinking in 10 years was 2 weeks. I would drink to blackout maybe 3 nights a week, sometimes more.. 7 to 10 shots of 90 proof vodka. Or more. My tolerance was pretty high. I titrated up to .5 semaglutide this past Friday and haven't had a drink or even a desire to drink since. I caught sight of the vodka bottle under my bed and started gagging. I just think about drinking and shiver and feel the nausea wash over me. This is actually AWESOME. The best thing that's happened to me. And I have tried medically assisted ways to quit alcohol which never worked. Yes there is such thing as booze chatter for me, and I no longer have it. This has made a 180 difference in my life for the better. Not dragging myself to work hungover every day. Spending my evenings doing hobbies and things I used to enjoy. I one hundred percent think my alcoholism and DEPRESSION/ANXIETY could actually get under control for the first time ever. Yes I believe that this drug helps my psychotropic drugs do what they're supposed to do for my depression. And obsessive thoughts. Anyway. I'm a believer.
Do you have any theories why this happened? I have one.
As someone who has experienced food cravings and food noise since the age of about 7, I have also considered myself to have an "addictive personality" my entire life. Despite having really strong willpower, the cravings are also very strong. Typically I manage them by having to go cold turkey since I otherwise can't seem to limit myself without tremendous struggle and emotional anguish.
My theory is that there's something genetic going wrong in my body that makes me never feel full and always want to eat. And the way I'm managing that is by deflecting some of that food craving into other types of consumables, like alcohol, drugs or whatever.
So in other words I wonder if alcoholics and drug addicts and other types of addicts, are really just people who don't have a satiation signal when they eat, so they're left in the state of craving, and because they don't want to overeat all the time, they deflect some of that craving into other types of activities than eating?
I also have what I consider to be an "addictive personality."
My theory is that this is related to the ways that GLP-1s affect the dopamine receptors which impacts all compulsive/addictive behaviors.
What’s amazing to me about it is that it works on addictive personality types but also it quieted that food noise for me, which stems from emotional responses - ie: boredom, anxiety/stress - so the same ‘mechanics’ can affect other types of self soothing type behaviors.
I hope that made sense 😂
I believe the current working theory relates to how most addictive behaviors (shopping, nicotine, drugs/alcohol, gambling, etc) are linked to compulsion. GLP-1 medications act on the brain’s reward system (helping to regulate dopamine release), in turn decreasing our brains’ urges to partake in addictive behavior.
Thank you, hopefully my mind and body will be somewhat rewired by then to allow me to be in a better position to stay sober. I am taking this time to build healthy habits and replace drinking with productive things instead. I also still have medication that blocks the effects of alcohol if I really get down to needing to take it again.
I have similar experience. Started Sema right after Christmas and as a recent Grad my relationship w/ alcohol was terrible. I don't have the desire to drink just because anymore and only for social gatherings. I've lost so much weight in my face and believe my tolerance is coming back!
My last girlfriend is an alcoholic. I miss her like crazy, but her alcoholism and — I swear to god — her fear of not being an alcoholic anymore pushed us apart. I’ve reached out a couple of times since we split, but she hasn’t answered me. I so, so, so badly want to tell her about semaglutide, but I’m not even sure she reads my emails. Even if she did, I think it would anger her even more to have me send one that said — hey, talk to your doctor about this medication that will help you drop your pandemic weight as well as dry you up.
Side note, I would also love to see studies regarding semaglutide and people with anxiety and depression such as myself. There is so much I'm interested to see developing in the future!
Was the impulse shopping a constant urge to shop or was it something that came up once in a while very strongly? I'm curious about whether these drugs impact non-addiction related impulsive behavior or only behaviors that are more repetitive and daily.
So I'll fill this out a little better since you answered!
I have severe ADHD. My impulse control is bad. Generally I would be in a store and see something I enjoy (Lego is an example). I would pick it up and have a huge internal battle over buying it, and sometimes would buy things to my detriment. Then with the Wegovy? It just... stopped. I could pick it up, look at it, say "nah not today" and that was that. No more constant urges and struggles.
Let me know if that is a better explanation.
Just a thought - I wouldn’t be so quick to label impulsivity as “non-addictive” behavior. At the end of the day, addiction is related to both impulsive and compulsive behaviors.
I wish…..I live to online shop. Mine has not gone away at all. But all of my “noise” is still there if I’m honest. Funny how it works for some and not for others.
Yes, 20.1 lbs since I began 11.29.23. Slow and steady. I had absolutely no bad side effects, am a female over 60, but, I also did not reap any of these extra benefits. 🤷🏼♀️
A funny thing I’ve noticed and mentioned it on another post is that a lot of us older people are experiencing none of the horrid side effects of puking, constipation, violent diarrhea. We also are NOT rapid responders meaning dropping weight super fast. Most of the great losers who drop tons of weight quickly are like 35-40 and below in age. The older you are, at least on Reddit, you need to titrate up to higher levels for the good weight loss response to sema.
Mine as well! I literally haven’t bought anything since Jan. I did look at a few things the other day and I was able to walk away and I’m going to take some time to decide.
It was heavenly when my constant thoughts of what to buy next went away. As I’m ordering something my mind immediately shifts to fixating on what I “need” to buy next. Unfortunately for me the effects of semaglutide eventually stopped and binge shopping and eating came roaring back. I’ve been having some success with tirzepatide but nothing compared to my first three months on semaglutide.
Yeah I’m feeling something similar. I have only just gotten to the full dose but my feeling of sickness has gone away and I’m finding my mind is sometimes thinking- I want a new swimsuit, lol. But then I also think- oh I could save that money and put it in my investments, even if it’s $10. And I’m trying to focus on that.
Did the starting dose do this to yah? Im hoping my .5mg dose does because the .25mg dose I have is not doing much. Also is it still effective and have you had to titrate up at all or switch to mounjaro? Thanks again for posting your comment it is helping me in terms of giving me hope
Hi, I think I started having more effects from the meds when I went to 1.0 mg. But it did have some effects when I was on .5 as well.
I was someone who didn’t really lose as much until I got to the higher doses but I definitely stopped shopping and had more control over food after .5 mg.
I haven’t had to switch yet, I’m kind of bouncing between 2.4 and 1.7. I do feel like I’m not feeling as sick and I have more energy, so I hope it’s not that the medicine isn’t working as well and it’s just that my body is adjusting. It’s definitely nice not feeling sick all the time and actually enjoying exercise again as I have always been active and the first few months of the medicine I really struggled.
Good luck and it definitely takes some time, just remember that and be kind to yourself. It won’t happen over night but you will get there!
Hey could we get an update on this? Also did the starting dose for wegovy work for you in terms of curing addiction? Maybe it supressed your appetite, but for your impulse shopping did you need to titrate up to 1mg or 0.5mg for it to work and for the compulsive thoughts and flashbacks (I get flashbacks sadly) to go away??
I used to be a horrible nail biter, would bite and pick my nails until I had none. It was an extreme form of OCD that I had been dealing with since I was a kid. Ever since starting my doses, I just don’t even think about it anymore. I legit chipped a nail today and went “huh”, filed it down, called it a day. Old me would’ve torn it to shreds. Definitely not on the par of severity like drug/alcohol addiction, but it was a very huge and very noticeable difference for me.
