December 23, 2025
GLP-1 medications built for diabetes and weight loss are turning up in an unexpected conversation: addiction medicine. When NewBeauty set out to explain why some people on GLP-1s report drinking less, they brought in Dr. Nzinga Harrison, Eleanor Health’s Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, to explain the science and its limits.
“Alcohol use disorder is a complex medical condition shaped by biology, mental health, trauma and environment.”
— Dr. Nzinga Harrison, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Eleanor Health
Her read is cautiously optimistic. The same brain pathway these medications quiet for food cravings appears to quiet cravings for alcohol too, and some Eleanor Health members have reported exactly that effect. But Harrison was clear this isn’t a cure: alcohol use disorder is shaped by biology, mental health, trauma, and environment all at once, so a medication that dulls a craving is one tool among several, not a replacement for treatment.
Employee Benefit News picked up the same research weeks later with a workplace-specific angle, a sign this conversation is moving well beyond the doctor’s office.
Read the full article at NewBeauty →
About Eleanor Health
Media Contact: marketing@eleanorhealth.com
Eleanor Health delivers comprehensive, evidence-based care for individuals affected by substance use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and mental health conditions. With a whole-person, trauma-informed approach, Eleanor Health is committed to improving the lives of its members, their families, and their communities.
