A Long-Used Drug Is Helping People Cut Back on Alcohol

If you'd like to limit alcohol consumption in line with new dietary guidelines, a 40-year-old pill is suddenly getting a fresh look. Naltrexone, long prescribed for alcohol use disorder and opioid dependence, is being embraced by people who wouldn't call themselves alcoholics but regularly exceed health guidelines. Instead of aiming for abstinence, many are using it to scale back—often dramatically. As National Geographic reports, one woman who'd averaged about 28 drinks a week cut to roughly seven by pairing the drug with tracking tools and a few booze-free days. The appeal lies in how naltrexone works: it latches onto the brain's opioid receptors, dulling alcohol's feel-good payoff and tamping down cravings. Researcher Glenn-Milo Santos notes some have called it "the Ozempic for alcohol."

Naltrexone, available in injectable and pill forms, has been used for years in Europe, taken before anticipated drinking, a strategy Santos' research suggests can reduce binge days, total drinks, and cravings, with benefits that linger months later. In the US, though, the drug is strikingly underused: fewer than 10% of people with alcohol use disorder take it. But rising awareness of risks from alcohol has helped spawn direct-to-consumer outfits like Sunnyside and Nurx, which bundle naltrexone prescriptions with coaching or tracking apps and market them to "weekend warriors," nightly wine drinkers, and others who want to dial back before things feel out of control.

Supporters say the easier access meets people where they are; critics worry that app-based care can sidestep fuller medical oversight and miss other options, like counseling. Specialists stress that it's one tool among many and that growing use reflects the view that heavy drinking is something to manage early rather than wait until it becomes severe. Side effects, when they occur, tend to include nausea, headache, or sleep issues, and people with liver problems, those pregnant, or anyone on other medications are urged to talk to a doctor first. Additionally, naltrexone should not be taken amid opioid use as it "can induce precipitated withdrawal, a very uncomfortable event," an expert tells Fox News.