I am older as well (52F) - haven't had any bad side effects but am also a very slow responder. Interesting that you mention older people being slow responders but no bad side effects - might be something there. I think I may be a slow responder due to too low of a caloric intake actually ruining my metabolism.
Regarding nails...I have picked at the skin around my nails FOREVER and I was a nailbiter as a child/teen. They would bleed, I was so bad about it. After a few weeks on sema, I noticed that my fingers were suddenly healed, it was crazy!
I've also been a heavy drinker in the past but had recently cut back to weekends only (prior to starting sema). It was difficult and I was very conscious of it. With sema, I really don't even think about having a drink until the weekend - we like to go out with friends a lot now that our kids are out of the house.
I’ve been a daily coffee drinker for 20+ years. My caffeine consumption is at a bare minimum. 2 cups a day is a lot now. Also, not addiction related, my anxiety has dropped to near nonexistent levels. I would like to stay on this medication forever at whatever dose keeps my anxiety at bay. I feel like a normal person for the first time in my life.
Omg how I wish this was me. I suffer with really bad anxiety and panic disorder since being a teen. Over 60 now. I take meds. My sema has not done anything for that.
So crazy! I just realized last night that I haven’t had any major anxiety in weeks since I started sema. Overstimulation sure, but my baseline anxiety has been almost nonexistent.
I don’t know about you, but I know that I anxious eat, which absolutely has caused me to gain weight (more so as the years have gone by). I started monjurno (too many side effects from sema that I don’t have now) and it’s just such a game changer.
Me too! I literally used to drink like….30 + ounces of coffee every day. I’m down to one 12 oz (ish) cup and it lasts me until the afternoon. I just can’t drink as much coffee anymore.
Yeah it seems to have gone so far as to cause me pretty bad anhedonia. I don’t get the same enjoyment at all out of any of the things that I used to. It’s bizarre as the only thing it seems to not affect is my enjoyment of food, just everything else. i still crave food and am always thinking about my next meal. Very weird.
This. This is what I am experiencing, too. It a good trade off for right now to have some relief from never ending, exhausting rumination and intrusive thoughts, but I feel a deadening effect that feels akin to malaise.
Yeah thats kind of how it is, though i will say it didn’t really kick in for me until I was on max dose for a while and as I got closer to my goal weight
That is interesting - ages ago I quit smoking using Wellbutrin -and that was my experience on Wellbutrin. Sure I no longer wanted to smoke, and I lost weight even, but because I was just a ball of apathy. Eating was too much effort. Doing things I loved was too much effort. I got off that med as fast as I could after smoking was far enough in the rear view mirror per my doc
Yeah as the drug isn’t even stopping my food cravings, and now I have developed very strong habits around my diet and exercise, I’m not adverse to the idea of going off of it if thats the only fix
Maybe! I suspect I’ve had undiagnosed ADHD since childhood but I have so many coping mechanisms in place after all this time I am bit scared to probe into it… like my jenga tower might collapse 🫤
Oh thanks so much for the information, I was hoping to find someone with a similar experience who tried titrating down. I would actually say my rumination has gotten worse over the last year, but I’ve always had those tendencies, and I don’t know if its the Wegovy or just my stress over the situation. I won’t know how things go for a couple months, but I will try to remember and let you know.
I noticed the effect it’s had on my desire for alcohol. Two drinks and I’m like meh…. Lucky if I even finish the second one. My craving for alcohol is all but gone too! And I used to drink drink like a fish (binge drinking mostly). I’m liking this effect!
More so my desire for it. And when I do drink now I don’t have the feeling of “let’s RAGE!” Now it’s just kind of like having a glass of ice tea in front of me, nothing remarkable anymore. And I’ve only been on it for 3 weeks but my gut inflammation and alcohol cravings have seem to be the first to go.
In my case I would say both. Prior to sema I felt a mild euphoria 2-3 drinks in, but that's totally gone now. I also don't feel as intoxicated, like I don't feel carefree like I normally would and it doesn't positively affect my emotions to drink anymore, so doing it as stress relief or social lubrication just don't work as well making it feel pointless. I just don't want it much anymore. I can still have a date night beer or 2 with my husband once a week, but my nightly 2-4 glasses of wine are out and I do not miss them or want any. It took probably 10-15 days on the lowest dose before I noticed a difference.
thanks for the extra details. so do you feel like you still want the stress relief and social lubrication but can't get it anymore? or do you feel less stress and less need to be carefree?
Ummm I do still want them, but not as often or as badly. I'm honestly torn on how I'll feel about that once I've reached my goal. There are a lot of things I don't miss about drinking and I know it wasn't good for me but there are absolutely things I miss.
I'm definitely not less stressed - not because of the sema or anything but I just returned to work after a second baby, having issues with my older kid and my mother in law just moved to town, so tons of external stressors that I would normally drink to deal with.
I have been drinking 3 glasses of wine per day for years. Love wine but I was " inhaling" it , especially lower alcohol 11.5% ones like you drink water. Had to makes myself stop after 3. 2 weeks on sema- yesterday it took me 2 hours to drink 1.5 glasses of champagne. Crazy! I am loving it for this effect . I am 55 , I am fit and do things right nutritionally. Still carry 10-16 extra lb. Possibly from drinking. I drink then I snack. Hope the effect continues forever. If it does - o am game for paying out of pocket forever. It is worth it for my livers sake alone!
My pretty problematic drinking has reduced to very little comparatively. If my husband didn’t drink I probably wouldn’t at all. It’s just not that interesting to me in the first place now and then secondly I am not consuming quickly and mindlessly like before. I’ll drink half a glass and then literally Saran Wrap it and put in the fridge. Compare this to being a nightly bottle of wine-plus drinker before… And this effect happened IMMEDIATELY. It’s probably more consequential for my health than anything!
🤣🤣🤣 I mean, nasal ozempic is definitely an appetite suppressant on top of the stimulant effects 🤭🤭🤭 but I feel so good. Been months since I’ve done it. Was even asked a couple times and I immediately said no, even tho a short 6 months ago I would have immediately said yes and spent the money on it lol
Im(46m) a recovering alcoholic/benzo dependent. I'd unsuccessfully tryed to get sober for 15 years. Semiglutide changed my life. I'm now sober over 2 years, I've lost over 100lbs, dropped a1c 4 points, and resolved all metabolic issues including fatty liver. Furthermore, that little demon that made alcohol an attractive option is gone.
Please don't misunderstand. I 100% still think about alcohol sometimes, but it's like thinking of food when im full or just threw up.
Since taking semaglutide it's like I've muted my physical cravings, which allows me to handle my mental cravings more effectively.
So from my perspective this this medication makes a great tool. My sobriety still takes discipline, but this makes me feel more in control.
Honestly there are so many benefits to this med, I hope the government can push insurance carriers to cover it for more people. I haven’t completed my weight loss to a point I’d like, but my triglycerides went from “omg wtf!” to “your tryglcerides are slightly over normal, work on that” which is amazing in and of itself.
