{"id":22699,"date":"2026-07-31T03:54:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T22:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=22699"},"modified":"2026-07-31T03:54:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T22:54:37","slug":"va-to-run-trial-of-glp-1-drug-to-treat-alcohol-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=22699","title":{"rendered":"VA to run trial of GLP-1 drug to treat alcohol abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">The Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday announced a clinical trial to test whether injectable<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->semaglutide, a <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/alerts\/WeightLossDrugs\" dir=\"ltr\">GLP-1<\/a> drug widely prescribed for diabetes and weight loss can also treat alcohol abuse, a longstanding problem in the military and veteran community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Excessive drinking has steadily plagued military culture, and in some instances, it has been tolerated or normalized.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">GLP-1s can dampen cravings and early research suggests they might help with alcoholism and even other substance abuse issues, at least in the short term. But research has been limited and is still in the early stages of understanding the full extent of their effectiveness, safety and long-term effects when used for addiction treatment.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur \" style=\"padding-bottom:66.55092592592592%\" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/c3976a64-fd00-41be-a986-839ad0b9ce55\/soldiers-gty-jef-260723_1784823347792_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/c3976a64-fd00-41be-a986-839ad0b9ce55\/soldiers-gty-jef-260723_1784823347792_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/c3976a64-fd00-41be-a986-839ad0b9ce55\/soldiers-gty-jef-260723_1784823347792_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/c3976a64-fd00-41be-a986-839ad0b9ce55\/soldiers-gty-jef-260723_1784823347792_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/c3976a64-fd00-41be-a986-839ad0b9ce55\/soldiers-gty-jef-260723_1784823347792_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Army soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 82nd Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery lookout atop a M109 A7 Paladin self propelled Howitzer during live fire training on April 29, 2026 in Fort Hood, Texas.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Brandon Bell\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The study plans to enroll more than 600 veterans at 18 VA medical centers, according to the agency.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cThis clinical trial reflects medical research that VA is uniquely situated to launch, and is aimed directly at benefitting veterans,\u201d Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Participants will receive weekly injections of either a GLP-1 or a placebo for 28 weeks. Researchers will measure changes in alcohol consumption, overall health and quality of life to determine whether the drug offers a safe and effective new treatment option.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Alcohol abuse among veterans is a complex problem that affects different groups in different ways. By some estimates of federal data, 14% of veterans abuse alcohol compared to just under 10% of the general population.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">Males and those who served in combat zones face a higher risk of developing alcohol use disorders, VA research shows. Veterans with traumatic brain injuries, the signature wound of the Iran war, may also be more likely to drink excessively, according to a 2020<!-- -->\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsurface.syr.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1024%26context%3Dlerner&amp;data=05%7C02%7CJohn.Helton%40abc.com%7C59fbd51924a9464b252d08deee739667%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C639210377361954530%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=rUPa0CCyIrsiOAsUvoCjY8FeGdoaBVt3fi9tV13mTpc%3D&amp;reserved=0\" dir=\"ltr\"><u class=\" \">study<\/u><\/a>\u00a0<!-- -->from the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion at Syracuse University.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday announced a clinical trial to test whether injectable\u00a0semaglutide, a GLP-1 drug widely prescribed for diabetes and weight loss can also treat alcohol abuse, a longstanding problem in the military and veteran community. Excessive drinking has steadily plagued military culture, and in some instances, it has been tolerated or&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/c3976a64-fd00-41be-a986-839ad0b9ce55\/soldiers-gty-jef-260723_1784823347792_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}