r/dryzempic

I’m currently on 2.5mg Mounjaro and had my first real night out drinking since starting it.

What surprised me most was that alcohol felt completely different. The usual buzz, euphoria, and rewarding feeling just weren’t really there. At the start of the night I was drinking incredibly slowly, almost like I had a natural resistance or lack of desire to drink more.

Normally after a couple of drinks I start wanting stronger alcohol and chasing that fun, outgoing feeling. But this time I mostly just felt… flat towards it. Like my brain wasn’t getting the same reward from alcohol anymore.

The strange part is that it still didn’t stop me from drinking.

I think because the buzz felt muted, part of me kept trying to “find” it by continuing to drink. And once the alcohol itself lowered my inhibitions later in the night, I eventually lost control anyway and drank far more than I originally intended.

What did feel different though was that the night didn’t spiral into other impulsive behaviours the way it normally can for me. And the next-day shame spiral felt dramatically reduced too, which honestly felt huge.

So now I’m really curious about other people’s experiences:

• Did moving up from 2.5mg make the alcohol aversion much stronger?
• Did alcohol eventually stop feeling worth it because the buzz stayed muted?
• Or is this actually the ideal moment to consciously quit drinking altogether while the compulsive “pull” is quieter?

Would really appreciate hearing from people who’ve experienced something similar.

My first experience drinking on Mounjaro (2.5mg) taught me something psychologically fascinating about addiction loops, reward systems, and learned behavior:

• This was my VERY FIRST time drinking alcohol on the medication, so I genuinely didn’t know what to expect. I basically approached the night the same way I always used to: same mindset, same pacing, same automatic behavioral script.
• Looking back now, I think that was the mistake. My brain and body were reacting completely differently, but psychologically I was still following the old loop out of habit.
• The strangest part: even after around 6 drinks, I never got the feeling I was actually looking for. No buzz that I so badly desired...
• Normally alcohol gives me a strong dopamine response: I become hyped up, extra social, emotionally excited, loud, stimulated, “the night is alive.”
• On Mounjaro, that entire reward loop felt muted.
• It felt like I was drinking non-alcoholic drinks psychologically. I kept waiting for the emotional payoff to arrive, but it never really came.
• The really dangerous part is that this can trick you into continuing to drink MORE because your brain keeps expecting the old reward to eventually kick in.
• And then something weird happened: the alcohol only really “hit” me physically hours later.
• But even then, it wasn’t the classic euphoric buzz I normally chase. It was mostly just my body being physically drunk: slower coordination, physical intoxication
• Mentally though? The dopamine high still wasn’t there.
• That distinction completely blew my mind: my BODY was drunk, but my BRAIN never really got rewarded.
• I think this may actually be part of why GLP-1s can help some people reduce drinking over time: they create disappointing reward experiences.
• The brain starts learning: “Wait… I drank a lot, didn’t really get the buzz I wanted, and STILL got the negative consequences.”
• In my case: delayed intoxication, poor sleep, physical hangover, dehydration, exhaustion… without the emotional payoff that normally reinforced the behavior.
• And psychologically, that changes the anticipation loop for future nights out.
• Because now my brain is questioning: “Do I even want to drink next time if I already know I may need 5-6 drinks just to feel something physically… and even then the mental reward still isn’t really there?”
• That feels very different from traditional dieting or “willpower.” It feels more like the reward-learning system itself is being disrupted.
• Psychologically, the learned script was still there: “keep going” “don’t let the night end” “maybe the next drink will finally create the feeling.”
• That’s when I understood: GLP-1s may reduce the biological reward, but they don’t automatically erase years of emotional conditioning and behavioral habits.
• Another huge thing: normally after a night like that, I spiral the next day: hangxiety → shame → compulsive behaviors → doom scrolling → porn → avoidance → self-hatred.
• This time the shame loop was dramatically quieter.
• It felt like there was finally SPACE between urge and reaction.
• And I think that space may be the real therapeutic power of these medications: not magic, not instant self-control, but enough quieting of the reward system to finally SEE the loops clearly while they’re happening.
• Biggest lesson for me: if alcohol suddenly feels less rewarding, fighting through that signal and continuing to drink harder is probably reinforcing the exact compulsive cycle I’m trying to escape.
• I’m still unsure how I want to move forward after this experience.
• Part of me thinks: “If the buzz is basically gone, what’s the point of drinking at all?”
• Even after multiple drinks, I mostly just felt physically drunk later on, but without the dopamine reward or emotional excitement I normally chase.
• Another part of me thinks maybe I should just socially have 1-2 drinks, then switch to non-alcoholic ones.

Hey all! I started with Noom last January for AUD - and the medication has been life changing. I've been having a few drinks on weekends and sober during the week. I can even have alcohol in the house!

I feel like I am in the baby stages of getting my life back together & intend to stay on the meds - but I am looking for a new provider that is less $$ than Noom & reliable. I don't need to extras the Noom app offered. TIA!