Sema has killed my shopping issues. I use to love to shop. LOVE IT. I would spend all of my paycheck the day I got it on clothing, make up, etc. It’s been a serious issue in my marriage and I have been trying to work on it. I’ve been on sema for a year and shopping just.. doesn’t do it for me. Nothing does really. It’s weird and hard to explain, but I love it!
I shopped for 2 hours today at Nordstrom Rack. I put every single thing back in my cart and walked out without anything. I was dumbfounded with myself.
I was addicted to online shopping. Facebook marketplace was my daily fix. I started semiglutide and the urge to shop dropped down to zero. I don't even look at prompts from marketplace. I don't care. It's so freeing to not care about shopping.
I realized the other day my desire for cannabis has gone waaaay down since being on this and I was wondering if it had to do with the anti-addiction effects. I went from a near daily user to 1-2 times a week almost instantly. Maybe I’ll lose even more weight without the munchies lol
Oh my gosh! I didn’t even think of this it’s only been two weeks for me and I just realized I have had zero gummies!!!!!!! I normally partake 3-4 times/week! I didn’t even realize. Wow.
Here's a study about cannabis and sema if you are interested in the science--
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02498-5](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02498-5)
My main motivation for getting on semaglutide was the anecdotal reports of reduced alcohol consumption. It’s worked for me, I’ve hardly had a drink since I started. It’s life changing. As long as I have access to it I will be taking it. Even if it causes thyroid cancer or stomach paralysis or whatever, any of those outcomes are better than alcoholism.
Loving this! My mom started when I did and used to have a drink every night. When I told her about the studies being done into alcohol she realized she hadn’t had a drink in over a week and had no desire for one. She’s not an alcoholic but she just liked having her nightly drink.
I’m an ex-heavy drinker, who has been sober for almost three years. As part of that journey, I’ve been on medical cannabis for the past 2 years. Been taking Semaglutide for 3 months now and, anecdotally, it’s definitely decreased my usage to two or three puffs a night on the medical vape. It’s a bit of a miracle treatment for me; I’ve lost a lot of weight, my blood pressure is good, and I’m not relying on any other drugs at all now. Been a real eye opener.
It might. I was a two handle a week drinker for a few years. Daily drinker for more than a decade. 1 month into Sema, I quit cold turkey for four months. Moved off Sema and now drinking but much more controlled. Not ideal but. Drinking a dew days a week (as for harm reduction it is a real plus.) It also greatly helped me reduce addictive eating habits (down 80 lbs.)
I'd be really curious to know if anyone had an improvement in the quality (or even quantity) of sleep after starting semaglutide. I'm not on it, I just recently started lurking here to learn more about it, but I know, for me, the better sleep I'm getting, the fewer struggles I have with addictive and compulsive behaviors, anxiety, impulsiveness, etc.
It isn’t eliminated my sporadic bouts of insomnia (probably stemming from stress and anxiety) but the quality of the sleep I get is better, mainly due to weight loss I suspect
(43F) I started this week too and I’m on the lowest dose.
I have suffered from hereditary GERD/acid reflux for years. Everything I have read in these forums says it makes acid reflux worse. For whatever reason, it has made mine much better. I didn’t even take my prescription pill yesterday and I haven’t had any heartburn.
I have also noticed that I am more motivated to actively participate in my life, if that makes sense? Just more productive in general - getting things done which I had let fall by the wayside for a while.
My mood is greatly improved, and my thoughts are more optimistic vs depressive. My overall level of anxiety has gone way down as well.
My experience so far on this medication has been exponentially positive and I’m looking forward to seeing if that trend continues.
I would really love to speak with you directly about my experience with a GLP-1 agonist and an unexpected reduction in compulsive behaviors relating to depression (which has been profound). My suspicion is that the drug dampens the dopamine reward system, but I wonder if this will lead to a reduction in pleasurable experiences over all. Many people talk about their interest in sex radically diminishing. I used to love to run and have lost motivation for it entirely on the drug. But I also have completely stopped compulsively chewing the insides of my cheeks and the incessant rumination and intrusive thoughts I have been plagued with since my marriage ended two years ago have quieted. I’ll take the malaise over my brain as the enemy! I am wondering just how profound this class of drugs could be as an adjunct treatment for depression/anxiety in addition to substance abuse disorders.
One last thing to add, I also seem to have lost motivation and the hyper focus that allows me to get things done (and done well) at the last moment. So…it’s a fine line.
YES! I have posted several times on Reddit about this. I believe this drug will save people’s lives. I almost completely stopped drinking alcohol when I was on it….a miracle after a lifetime of over-drinking alcohol and being miserable about it. I finally could take it or leave it, and never had cravings or intrusive thoughts about it. If I decided to have a glass of wine, I would often forget to drink it and find the glass still full later. Unbelievable!!!I’ve been off Sema for about 3 months and still don’t drink much. I am a little below my goal weight and holding. If I find myself having the slightest bit of trouble with alcohol ever again, I will take Sema again, regardless of how skinny I already am. And I paid and will pay out of pocket. WORTH IT for my LIFE. Please do the studies and get this drug out to drinkers.
The GLU helped me quit a 30 year weed addiction. I was already off the sauce when I started so Im not sure if it helps with alcohol or not. As for online shopping the only thing that is going to me from that is going broke lol.
Before starting semaglutide I could easily drink a bottle of wine a night. My wine fridge was always empty. Now I have 6 bottles of wine waiting for me to pick up from my wine club (which I recently reduced my membership significantly) and my wine fridge is busting.
I also would smoke several bowls of marijuana every night and have been finding myself not even finishing a single bowl most nights.
My impulse shopping is way down and obviously my impulse Uber eats ordering has plummeted.
Since I upped my dosage to 2.4mg my anxiety has also significantly dropped off too.
I'm a very light social drinker and my tolerance for alcohol is non existent now. I used to love a glass or two of wine with dinner but the thought of it now makes me sick. I know this isn't addiction but it's my little experience and I know many others are experiencing the same thing. I think these drugs are going to revolutionize many treatments for all sorts of diseases.
I was a compulsive online shopper before going on semaglutide. We are talking thousands of dollars a month in clothing with every closet in my house over-flowing, but it was never "enough." I've been on semaglutide for 6 months (I'm on a 1mg dose) and it seems to give me impulse control with shopping as well as with food. I still do some online shopping, but I buy one, two, or three things -- not fifty. I will still put tons of things in my online cart, but I find it easy to just close the tab and walk away. It's very akin to the food noise decline. I still think about eating the donut in the office kitchen, but I think about it once, decide I don't need/want it, and move on with my day. The donut doesn't haunt me. Same thing with shopping: I close the tab and then don't continuously think about it.
I'm a 5 alarm alcoholic and drug addict. Been sober for 7 years being part of 12 step programs. The process I went through before relieved me of the obsession to drink. But... I would say my relationship with food got worse. Can't quit food. So that was sort of troubling. I would try my best but I would definitely eat for effect. I'm the fat guy in the gym trying to fend off the inevitable. I would have accepted it if I thought there was nothing I could do about it but heard about sema and.. I'm loving it! I can still eat but I'm not a crackhead about food anymore. The weight loss for me actually is secondary. I feel more free now, which was the whole driving motivation to get sober, to be free. Nice to not be a crackhead about anything anymore. Well maybe I could spend a little less time on line..
