Can Ozempic Cure Addiction?

Paywalls, Archives, and “Piracy”

• Early discussion centers on linking an archive.is copy of the paywalled article.
• Some see this as piracy and an abuse of archiving tools; others argue archive.is is explicitly used to bypass paywalls, often exploiting sites that expose full content to crawlers.
• Several people cite HN’s own FAQ allowing workarounds for paywalls.
• Moral views range from “piracy is fine” or morally neutral, to conditional support (“I won’t give big media my data/money while they track me and show ads”).

Anecdotal Effects on Addiction and Eating

• Multiple users report GLP‑1 drugs (Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, tirzepatide, retatrutide) dramatically reducing alcohol cravings: daily drinkers becoming occasional, or finding alcohol “uninteresting” or even aversive.
• Some describe similar effects on smoking; quitting felt noticeably easier with fewer and weaker cravings.
• Others report reduced “food noise” and intense emotional pull of specific foods, describing a normalization of their relationship to food.
• Not everyone sees addiction benefits: some still crave sweets or eat junk, just in smaller amounts; one user notes no weight loss because they simply eat high-calorie sweets to fullness.

Cure vs Suppression and Habit Change

• One side stresses these drugs offer only temporary suppression: when doses stop or wear off, many revert to old habits.
• Others reply that “temporary” can still be powerful—a pause that makes building new habits or quitting substances far easier.
• Debate over whether GLP‑1s are root-cause treatment (modulating propensity to overeat/addict) versus mere crutch, and whether they should complement lifestyle programs instead of replace them.

Mechanism, Placebo, and Performance

• Some speculate they mainly disrupt trigger/conditioning loops; others counter this is speculative and emphasize direct neural action (GLP‑1 receptors in reward centers).
• There’s pushback against over-attributing to placebo, with people describing a “light switch” change in cravings.
• Several users worry or wonder about blunting of all desire; others on long-term GLP‑1s report normal work obsessions and interests.
• A few see strong secondary “performance” benefits via weight loss and better sleep, enabling them to clear long-standing life backlogs.

Evidence, Risks, and Misuse

• An RCT on semaglutide for alcohol use disorder is debated: some see short-term, low-dose lab reductions in drinking as impressive; others note no real-world consumption change and dropouts, calling it disappointing versus hype.
• Reported downsides include GI issues, insomnia, rapid muscle loss (if not managed with exercise/protein), gallbladder problems with fast weight loss, and risk of under-eating without guidance.
• Concerns about widespread off-label, “crash diet” and resale use; one user notes people buying a few doses for cosmetic pre-vacation loss.
• Long-term cancer risk (especially thyroid) is mentioned as a worry, but balanced by cited reductions in cardiovascular events and mortality in high-risk groups.

Alternatives and Broader Context

• One commenter promotes non-pharmaceutical approaches (intermittent fasting, breathwork, copper-water, oil pulling) as equally effective without side effects, though this is not widely echoed.
• Harm-reduction discussion around switching from cigarettes to vaping or nicotine pouches.
• Some call for banning alcohol advertising given how visual cues activate addicted brains.
• A link notes potential cheaper GLP‑1 generics from India, raising access and cost questions.