Reduce Alcohol Cravings with Low-Dose GLP-1 Therapy

Features 

• Online medical assessment
• Clinician eligibility review
• Low-dose semaglutide prescription
• Delivered to your door
• Monthly check-in & dose review
• Confidential patient portal
  

Who This Plan Is Designed For

🍺Regular Heavy Drinkers

You drink more than you intend to, most weeks — and find it difficult to stop once you start.

🔁Struggling With Cravings

You experience persistent urges to drink — especially under stress, in social situations, or at certain times of day.

📉Tried Cutting Down Before

You've tried to reduce your drinking before but found willpower alone wasn't enough to sustain change.

⚖️Metabolic Health Concerns

You're concerned about weight, blood sugar, or liver health alongside your drinking patterns.

🔒Value Privacy & Discretion

You want help without visiting a clinic or discussing your drinking face-to-face — right now.

🚫Not Seeking Abstinence Only

You want to reduce or control your drinking — not necessarily achieve total abstinence immediately.

⚠️ This programme is not suitable for people with severe alcohol dependence requiring medically supervised detox. Our clinicians screen for this during assessment.

How It Works

1. Complete Your Assessment

Answer a confidential health questionnaire covering your drinking patterns, medical history, and treatment goals. This helps our clinicians understand your needs before your consultation.

2. Clinician Eligibility Review

A registered South African doctor reviews your assessment to determine whether GLP-1 therapy is appropriate for you. If you are not eligible, you will receive a partial refund — see refund policy below.

3. Personalised Treatment Plan

Your doctor issues a prescription for low-dose semaglutide and creates a tailored titration schedule. Starting doses are intentionally low to minimise side effects and are gradually increased based on your response.

4. Medication Dispensed

Your medication is dispensed from a registered South African pharmacy and delivered discreetly to your preferred address — nationwide delivery available.

5. Check-In & Review

Your doctor reviews your progress, adjusts dosing as needed, and monitors for any side effects.

The Science

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonists — originally developed for metabolic health — are showing remarkable promise in the treatment of alcohol use disorder. Research suggests that GLP-1 receptors are present in the brain's reward circuitry, particularly in areas governing craving and impulse control. When activated, these receptors appear to dampen the dopamine-driven reward response that makes alcohol feel pleasurable and reinforcing — effectively quieting the neurological "pull" toward drinking.

At low doses, GLP-1 agonists have been observed to reduce alcohol cravings, lower the frequency and volume of drinking and in some individuals produce a natural disinterest in alcohol altogether. Preclinical studies and emerging clinical data indicate that this effect may be dose-dependent, meaning therapeutic benefit can be achieved without the side effects typically associated with higher doses used in metabolic treatment.

Unlike traditional alcohol dependence medications, which often work by creating aversion or blocking euphoria after drinking, GLP-1 therapy works upstream — reducing the desire before it takes hold. This represents a meaningful shift in how we think about supporting recovery: not as punishment or restriction, but as recalibrating the brain's relationship with alcohol at a biological level.

⚕️ Medical Disclaimer & Refund Policy

GLP-1 therapy (semaglutide) for alcohol dependency is prescribed off-label and is not approved by SAHPRA specifically for this indication. It is prescribed by registered South African medical practitioners on an individual basis following a thorough clinical assessment, in compliance with ethical prescribing guidelines. Individual outcomes vary. This plan does not replace specialist psychiatric or addiction medicine care for severe alcohol use disorder.

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always disclose all medications and medical conditions during your assessment. If you are in crisis, please call SADAG on 0800 12 13 14 (toll-free, 24/7).