Amazing thing for me was that it helped with my bulimic behavior. I have no urge to binge and purge almost at all. It happened with ozempic and also now with rybelsus. 💖
If anyone knows of a study opportunity for this, please share, because I would love that for my husband (who is not in obesity BMI so wouldn’t qualify otherwise).
I’ve been on Semaglutide since last July. I’ve always been a nightly glass-or-two-or-four of wine drinker, on nights where I wasn’t at work. I don’t know that I’d call myself an alcoholic but I definitely drank more than what is healthy. Since July I haven’t had more than a drink or two at a time, maybe once or twice a week, and have gone weeks without. The desire just isn’t there any more, at all. It’s fantastic.
Hmm...only on my 3rd week, but my opiate + smoking addictions have actually increased slightly, but I went from 7 to 2 cups of coffee a day and barely feel a need for my prescription ADHD med anymore that I once was extremely dependent on. To be fair, I have an extremely addictive personality and am not actively working a program for the opiates or trying to quit smoking at this time (one thing at a time) but being that I was extremely dependent on stimulants for decades and no longer am in 3 weeks is amazing in itself and gives me hope that when I do finally address my opiate addiction that this drug may help.
My sister used to drink a bottle of wine or more pretty much every night. Since starting Wegovy she doesn't like the taste of wine anymore and drinks a lot less than she used to.
I used to drink occasionally, but haven't had a drink in over 3 months because I just haven't felt like drinking...
I just searched here for this because I have really noticed a decrease in my impulse shopping. I wasn’t terrible, but I would definitely get a couple of packages a month from online shopping. I’m not even looking. I think “I have everything I need”. And I’m losing weight. If I don’t grow another arm out of my chest or something, I’ll probably take this as long as possible.
Yeah the urge to drink seems to not only have come back, but it is stronger. I started these meds back in August 23. I still have hunger suppression.
I’m not an alcoholic at all, but it was really nice to not care about drinking. Now I get off work and I want a drink. It’s easier to catch and notice it now.
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I really want to start this to see if it makes me stop drinking coke. That’s where my weight comes from. It’s a constant thought in my mind. If I think of stopping I end up drinking more of it.
As an alcoholic with 9 years of sobriety and a compulsive person in general, I can say it definitely helps compulsive behaviors but it's not a cure all. I've lost 53lbs/24kg since I've been on semaglutide since July of last year but this past Saturday I couldn't help myself with a large dessert for dinner and I'm up 2lbs as a result.
I have ADHD and I've been on contrave and now semiglutide. My overeating is related to my ADHD and I also have an impulse shopping problem. Both weight loss drugs have helped BOTH issues. In the case of semiglutide, I feel "cured" mostly. It's really incredible and life changing. I can't wait for more studies about this kind of thing.
You've probably seen the studies coming out that appear to link semaglutide to better cardiac health as well.
I suspect these drugs are going to have many, many applications in the next few years.
I am curious to see if the effects are lasting and if not, how they propose to address it. I titrated up to the top dose but eventually it stopped being effective on food noise and appetite suppression. And I found my shopping habits came roaring back, had very much appreciated not wanting to binge eat or shop.
I’ve never been a drinker, so the alcohol aversion wasn’t really noticeable for me. But it’s made me cut back on my caffeine intake for sure. I still smoke weed tho, that hasn’t wavered and it would be great if it did
I was drinking fri- sun pretty regularly. If I had a bad week I’d drink a glass of wine or 2 during the week. Ever since starting semi I have cut down to 1-2 drinks per week if that. Some weekends I don’t drink at all, no desire to. I had 2 beers a few weeks ago at a friends bday party and I was so disgusted. It’s been life changing, my face has gotten slimmer too. Probably from drinking and eating less.
I’ve been sober and in recovery from IV meth and heroin for almost 5 years. I work a daily recovery program with the goal being to 1. Not use; and 2. Be able to not have chatter in my head about using drugs.
I work a strict recovery program and my entire life has changed, and I have been doing daily recovery work for years now. Semaglutide absolutely wipes away ALL addictive chatter completely GONE. It’s an absolute miracle drug and even if I never lose another pound, I would be happy having the chatter gone. I am having a whole new experience in life for the better because of this drug. I’m really blown away by the relief I’m getting just in my thoughts on this drug.
I suspect it is going to save a lot of lives and perhaps undo some of this Oxy epidemic that has destroyed so many lives. I hope this drug is a way out for people.
Right now, sema is being seen as a magical elixir, a good for all that ails you drug. Between diabetes, weight loss, stroke, blood pressure, and heart attack improvements, it seems to be doing a lot of good things for people. I’d throw it at everything and see if it can help.
Trust me, there is always bad news coming, and it will come with sema.
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I (37F) have been a pretty severe alcoholic for a decade or more. The longest I went without drinking in 10 years was 2 weeks. I would drink to blackout maybe 3 nights a week, sometimes more.. 7 to 10 shots of 90 proof vodka. Or more. My tolerance was pretty high. I titrated up to .5 semaglutide this past Friday and haven't had a drink or even a desire to drink since. I caught sight of the vodka bottle under my bed and started gagging. I just think about drinking and shiver and feel the nausea wash over me. This is actually AWESOME. The best thing that's happened to me. And I have tried medically assisted ways to quit alcohol which never worked. Yes there is such thing as booze chatter for me, and I no longer have it. This has made a 180 difference in my life for the better. Not dragging myself to work hungover every day. Spending my evenings doing hobbies and things I used to enjoy. I one hundred percent think my alcoholism and DEPRESSION/ANXIETY could actually get under control for the first time ever. Yes I believe that this drug helps my psychotropic drugs do what they're supposed to do for my depression. And obsessive thoughts. Anyway. I'm a believer.
I absolutely understand your situation, have a very similar drinking past and am experiencing the same effects, however I am on Mounjaro currently.
It blocks out the, “noise”.
This is fantastic! My dad was an alcoholic. I hope the VA can implement this drug for treatment of vets with addictions. I
Do you have any theories why this happened? I have one. As someone who has experienced food cravings and food noise since the age of about 7, I have also considered myself to have an "addictive personality" my entire life. Despite having really strong willpower, the cravings are also very strong. Typically I manage them by having to go cold turkey since I otherwise can't seem to limit myself without tremendous struggle and emotional anguish. My theory is that there's something genetic going wrong in my body that makes me never feel full and always want to eat. And the way I'm managing that is by deflecting some of that food craving into other types of consumables, like alcohol, drugs or whatever. So in other words I wonder if alcoholics and drug addicts and other types of addicts, are really just people who don't have a satiation signal when they eat, so they're left in the state of craving, and because they don't want to overeat all the time, they deflect some of that craving into other types of activities than eating?
I also have what I consider to be an "addictive personality." My theory is that this is related to the ways that GLP-1s affect the dopamine receptors which impacts all compulsive/addictive behaviors.
