Maybe you heard this, but it's only a matter of time before GLP-1s — that rapidly expanding class of drugs that includes Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, etc. — are officially approved to treat addiction. Increasing numbers of people are already getting them prescribed off-label for this purpose — to quit drinking, smoking, weed, etc.
This a good thing. It's also a weird thing. There's no such thing as a miracle drug — they all come with strings attached, some obvious, others less so. GLPs weren't available when I got sober, but drugs like Naltrexone and Antabuse were. A friend of mine who just got his 5-year chip has a horror story of taking the latter too soon after a multi-day binge, before he'd actually flushed the booze out of his system. Antabuse reacts to even a hint of booze, and his tissues were still soaked in it. The reaction caused him to vomit for hours and landed him in the hospital.
GLP-1s seem much more subtle. As described extensively in this very good New Yorker piece by Dhruv Khullar, the reason they apparently work on things like appetite suppression and smoking cessation is they kind of take the fun out of them. For many users, the pleasure associated with the fix seems to evaporate. But this may cut both ways. As the article explains:
Enjoyment of food encouraged our ancestors to nourish themselves; enjoyment of sex encouraged them to procreate. “When it’s not in its extreme form, pleasure-seeking is what led to the success of this species,” Kawasaki said. Tampering with it can have side effects. “You need joy in life,” she told me. “What happens when you blanket a society in GLP-1s? Do we all turn into boring, listless people?” A small minority of the population seems to report anhedonia after taking GLP-1s, and other mental-health consequences—irritability, insomnia, apathy, brain fog—are probably only slightly more common. But the rapid spread of these medications is, essentially, a vast social experiment.
For this month’s What It’s Like, we’re asking anyone who’s tried taking one of these drugs to help them quit something — Naltrexone, Antabuse, any of the GLPs — to share their experience. Did it work? Were there unexpected side effects? What’s the weirdest thing that happened, or that failed to happen?
Ideal length is 200-300 words. Send your submissions to [email protected]
SUBJECT: DRUGS FOR QUITTERS
All those who get published will receive a free month of a TSB paid subscription.
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