{"id":389759,"date":"2026-03-17T14:48:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/389759\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T14:48:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:48:07","slug":"i-used-to-be-a-happy-drunk-ozempic-made-me-a-sad-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/389759\/","title":{"rendered":"I used to be a happy drunk \u2014 Ozempic made me a sad one"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to The Thin Line, The New York Post\u2019s series about the darker side of GLP-1 drugs. Though GLP-1 agonists sold under brand names like Ozempic have helped millions of people lose weight, manage diabetes and improve other health conditions, they are not without risks. Check back for more stories about the lesser-known downsides of these wildly popular medications.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trey Luker-Stewart<\/a> was ready for a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the longest time, I was using eating as an activity,\u201d the 29-year-old Texan told The Post. \u201cWe don\u2019t have mountains or an ocean here in Dallas. We just love to shop, eat and drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

So two years ago, he decided to break the cycle. Like millions of Americans, Luker-Stewart went on a GLP-1 weight-loss drug<\/a> \u2014 and quickly watched 60 pounds melt away.<\/p>\n

Trey Luker-Stewart is a 29-year-old from Dallas, Texas who used GLP-1 medications to lose weight. Courtesy Trey Luker-Stewart<\/p>\n

But the slimmer waistline came with a curveball he didn\u2019t see coming. \u201cI was always a super happy drunk, but once I got on Ozempic, I wasn\u2019t,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI became a lot more emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the carefree nights he spent sipping drinks at the neighborhood watering hole with friends started to feel anything but relaxing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething that was once a fun thing to do now made me anxious and upset,\u201d Luker-Stewart said. \u201cI start overthinking everything and my feelings get hurt easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next morning is even worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore, I could wake up after drinking at 7 a.m. and go to the gym and be productive,\u201d Luker-Stewart said. \u201cBut once I started taking a GLP-1, I was down for the count \u2018til lunchtime.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that was after just one or two drinks.<\/p>\n

For Luker-Stewart, a real estate agent who also owns a bar, Ozempic \u2014 and later tirzepatide, the active ingredient in drugs like Mounjaro and Zepbound \u2014 hasn\u2019t just affected his nightlife; it\u2019s taken a bite out of business, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Dallas overall, we\u2019ve seen a 35% drop in alcohol sales across the board, and I think a lot of that has to do with GLP-1s,\u201d he said. \u201cI know I\u2019m not the only one that feels this way when they go out.\u201d<\/p>\n

After starting GLP-1s, Luker-Stewart found that his experience drinking alcohol had shifted. Courtesy Trey Luker-Stewart<\/p>\n

Doctors say he\u2019s onto something. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth is, GLP-1 agonists alter your reward system,\u201d said Dr. James J. Chao<\/a>, co-founder and chief medical officer of VedaNu Wellness, who works with patients taking the drugs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you drink, that warm, comforting glow you feel after knocking back a few might not happen,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt could feel worse. It could feel like nothing at all.\u201d <\/p>\n

To understand why, it helps to know what these blockbuster obesity and diabetes treatments are doing inside the body.<\/p>\n

GLP-1s work by mimicking hormones that your gut normally releases after eating. Those hormones help control blood sugar, regulate appetite and quiet cravings \u2014 which is why the drugs can be so effective for weight loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But they don\u2019t just act on the stomach. They also affect the brain. <\/p>\n

One key target is a tiny, pea-sized region known as the habenula, which plays a major role in how we experience reward, motivation and aversion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the habenula is on, it causes all kinds of trouble, including cravings and withdrawal symptoms,\u201d said Dr. Kyra Bobinet<\/a>, a physician and behavioral neuroscience expert. \u201cIt really drives us to use.\u201d <\/p>\n