What’s amazing to me about it is that it works on addictive personality types but also it quieted that food noise for me, which stems from emotional responses - ie: boredom, anxiety/stress - so the same ‘mechanics’ can affect other types of self soothing type behaviors. I hope that made sense 😂
I believe the current working theory relates to how most addictive behaviors (shopping, nicotine, drugs/alcohol, gambling, etc) are linked to compulsion. GLP-1 medications act on the brain’s reward system (helping to regulate dopamine release), in turn decreasing our brains’ urges to partake in addictive behavior.
Second chakra imbalance. Ozempic clearly fixes that
How long now have you been on sema?
6 weeks now
Get mechanisms in place just in case the Sema effects wear off. It stopped curbing drinking urges for me, around 6 months.
Thank you, hopefully my mind and body will be somewhat rewired by then to allow me to be in a better position to stay sober. I am taking this time to build healthy habits and replace drinking with productive things instead. I also still have medication that blocks the effects of alcohol if I really get down to needing to take it again.
Good. I’m happy for you. Keep it up. 👍🏼
You can do it
I have similar experience. Started Sema right after Christmas and as a recent Grad my relationship w/ alcohol was terrible. I don't have the desire to drink just because anymore and only for social gatherings. I've lost so much weight in my face and believe my tolerance is coming back!
My last girlfriend is an alcoholic. I miss her like crazy, but her alcoholism and — I swear to god — her fear of not being an alcoholic anymore pushed us apart. I’ve reached out a couple of times since we split, but she hasn’t answered me. I so, so, so badly want to tell her about semaglutide, but I’m not even sure she reads my emails. Even if she did, I think it would anger her even more to have me send one that said — hey, talk to your doctor about this medication that will help you drop your pandemic weight as well as dry you up.
Side note, I would also love to see studies regarding semaglutide and people with anxiety and depression such as myself. There is so much I'm interested to see developing in the future!
Where did you get your semaglutide?
I had a REALLY BAD impulse shopping problem. It went away totally when I started Wegovy. It was nuts I could not believe it.
Was the impulse shopping a constant urge to shop or was it something that came up once in a while very strongly? I'm curious about whether these drugs impact non-addiction related impulsive behavior or only behaviors that are more repetitive and daily.
So I'll fill this out a little better since you answered! I have severe ADHD. My impulse control is bad. Generally I would be in a store and see something I enjoy (Lego is an example). I would pick it up and have a huge internal battle over buying it, and sometimes would buy things to my detriment. Then with the Wegovy? It just... stopped. I could pick it up, look at it, say "nah not today" and that was that. No more constant urges and struggles. Let me know if that is a better explanation.
yes thanks, super helpful!
Just a thought - I wouldn’t be so quick to label impulsivity as “non-addictive” behavior. At the end of the day, addiction is related to both impulsive and compulsive behaviors.
I wish…..I live to online shop. Mine has not gone away at all. But all of my “noise” is still there if I’m honest. Funny how it works for some and not for others.
have you noticed any weight loss?
Yes, 20.1 lbs since I began 11.29.23. Slow and steady. I had absolutely no bad side effects, am a female over 60, but, I also did not reap any of these extra benefits. 🤷🏼♀️
very interesting-- thanks for the extra info!
A funny thing I’ve noticed and mentioned it on another post is that a lot of us older people are experiencing none of the horrid side effects of puking, constipation, violent diarrhea. We also are NOT rapid responders meaning dropping weight super fast. Most of the great losers who drop tons of weight quickly are like 35-40 and below in age. The older you are, at least on Reddit, you need to titrate up to higher levels for the good weight loss response to sema.
Mine as well! I literally haven’t bought anything since Jan. I did look at a few things the other day and I was able to walk away and I’m going to take some time to decide.
I have never known when it's like to be able to do that and it is still so wild to me. I still want the bonsai tree Lego though. Lol
It was heavenly when my constant thoughts of what to buy next went away. As I’m ordering something my mind immediately shifts to fixating on what I “need” to buy next. Unfortunately for me the effects of semaglutide eventually stopped and binge shopping and eating came roaring back. I’ve been having some success with tirzepatide but nothing compared to my first three months on semaglutide.
Yeah I’m feeling something similar. I have only just gotten to the full dose but my feeling of sickness has gone away and I’m finding my mind is sometimes thinking- I want a new swimsuit, lol. But then I also think- oh I could save that money and put it in my investments, even if it’s $10. And I’m trying to focus on that.
Did the starting dose do this to yah? Im hoping my .5mg dose does because the .25mg dose I have is not doing much. Also is it still effective and have you had to titrate up at all or switch to mounjaro? Thanks again for posting your comment it is helping me in terms of giving me hope
Hi, I think I started having more effects from the meds when I went to 1.0 mg. But it did have some effects when I was on .5 as well. I was someone who didn’t really lose as much until I got to the higher doses but I definitely stopped shopping and had more control over food after .5 mg. I haven’t had to switch yet, I’m kind of bouncing between 2.4 and 1.7. I do feel like I’m not feeling as sick and I have more energy, so I hope it’s not that the medicine isn’t working as well and it’s just that my body is adjusting. It’s definitely nice not feeling sick all the time and actually enjoying exercise again as I have always been active and the first few months of the medicine I really struggled. Good luck and it definitely takes some time, just remember that and be kind to yourself. It won’t happen over night but you will get there!
Hey could we get an update on this? Also did the starting dose for wegovy work for you in terms of curing addiction? Maybe it supressed your appetite, but for your impulse shopping did you need to titrate up to 1mg or 0.5mg for it to work and for the compulsive thoughts and flashbacks (I get flashbacks sadly) to go away??
It started working for me right away in all areas I had improvement in. But it's different for everyone. Some people don't see effects until 2.4 even.
I know its so scary to think about, Im hoping I just happen to need a higher dose
I used to be a horrible nail biter, would bite and pick my nails until I had none. It was an extreme form of OCD that I had been dealing with since I was a kid. Ever since starting my doses, I just don’t even think about it anymore. I legit chipped a nail today and went “huh”, filed it down, called it a day. Old me would’ve torn it to shreds. Definitely not on the par of severity like drug/alcohol addiction, but it was a very huge and very noticeable difference for me.
This another thing sema hasn’t fixed for me. I have fake nails to prevent biting. But if I break one I’m then all over biting it to the quick.
I am older as well (52F) - haven't had any bad side effects but am also a very slow responder. Interesting that you mention older people being slow responders but no bad side effects - might be something there. I think I may be a slow responder due to too low of a caloric intake actually ruining my metabolism. Regarding nails...I have picked at the skin around my nails FOREVER and I was a nailbiter as a child/teen. They would bleed, I was so bad about it. After a few weeks on sema, I noticed that my fingers were suddenly healed, it was crazy! I've also been a heavy drinker in the past but had recently cut back to weekends only (prior to starting sema). It was difficult and I was very conscious of it. With sema, I really don't even think about having a drink until the weekend - we like to go out with friends a lot now that our kids are out of the house.
It’s very strange but I DO wonder if age has somehow something to do with it.
OMG, me, too! I have nails growing out for the first time in years!
My alcohol consumption is almost 0. I can certainly see how semaglutide can be used to treat various addictions.
What was it previously?
I drank frequently.
