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GLP-1s, the hugely successful weight-loss drugs, show great promise for treating addiction.

History suggests their promise is overrated.

Large gaps between efficacy in the lab and effectiveness in the real-world must be addressed.

Psychological effects that maintain addiction cannot be ignored.

We’ve all likely heard of GLP-1s, the miracle Type 2 diabetes and weight loss drugs that slow digestion, control blood sugar, and signal satiation to the brain. The health effects of GLP-1-associated weight loss, as one might expect, are far-reaching and include reduced heart attack and stroke risk, better kidney and liver function, and improved sleep quality.

As it turns out, GLP-1s are also effective in curbing alcohol use and treating addiction. In the last two years, several scientific studies have shown GLP-1s to reduce cravings, decrease substance intake, and modulate addiction-related receptors in the brain.

These studies suggest great promise for GLP-1s in curing addiction. The New York Times, in bringing the good news to the public, called Ozempic a possible “breakthrough drug to conquer addiction.”

Such enthusiasm is understandable. Despite billions of dollars of federal, state, local, and private foundation funding, America’s struggles with addiction have deepened with each passing decade since the 1960s. Perhaps we’ve finally found the answer.

What History Says About Medical Cures for Addiction

There’s no disputing the science. GLP-1s work in curbing cravings and substance use for many of the people who take them. Given these findings, why would anyone want to rain on the GLP-1 parade? The answer is simple: We’ve seen this play and its encores before.

The first well-known drug treatment for alcohol use disorder was Antabuse (disulfiram). Antabuse causes an allergic-type reaction to drinking by blocking alcohol metabolism in the liver, with a resulting buildup of acetaldehyde, a toxin, in the body. Those who take Antabuse before drinking........

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