People whose lives have been destroyed by alcoholism or problem drinking hail what they call the ‘Ozempic for drinks’ pill.
The drug, called naltrexone, costs just £2 to £3 per pill and helps interrupt the chemical signals in the brain that lead to addiction.
This has given rise to the name ‘Ozempic for drinking’ because the active ingredient in the fat-burning shot, semaglutide, also sold as Wegovy, also works by changing the brain’s chemistry and helping to redefine its relationship with food.
Forums and social media websites like TikTok are flooded with people who have used naltrexone and are sharing their success stories of how it has redefined their relationship with alcohol.
One of these is Katie Lain, who now helps other people with drinking problems use the medication to improve their health through her Thrive Alcohol Recovery program.
The drug, called naltrexone, costs just £2 to £3 per pill and helps interrupt the chemical signals in the brain that lead to addiction. Stock image
However, Ms Lain insists it is not as simple as popping the pill and having alcohol cravings go away.
Instead, she advocates a treatment regimen called The Sinclair Method.
This involves using naltrexone in a targeted manner to reduce drinking over time, with the drug taken about an hour before drinking.
By doing this, the brain ‘unlearns’ the connection between alcohol and the production of ‘feel good’ chemicals that lead to addiction in the first place.
Ms Lain compared the process to a weight-loss programme, saying it took about nine months to a year for the full effects to be seen, but cited studies showing it was successful in four out of five patients.
Before Ms. Lain tried naltrexone herself, she said she had a 10-year drinking problem that often left her feeling ashamed, hopeless and full of regret.
She said what started as social drinking turned into daily binge drinking and engaging in “risky behavior.”
However, in a TikTok video, she described the difference it had made to her and her relationship with alcohol.
“I enjoyed drinking more of the drug naltrexone because it gave me back control over alcohol and allowed me to trust myself again,” she said.
“I could say, ‘I was going to have two drinks’ and I’d stick to two drinks, whereas before the Sinclair method and naltrexone, I almost always went overboard and drank too much and blacked out.”
Other people with long-term problems with alcohol have reported similar success stories.
On Reddit, a user named “JimmyLongnWider” described himself as a “4-5 beer a day guy for decades” before trying the drug.
“I started naltrexone less than a week ago and immediately lost almost all interest in beer,” he wrote.
‘I drink a big beer and probably only feel what non-drinkers feel: light-headed, a little dizzy, but no excitement at all.
“Now it’s just figuring out how to fill the time I used to spend drinking or just wiping after drinking. It really is a wonderful medicine.”
Another user named ‘Just_Tachie’ described a similar experience.
The NHS recommends that adults drink no more than 14 units per week – that’s 14 individual shots of spirits or six pints of beer or one and a half bottles of wine.
Katie Lain said she had a drinking problem for ten years, which often left her feeling ashamed, hopeless and full of regret
‘I used to black out from alcohol once or twice a week. I was destructive, violent, unpredictable, and very ashamed of driving.”
‘Since I have been taking naltrexone since May, I fainted once at the start of treatment.
‘I still drink, but I just know when to stop now. I am always aware and never destructive or violent.
‘I’m in control. Naltrexone has turned the tables and the cards are now in my hands.”
She added: ‘My daughters feel safe with me and tell me they love me so much more now. My husband is not bothered by my drunken violence and chaos.’
While naltrexone is hailed as a miracle drug that restores alcoholics and problem drinkers, like any drug it can come with side effects.
The most serious are feelings of depression and even suicidal thoughts, as well as hallucinations. However, there are rare cases, occurring in only about one in 100 patients taking the drug.
She said what started as social drinking turned into daily binge drinking and engaging in “risky behavior.” However, she said taking naltrexone had changed her relationship with alcohol
Much more commonly reported side effects, one in ten people, are problems such as headache, nausea and reduced libido.
Another important factor when using naltrexone is that it does not stop the intoxicating effects of alcohol on the body.
This means that people can still get drunk while using it, which means they should still take care to avoid behaviors like drunk driving.
Experts also say that people considering naltrexone should also examine why they are drinking in the first place as part of their recovery.
Although effective, if people are using alcohol as a remedy for stress or a mental health problem, the drug will not directly solve that problem, and this will need to be addressed in other ways.
NHS-supported data shows that almost 17,000 scripts for naltrexone for use in substance dependence were issued last year, at a cost of around £2.15 per dose.
Alcoholism is one of the biggest sources of preventable disease in Western societies, and in England alone, alcohol-related harm is estimated to cost the NHS £3.5 billion per year.
Regular alcohol consumption has been linked to several forms of cancer, liver failure, blood pressure and some mental health conditions such as depression.
The Office of National Statistics reported that there were just over 10,000 alcohol-related deaths in Britain in 2022.
In the US, excessive alcohol consumption is the leading cause of preventable deaths in adults, causing 95,000 deaths, or one in 10 adult deaths.
The NHS recommendations advise that men and women should drink no more than 14 units per week on a regular basis.