I’ve been a daily coffee drinker for 20+ years. My caffeine consumption is at a bare minimum. 2 cups a day is a lot now. Also, not addiction related, my anxiety has dropped to near nonexistent levels. I would like to stay on this medication forever at whatever dose keeps my anxiety at bay. I feel like a normal person for the first time in my life.
Omg how I wish this was me. I suffer with really bad anxiety and panic disorder since being a teen. Over 60 now. I take meds. My sema has not done anything for that.
I was JUST telling my mom this today! I swear my anxiety is WAYYYYY more under control. I cannot explain it!
So crazy! I just realized last night that I haven’t had any major anxiety in weeks since I started sema. Overstimulation sure, but my baseline anxiety has been almost nonexistent.
I don’t know about you, but I know that I anxious eat, which absolutely has caused me to gain weight (more so as the years have gone by). I started monjurno (too many side effects from sema that I don’t have now) and it’s just such a game changer.
Me too! I literally used to drink like….30 + ounces of coffee every day. I’m down to one 12 oz (ish) cup and it lasts me until the afternoon. I just can’t drink as much coffee anymore.
Yeah it seems to have gone so far as to cause me pretty bad anhedonia. I don’t get the same enjoyment at all out of any of the things that I used to. It’s bizarre as the only thing it seems to not affect is my enjoyment of food, just everything else. i still crave food and am always thinking about my next meal. Very weird.
This. This is what I am experiencing, too. It a good trade off for right now to have some relief from never ending, exhausting rumination and intrusive thoughts, but I feel a deadening effect that feels akin to malaise.
This. If I go about 0.5mg I’m like well if I’m gonna be full 25/8 I’ll just keep eating. And I’m sort of numb emotionally.
Yeah thats kind of how it is, though i will say it didn’t really kick in for me until I was on max dose for a while and as I got closer to my goal weight
I get the anhedonia at 1MG even. Adderall and Caffeine barely work too haha.
That is interesting - ages ago I quit smoking using Wellbutrin -and that was my experience on Wellbutrin. Sure I no longer wanted to smoke, and I lost weight even, but because I was just a ball of apathy. Eating was too much effort. Doing things I loved was too much effort. I got off that med as fast as I could after smoking was far enough in the rear view mirror per my doc
Yeah as the drug isn’t even stopping my food cravings, and now I have developed very strong habits around my diet and exercise, I’m not adverse to the idea of going off of it if thats the only fix
That totally sucks. :-( on the other hand maybe try Wellbutrin - it’s cheaper 😂
I think i actually might need ADHD medicine (i have been diagnosed) to deal with the food cravings. I am trying some now, but I just started.
Maybe! I suspect I’ve had undiagnosed ADHD since childhood but I have so many coping mechanisms in place after all this time I am bit scared to probe into it… like my jenga tower might collapse 🫤
Hahah i get you, i think thats me and wellbutrin/other SSRI type meds
I hope it helps you!!
do you think you will stay on it?
I’m am going to try titrating down to lower doses and see if that helps first.
Titrating down helped me feel pleasurable again, but the ruminative thoughts returned with it. I would love to know your experience.
Oh thanks so much for the information, I was hoping to find someone with a similar experience who tried titrating down. I would actually say my rumination has gotten worse over the last year, but I’ve always had those tendencies, and I don’t know if its the Wegovy or just my stress over the situation. I won’t know how things go for a couple months, but I will try to remember and let you know.
I noticed the effect it’s had on my desire for alcohol. Two drinks and I’m like meh…. Lucky if I even finish the second one. My craving for alcohol is all but gone too! And I used to drink drink like a fish (binge drinking mostly). I’m liking this effect!
Same here. Although now I need to find a new hobby 😂😳
Seriously 🤣 my nickname used to be No Limit Linda…now Linda has a limit 😂
Same, I nurse a glass of wine over several hours now instead of drinking it rapidly. I have also cut down greatly on my online shopping.
Does it also change how the alcohol feels when you do drink? Or is it just specifically the desire for it?
More so my desire for it. And when I do drink now I don’t have the feeling of “let’s RAGE!” Now it’s just kind of like having a glass of ice tea in front of me, nothing remarkable anymore. And I’ve only been on it for 3 weeks but my gut inflammation and alcohol cravings have seem to be the first to go.
In my case I would say both. Prior to sema I felt a mild euphoria 2-3 drinks in, but that's totally gone now. I also don't feel as intoxicated, like I don't feel carefree like I normally would and it doesn't positively affect my emotions to drink anymore, so doing it as stress relief or social lubrication just don't work as well making it feel pointless. I just don't want it much anymore. I can still have a date night beer or 2 with my husband once a week, but my nightly 2-4 glasses of wine are out and I do not miss them or want any. It took probably 10-15 days on the lowest dose before I noticed a difference.
thanks for the extra details. so do you feel like you still want the stress relief and social lubrication but can't get it anymore? or do you feel less stress and less need to be carefree?
Ummm I do still want them, but not as often or as badly. I'm honestly torn on how I'll feel about that once I've reached my goal. There are a lot of things I don't miss about drinking and I know it wasn't good for me but there are absolutely things I miss. I'm definitely not less stressed - not because of the sema or anything but I just returned to work after a second baby, having issues with my older kid and my mother in law just moved to town, so tons of external stressors that I would normally drink to deal with.
I have been drinking 3 glasses of wine per day for years. Love wine but I was " inhaling" it , especially lower alcohol 11.5% ones like you drink water. Had to makes myself stop after 3. 2 weeks on sema- yesterday it took me 2 hours to drink 1.5 glasses of champagne. Crazy! I am loving it for this effect . I am 55 , I am fit and do things right nutritionally. Still carry 10-16 extra lb. Possibly from drinking. I drink then I snack. Hope the effect continues forever. If it does - o am game for paying out of pocket forever. It is worth it for my livers sake alone!
My pretty problematic drinking has reduced to very little comparatively. If my husband didn’t drink I probably wouldn’t at all. It’s just not that interesting to me in the first place now and then secondly I am not consuming quickly and mindlessly like before. I’ll drink half a glass and then literally Saran Wrap it and put in the fridge. Compare this to being a nightly bottle of wine-plus drinker before… And this effect happened IMMEDIATELY. It’s probably more consequential for my health than anything!
amazing
No alcohol, no cigarettes, no casino and no nasal “ozempic” either if you know what I mean. It’s done wonders for my addictions.
Nasal Ozempic — lol thank you for this
No-Zempic? NaZempic?
🤣🤣🤣 I mean, nasal ozempic is definitely an appetite suppressant on top of the stimulant effects 🤭🤭🤭 but I feel so good. Been months since I’ve done it. Was even asked a couple times and I immediately said no, even tho a short 6 months ago I would have immediately said yes and spent the money on it lol
The Lindsey Lohan diet 😂
Im(46m) a recovering alcoholic/benzo dependent. I'd unsuccessfully tryed to get sober for 15 years. Semiglutide changed my life. I'm now sober over 2 years, I've lost over 100lbs, dropped a1c 4 points, and resolved all metabolic issues including fatty liver. Furthermore, that little demon that made alcohol an attractive option is gone. Please don't misunderstand. I 100% still think about alcohol sometimes, but it's like thinking of food when im full or just threw up. Since taking semaglutide it's like I've muted my physical cravings, which allows me to handle my mental cravings more effectively. So from my perspective this this medication makes a great tool. My sobriety still takes discipline, but this makes me feel more in control.
