WEIGHT NOT – WANT NOT –
Aug. 21, 2025 – “I don’t think of this as doing anything wild west. We’re using something off-label under the umbrella of addiction, whether that be food, sex, alcohol, or opioids.” — Steven Klein, staff physician at Caron Treatment Centers, At the facility outside Philadelphia, facility outside Philadelphia, every patient is on a GLP-1 receptor agonist, most commonly known for weight loss. The goal isn’t shedding pounds—it’s shedding the substance abuse addictions that brought them there in the first place.
With staff physicians reporting that patients have fewer addiction cravings, it’s a paradigm shift in how we think about treating substance use disorders.
GLP-1 drugs act on the gut-brain axis, regulating appetite and glucose metabolism. Early research and animal studies have suggested they may also modulate reward pathways involved in addiction, particularly for alcohol, nicotine, and opioids.
The theory is that by dampening the reward response, patients experience fewer urges—essentially rewiring cravings in real time.
