Will blockbuster obesity drugs revolutionize addiction treatment?(nature.com)

Will blockbuster obesity drugs revolutionize addiction treatment?

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03911-x

1 comments

Addict reporting in. It is the wrong approach to take medication again to treat a behavioral problem. Every good therapist advises against it. In the case of addiction, behavior, living conditions, and environment must change. I moved away and, of course, stopped going to bars or concerts. You have to pay this price until you find a meaningful activity to replace the time you spent consuming. You can no longer be friends with users, and if your job was bad, you have to find another one. These drugs are also no substitute for withdrawal treatment, where you learn how to behave in risky situations, e.g., when you are pressured to drink a beer. You also have to expect relapses and accept that addiction is not curable, you can only stop it. However, many people can still live well sober. Addiction is like driving on a well-travelled road. With the substance, everything is smooth, normal, and you get where you want to go. The new, sober path is bumpy and it takes time for the road to become just as well-travelled. Normally, the craving disappears after about a year, and then you can say that the worst is over. In the meantime, you have changed something. I found a job where I have to drive sober, which keeps me from using very well. I also have an expensive, classic scooter, which I have to bring home sober, and I meet up with people and have social contact again It might be a comfy way to delegate problems you still have to medication and doctors, the most work you have to do yourself.