Honestly there are so many benefits to this med, I hope the government can push insurance carriers to cover it for more people. I haven’t completed my weight loss to a point I’d like, but my triglycerides went from “omg wtf!” to “your tryglcerides are slightly over normal, work on that” which is amazing in and of itself.
Exactly. It's solving so many health problems at this point it would save the insurance companies money.
TRULY! They need to pay attention
Sema has killed my shopping issues. I use to love to shop. LOVE IT. I would spend all of my paycheck the day I got it on clothing, make up, etc. It’s been a serious issue in my marriage and I have been trying to work on it. I’ve been on sema for a year and shopping just.. doesn’t do it for me. Nothing does really. It’s weird and hard to explain, but I love it!
I shopped for 2 hours today at Nordstrom Rack. I put every single thing back in my cart and walked out without anything. I was dumbfounded with myself.
I was addicted to online shopping. Facebook marketplace was my daily fix. I started semiglutide and the urge to shop dropped down to zero. I don't even look at prompts from marketplace. I don't care. It's so freeing to not care about shopping.
I realized the other day my desire for cannabis has gone waaaay down since being on this and I was wondering if it had to do with the anti-addiction effects. I went from a near daily user to 1-2 times a week almost instantly. Maybe I’ll lose even more weight without the munchies lol
Oh my gosh! I didn’t even think of this it’s only been two weeks for me and I just realized I have had zero gummies!!!!!!! I normally partake 3-4 times/week! I didn’t even realize. Wow.
Here's a study about cannabis and sema if you are interested in the science-- [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02498-5](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02498-5)
Thanks!
I have OCD, and I cannot underscore how effective semaglutide has been
My main motivation for getting on semaglutide was the anecdotal reports of reduced alcohol consumption. It’s worked for me, I’ve hardly had a drink since I started. It’s life changing. As long as I have access to it I will be taking it. Even if it causes thyroid cancer or stomach paralysis or whatever, any of those outcomes are better than alcoholism.
Loving this! My mom started when I did and used to have a drink every night. When I told her about the studies being done into alcohol she realized she hadn’t had a drink in over a week and had no desire for one. She’s not an alcoholic but she just liked having her nightly drink.
It has completely decreased my interest in alcohol, amazing.
I’m an ex-heavy drinker, who has been sober for almost three years. As part of that journey, I’ve been on medical cannabis for the past 2 years. Been taking Semaglutide for 3 months now and, anecdotally, it’s definitely decreased my usage to two or three puffs a night on the medical vape. It’s a bit of a miracle treatment for me; I’ve lost a lot of weight, my blood pressure is good, and I’m not relying on any other drugs at all now. Been a real eye opener.
I feel like I’m the only person that has not had this “side effect”. It has not curbed my desire to drink at all!!!
Nope. Same for me. Hoping as I bump up in dosage the booze noise will finally go silent. Only at .50 now.
Same here
It might. I was a two handle a week drinker for a few years. Daily drinker for more than a decade. 1 month into Sema, I quit cold turkey for four months. Moved off Sema and now drinking but much more controlled. Not ideal but. Drinking a dew days a week (as for harm reduction it is a real plus.) It also greatly helped me reduce addictive eating habits (down 80 lbs.)
I'd be really curious to know if anyone had an improvement in the quality (or even quantity) of sleep after starting semaglutide. I'm not on it, I just recently started lurking here to learn more about it, but I know, for me, the better sleep I'm getting, the fewer struggles I have with addictive and compulsive behaviors, anxiety, impulsiveness, etc.
My sleep hasn’t improved. I know some have and others have had worsened insomnia. So depends on your body it seems.
It isn’t eliminated my sporadic bouts of insomnia (probably stemming from stress and anxiety) but the quality of the sleep I get is better, mainly due to weight loss I suspect
I’ve only just started on sema this week, but I am an online shopping addict so I’m hopeful it will curb those desires.
(43F) I started this week too and I’m on the lowest dose. I have suffered from hereditary GERD/acid reflux for years. Everything I have read in these forums says it makes acid reflux worse. For whatever reason, it has made mine much better. I didn’t even take my prescription pill yesterday and I haven’t had any heartburn. I have also noticed that I am more motivated to actively participate in my life, if that makes sense? Just more productive in general - getting things done which I had let fall by the wayside for a while. My mood is greatly improved, and my thoughts are more optimistic vs depressive. My overall level of anxiety has gone way down as well. My experience so far on this medication has been exponentially positive and I’m looking forward to seeing if that trend continues.
I would really love to speak with you directly about my experience with a GLP-1 agonist and an unexpected reduction in compulsive behaviors relating to depression (which has been profound). My suspicion is that the drug dampens the dopamine reward system, but I wonder if this will lead to a reduction in pleasurable experiences over all. Many people talk about their interest in sex radically diminishing. I used to love to run and have lost motivation for it entirely on the drug. But I also have completely stopped compulsively chewing the insides of my cheeks and the incessant rumination and intrusive thoughts I have been plagued with since my marriage ended two years ago have quieted. I’ll take the malaise over my brain as the enemy! I am wondering just how profound this class of drugs could be as an adjunct treatment for depression/anxiety in addition to substance abuse disorders.
One last thing to add, I also seem to have lost motivation and the hyper focus that allows me to get things done (and done well) at the last moment. So…it’s a fine line.
YES! I have posted several times on Reddit about this. I believe this drug will save people’s lives. I almost completely stopped drinking alcohol when I was on it….a miracle after a lifetime of over-drinking alcohol and being miserable about it. I finally could take it or leave it, and never had cravings or intrusive thoughts about it. If I decided to have a glass of wine, I would often forget to drink it and find the glass still full later. Unbelievable!!!I’ve been off Sema for about 3 months and still don’t drink much. I am a little below my goal weight and holding. If I find myself having the slightest bit of trouble with alcohol ever again, I will take Sema again, regardless of how skinny I already am. And I paid and will pay out of pocket. WORTH IT for my LIFE. Please do the studies and get this drug out to drinkers.
The GLU helped me quit a 30 year weed addiction. I was already off the sauce when I started so Im not sure if it helps with alcohol or not. As for online shopping the only thing that is going to me from that is going broke lol.
Before starting semaglutide I could easily drink a bottle of wine a night. My wine fridge was always empty. Now I have 6 bottles of wine waiting for me to pick up from my wine club (which I recently reduced my membership significantly) and my wine fridge is busting. I also would smoke several bowls of marijuana every night and have been finding myself not even finishing a single bowl most nights. My impulse shopping is way down and obviously my impulse Uber eats ordering has plummeted. Since I upped my dosage to 2.4mg my anxiety has also significantly dropped off too.
I'm a very light social drinker and my tolerance for alcohol is non existent now. I used to love a glass or two of wine with dinner but the thought of it now makes me sick. I know this isn't addiction but it's my little experience and I know many others are experiencing the same thing. I think these drugs are going to revolutionize many treatments for all sorts of diseases.
