Ever since he got out of the navy, Michael McCluskey, 61, was known as a heavy drinker. He averaged between four to five drinks a nig ht. Even having up to 10 drinks was “not an un usual event,” he says.

But all that chan ged four years ago, when he started taking Ozempic for weight loss. Along with 110 pounds, McCluskey lost his appetite for alcohol — quickly and sim ply. Nowadays, he drinks twice a year — when he hosts sci-fi conventions.

“It’s just like a switch flipped in my head,” said the Dartmouth, N.S., man. “There’s no desire. That’s just it.”

His story isn’t unique. Studies combing through past patient data have made a similar link between glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist drugs (GLP-1 RAs) like Ozempic, and a loss of appetite for more than just food. GLP-1 RAs have be en linked with people wanting and consuming less of all kinds of vices, whether it's alcohol , nicotine , cannabis or opioids . One study looking into social media posts suggested people cut down on habits like caffeine use and compulsive shopping, too.

Michael McCluskey, 61, entirely lost his appetite for alcohol when he started taking Ozempic. (Mark Crosby/CBC)

Scientists don’t have a clear explanation for why drugs like Ozempic appear to lessen cravings for vices, including for addictive substances. But they have some ideas that they’re testing — some here in Canada, where any advance would help significant