Drugs like Ozempic appear to dial that system down. When the medications reach the brain and bind to receptors in the habenula, they reduce the compulsive pull behind behaviors like overeating \u2014 often described by patients as \u201cfood noise<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one reason why GLP-1s are now being studied as potential tools for treating or preventing substance use disorders. Researchers suspect they may curb reward-seeking behavior and reduce cravings for people struggling with things like alcohol<\/a>, nicotine<\/a> and opioids<\/a> \u2014 though we\u2019re still quite a few years away from them being covered by insurance fort that purpose<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAm I bummed about it? A little bit, because I used to be a fun drunk. But it\u2019s better for my health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trey Luker-Stewart<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But the effects may not be limited to people with an addiction. Experts say even casual drinkers like Luker-Stewart may find their relationship with booze changing while taking GLP-1s<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the usual dopamine-driven euphoria is blunted, the emotional effects of alcohol can feel very different \u2014 more subdued, more introspective, or even dysphoric or \u2018a sad drunk,\u2019\u201d said Dr. Fernando Ovalle Jr<\/a>, a double board-certified plastic surgeon and obesity medicine specialist. <\/p>\n

The medication may also explain why Luker-Stewart now pays a steeper price the morning after. <\/p>\n

Luker-Stewart lost more than 60 pounds taking a GLP-1 \u2014 but he gained horrendous hangovers in the process. Courtesy Trey Luker-Stewart<\/p>\n

\u201cGLP-1s slow gastric emptying, which changes how alcohol is absorbed,\u201d Ovalle said. \u201cThat can make intoxication feel delayed, prolonged, and in some cases, people feel \u2018off\u2019 the next day.\u201d <\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a basic but often overlooked factor: People on GLP-1s tend to eat and drink less<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlcohol consumed in a relatively dehydrated, under-fueled state, especially with low protein intake, will hit harder and produce worse hangovers,\u201d Ovalle said. \u201cThat alone can explain severe next-day symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for many patients, their tolerance naturally drops along with the number on the scale.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people weigh significantly less than when they started GLP-1s, which would contribute to a lower alcohol tolerance,\u201d Chao noted. <\/p>\n

At one point, Luker-Stewart stopped taking the weight loss medication for about six months, satisfied with the pounds he\u2019d shed. <\/p>\n

His appetite and cravings for food came roaring back<\/a> \u2014 but his old experience with drinking didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expected the alcohol side effects to do the same thing as the food, but it didn\u2019t really ever go away,\u201d he said. \u201cAm I bummed about it? A little bit, because I used to be a fun drunk. But it\u2019s better for my health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luker-Stewart and his husband, Zach, on a recent hike. <\/p>\n

Experts say there\u2019s currently no strong evidence that GLP-1s permanently change how the body processes alcohol or alter users\u2019 brain chemistry in the long term. But Bobinet suspects Luker-Stewart\u2019s brain\u2019s reward system may still have been adjusting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe habenula is an area of nerves that become calibrated to your lifestyle,\u201d she said. \u201cIt might still be getting signals to be like how he was on a GLP-1.\u201d <\/p>\n

A Novo Nordisk spokesperson noted that there are \u201cnumerous studies\u201d exploring the association between GLP-1 use and reductions in behaviors sometimes linked to addiction.<\/p>\n

\u201cGLP-1 receptor agonists are known to affect areas of the brain associated with controlling hunger and satiety and these are also home to the brain\u2019s reward system,\u201d the spokesperson said in a statement shared with The Post. <\/p>\n

These days, Luker-Stewart takes a maintenance dose of tirzepatide about once a month to help sustain his weight loss. His lower tolerance for alcohol \u2014 and the rougher mornings that come with it \u2014 have stuck around.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely changed something in me,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Still, Luker-Stewart believes the trade-off has been worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would not have lost 60 pounds any other way,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve gone to the gym my whole life and nothing has given me the results that I received from a GLP-1, and ultimately, that\u2019s what I was going for.\u201d<\/p>\n

New York Post may be compensated and\/or receive an affiliate commission if you buy something through our links.<\/p>\n

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