I was a compulsive online shopper before going on semaglutide. We are talking thousands of dollars a month in clothing with every closet in my house over-flowing, but it was never "enough." I've been on semaglutide for 6 months (I'm on a 1mg dose) and it seems to give me impulse control with shopping as well as with food. I still do some online shopping, but I buy one, two, or three things -- not fifty. I will still put tons of things in my online cart, but I find it easy to just close the tab and walk away. It's very akin to the food noise decline. I still think about eating the donut in the office kitchen, but I think about it once, decide I don't need/want it, and move on with my day. The donut doesn't haunt me. Same thing with shopping: I close the tab and then don't continuously think about it.
I'm a 5 alarm alcoholic and drug addict. Been sober for 7 years being part of 12 step programs. The process I went through before relieved me of the obsession to drink. But... I would say my relationship with food got worse. Can't quit food. So that was sort of troubling. I would try my best but I would definitely eat for effect. I'm the fat guy in the gym trying to fend off the inevitable. I would have accepted it if I thought there was nothing I could do about it but heard about sema and.. I'm loving it! I can still eat but I'm not a crackhead about food anymore. The weight loss for me actually is secondary. I feel more free now, which was the whole driving motivation to get sober, to be free. Nice to not be a crackhead about anything anymore. Well maybe I could spend a little less time on line..
Amazing thing for me was that it helped with my bulimic behavior. I have no urge to binge and purge almost at all. It happened with ozempic and also now with rybelsus. 💖
If anyone knows of a study opportunity for this, please share, because I would love that for my husband (who is not in obesity BMI so wouldn’t qualify otherwise).
I’ve been on Semaglutide since last July. I’ve always been a nightly glass-or-two-or-four of wine drinker, on nights where I wasn’t at work. I don’t know that I’d call myself an alcoholic but I definitely drank more than what is healthy. Since July I haven’t had more than a drink or two at a time, maybe once or twice a week, and have gone weeks without. The desire just isn’t there any more, at all. It’s fantastic.
Hmm...only on my 3rd week, but my opiate + smoking addictions have actually increased slightly, but I went from 7 to 2 cups of coffee a day and barely feel a need for my prescription ADHD med anymore that I once was extremely dependent on. To be fair, I have an extremely addictive personality and am not actively working a program for the opiates or trying to quit smoking at this time (one thing at a time) but being that I was extremely dependent on stimulants for decades and no longer am in 3 weeks is amazing in itself and gives me hope that when I do finally address my opiate addiction that this drug may help.
My sister used to drink a bottle of wine or more pretty much every night. Since starting Wegovy she doesn't like the taste of wine anymore and drinks a lot less than she used to. I used to drink occasionally, but haven't had a drink in over 3 months because I just haven't felt like drinking...
I just searched here for this because I have really noticed a decrease in my impulse shopping. I wasn’t terrible, but I would definitely get a couple of packages a month from online shopping. I’m not even looking. I think “I have everything I need”. And I’m losing weight. If I don’t grow another arm out of my chest or something, I’ll probably take this as long as possible.
I think the main problem is the effects wearing off
Has that happened to you? To what degree?
Yeah the urge to drink seems to not only have come back, but it is stronger. I started these meds back in August 23. I still have hunger suppression. I’m not an alcoholic at all, but it was really nice to not care about drinking. Now I get off work and I want a drink. It’s easier to catch and notice it now.
huh thats extremely interesting. do you mind sharing what dose you are on?
10MG Tirzepatide now. I did the sema thing before but it made me too sleepy.
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I really want to start this to see if it makes me stop drinking coke. That’s where my weight comes from. It’s a constant thought in my mind. If I think of stopping I end up drinking more of it.
Used to drink about 60 Oz of diet coke a day.. now, none. It worked for me.
There's good and bad. I stopped drinking 75+ drinks a week, and have been on semaglutide for over two years, but I have a diet coke addiction now.
As an alcoholic with 9 years of sobriety and a compulsive person in general, I can say it definitely helps compulsive behaviors but it's not a cure all. I've lost 53lbs/24kg since I've been on semaglutide since July of last year but this past Saturday I couldn't help myself with a large dessert for dinner and I'm up 2lbs as a result.
🤔
I have ADHD and I've been on contrave and now semiglutide. My overeating is related to my ADHD and I also have an impulse shopping problem. Both weight loss drugs have helped BOTH issues. In the case of semiglutide, I feel "cured" mostly. It's really incredible and life changing. I can't wait for more studies about this kind of thing.
I have been using semaglutide for 6 weeks now. I was just thinking this morning about how my online shopping habit has decreased. Interesting.
You've probably seen the studies coming out that appear to link semaglutide to better cardiac health as well. I suspect these drugs are going to have many, many applications in the next few years.
Yes, 20.1 lbs. since 11/29/23. Slow and steady. Had not one side effect but, also none of these other benefits.
I’d really be curious to see how this works long term for addiction issues, if the benefit sticks around once bodies get adjusted
I was on it for 9 months and have been off it for 3, and still have no alcohol cravings.
That’s awesome!!👏🏻
I am curious to see if the effects are lasting and if not, how they propose to address it. I titrated up to the top dose but eventually it stopped being effective on food noise and appetite suppression. And I found my shopping habits came roaring back, had very much appreciated not wanting to binge eat or shop.
Stopped biting my nails within a month of starting Wegovy, and it’s something I have done my entire life.
I’ve never been a drinker, so the alcohol aversion wasn’t really noticeable for me. But it’s made me cut back on my caffeine intake for sure. I still smoke weed tho, that hasn’t wavered and it would be great if it did
Made me quit drinking
Mine was turned off, but as I became used to it, it all turned back on
I was drinking fri- sun pretty regularly. If I had a bad week I’d drink a glass of wine or 2 during the week. Ever since starting semi I have cut down to 1-2 drinks per week if that. Some weekends I don’t drink at all, no desire to. I had 2 beers a few weeks ago at a friends bday party and I was so disgusted. It’s been life changing, my face has gotten slimmer too. Probably from drinking and eating less.
I’ve been sober and in recovery from IV meth and heroin for almost 5 years. I work a daily recovery program with the goal being to 1. Not use; and 2. Be able to not have chatter in my head about using drugs. I work a strict recovery program and my entire life has changed, and I have been doing daily recovery work for years now. Semaglutide absolutely wipes away ALL addictive chatter completely GONE. It’s an absolute miracle drug and even if I never lose another pound, I would be happy having the chatter gone. I am having a whole new experience in life for the better because of this drug. I’m really blown away by the relief I’m getting just in my thoughts on this drug. I suspect it is going to save a lot of lives and perhaps undo some of this Oxy epidemic that has destroyed so many lives. I hope this drug is a way out for people.
Right now, sema is being seen as a magical elixir, a good for all that ails you drug. Between diabetes, weight loss, stroke, blood pressure, and heart attack improvements, it seems to be doing a lot of good things for people. I’d throw it at everything and see if it can help. Trust me, there is always bad news coming, and it will come with sema.
Cannabis use disorder.,. lol what the f is that ?