I took the £3 ‘Ozempic to drink’ pill and finally stopped drinking but you have to use a specific method

People whose lives have been wrecked by alcoholism or problem drinking are celebrating what they call the “Ozempic to drink” pill.

Costing just £2-£3 per pill, the drug, called naltrexone, helps to disrupt the chemical signals in the brain that lead to addiction.

This has led to its nickname “Ozempic to drink” as the active ingredient in the fat-busting jab, semaglutide also sold as Wegovy, also works by altering brain chemistry helping to redefine your relationship with food .

Forums and social media websites like TikTok are filled with people who have taken naltrexone and share their success stories of how it has redefined their relationship with alcohol.

One of those is Katie Lain, who now helps other people with alcohol problems use medication to improve their health through her Thrive Alcohol Recovery program.

Costing just £2-£3 per pill, the drug, called naltrexone, helps to disrupt the chemical signals in the brain that lead to addiction. Stock image

However, Ms Lain insists it’s not as simple as popping the pill and cravings for alcohol disappear.

Instead, he advocates a treatment regimen called The Sinclair Method.

This uses naltrexone specifically to reduce alcohol consumption over time, and this involves taking the medication about an hour before drinking.

By doing this, the brain “unlearns” the link between alcohol and the production of feel-good chemicals that trigger addiction in the first place.

Ms. Lain likened the process to a weight-loss regimen, saying it took 9 months to a year to see the full effects, but cited studies showing it was successful in four out of five patients.

Before trying naltrexone herself, Lain said she had a decade-long drinking problem that left her often feeling ashamed, hopeless and full of regret.

He said what started as social drinking turned into a spiral into daily binge eating and “risky behaviour”.

However, in a TikTok video she detailed the difference it had made to her and her relationship with alcohol.

“I liked taking the naltrexone medication more because it gave me control over the alcohol and I could trust myself again,” she said.

“I could say, ‘I was going out for two drinks,’ and I would limit myself to two drinks, whereas before the Sinclair method and the naltrexone I almost always went overboard and binged on drinks and blacked out.”

Other people with long-standing problems with alcohol have reported similar success stories.

On Reddit, a user who went by the name “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 I probably just feel what non-drinkers feel: light, a little dizzy, but no excitement.

“Now it’s just a matter of figuring out how to fill the time that I used to spend drinking or just veganizing after drinking. It really is a wonderful drug.

Another user, who goes by “Just_Tachie,” described a similar experience.

The NHS recommends that adults drink no more than 14 units each week, which is 14 individual glasses of alcohol or six pints of beer or one and a half bottles of wine.

Katie Lain said she had a decade-long drinking problem that often left her feeling ashamed, hopeless and full of regret.

“I used to lose alcohol once or twice a week. I was destructive, violent, unpredictable, and I would take off driving, I’m ashamed to say.’

“Since I’ve been on naltrexone since May, I’ve blacked out once at the start of treatment.

“I still drink, but now I know when to stop. I’m always aware and never destructive or violent.

He said what started as social drinking turned into a spiral into daily binge eating and “risky behaviour”. However, he said taking naltrexone had transformed his relationship with alcohol

‘I’m in control. Naltrexone did the trick and the cards are now in my hands.

She added: “My daughters feel safe with me and tell me they love me a lot more now. My husband doesn’t put up with my violence and drunken mayhem.

Although naltrexone is being hailed as a wonder drug for recovering alcoholics and problem drinkers, like any drug it can have side effects.

The most serious are feelings of depression and even suicidal thoughts, as well as hallucinations. However, they are rare, occurring in only about one in 100 patients who take the drug.

The most common side effects, one in 10 people, are problems such as headaches, nausea and reduced libido.

Another key factor when taking naltrexone is that it does not stop any of the intoxicating effects of alcohol on the body.

This means that people can still become intoxicated while taking it, which means they should still be careful to avoid behaviors like drink driving.

Experts also say that people considering taking naltrexone should also explore why they drink in the first place as part of their recovery.

Although effective, if people were using alcohol as a crutch for stress or a mental health problem, the drug won’t solve it directly and will need to be addressed in other ways.

DO YOU DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL? THE 10 QUESTIONS THAT REVEAL YOUR RISK

A screening tool widely used by medical professionals is the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tests). Developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the 10-question test is considered the gold standard to help determine if someone has an alcohol abuse problem.

The test is reproduced here with permission from WHO.

To complete it, answer each question and write down the corresponding score.

YOUR SCORE:

0-7: You are within the range of sensible drinking and have a low risk of alcohol-related problems.

More than 8: Indicate harmful or dangerous drinks.

8-15: Medium risk level. Drinking at your current level puts you at risk of developing problems with your health and your life in general, including work and relationships. Consider downsizing (see below for tips).

16-19: Greater risk of complications from alcohol. Cutting down on your own can be difficult at this level as you can become dependent, so you may need professional help from your GP and/or a counsellor.

20 and over: Possible dependence. Your drinking is already causing you problems, and you may be addicted. You should definitely consider phasing out or at least cutting back on drinking. You should seek professional help to determine the level of your dependence and the safest way to withdraw from alcohol.

Severe addiction may require medically assisted withdrawal, or detoxification, in a hospital or specialty clinic. This is due to the likelihood of severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the first 48 hours that require specialist treatment.

NHS-backed figures show almost 17,000 naltrexone scripts were issued for substance dependence last year, at a cost of around £2.15 per dose.

Alcoholism is one of the main sources of preventable disease in Western societies, and in England alone alcohol-related harm costs the NHS around £3.5 billion a year.

Regular alcohol consumption has been linked to various cancers, liver failure, blood pressure and some mental health conditions such as depression.

The Office for National Statistics reported that there were just over 10,000 alcohol-related deaths in the UK in 2022.

In the US, excessive alcohol consumption is the leading cause of preventable death in adults, causing 95,000 deaths, or one in 10 deaths among adults.

NHS recommendations advise that men and women drink no more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.