Retatrutide Killed My 8-Year Whiskey Habit in One Week

*I thought retatrutide would help me lose weight. I didn't expect it to kill an 8-year nightly whiskey habit in one week.* ## From Social to 500ml Nightly Let me take you back to where this started. During my time in the Army, drinking was pure recreation. Weekend parties, beer with the crew after missions, the occasional bar crawl in Savannah, Georgia during "F*cked Up Fridays" when most of the flight company would hit downtown. It was social, it was fun, and honestly, it was mostly beer. But somewhere during my 8 years in Dubai, things shifted. Maybe it was the stress of contract work, maybe it was the convenience of those massive liquor stores on my way home, but I made a hard switch to whiskey. Specifically, Jameson. The practical reason was simple: buying beer in Dubai was a pain in the ass. You needed licenses for most stores, cases were heavy to transport, and planning ahead was essential to avoid running out. A bottle of Jameson was easier to deal with, got me buzzed more efficiently, and lasted longer. **What started as convenience became a 500ml nightly habit.** That's 1,150 calories every single night, just from alcohol. Nearly 10 pounds worth of fat calories every month, straight into my system right before bed. For context, that's more calories than most people eat for lunch. I was highly functional throughout this period. Never got hangovers, managed complex projects, led development teams, even made a successful career transition from aircrew to software development. But those nightly calories were quietly building up, and the habit was locked in tight. The damage was apparent when I [got my first DEXA scan](https://retatrutidelog.com/posts/dexa-scan-results-body-composition-6-weeks-retatrutide) years of those extra calories had accumulated exactly where you'd expect. ## The Pattern: Stop, Buy, Repeat Here's how deep this habit ran: A few months before starting retatrutide, I made the decision to quit drinking to help with weight loss. My plan was simple: keto diet plus no alcohol equals problem solved. I lasted about a week. Then traffic was bad on the drive home, or work was stressful, or I just felt like I deserved it after a long day. I'd find myself pulling into the ABC store parking lot almost on autopilot. "Just one more bottle, then I'll really quit." This happened several times over those months. The intention was genuine, but the habit was stronger than my willpower. That's the thing about deeply ingrained patterns, they run deeper than conscious decision-making. I'd manage to string together a week or two sober, white-knuckling through the cravings, then cave again. By the time I started retatrutide, I'd been battling this cycle for months. ## Week 1: Something Changed When I started retatrutide, my only goal was weight loss. I'd done zero research on any potential effects on alcohol consumption. Hell, I didn't even know there were any. But within the first week, something weird happened: I stopped thinking about that evening drink. Not through willpower or conscious effort. I just... forgot. I'd get home from work, go about my evening routine, and realize around 9 PM that I hadn't even considered alcohol. The automatic "traffic sucked, time for a drink" thought pattern was gone. The weekends came and went without any trips to the ABC store. No internal struggle, no white-knuckling through cravings. The mental background noise that constantly whispered "you could grab a bottle on the way home" was silent. I'm now a few months completely sober, and I genuinely don't think about alcohol unless it's for a blog post like this one. It's not that I've decided not to drink, it's that the desire simply isn't there. The difference is that before retatrutide, every sober day was a battle. Now it's effortless. ## Why My ADHD Brain Needed That Evening Shutoff Looking back, I think I understand why the alcohol habit was so entrenched. My brain runs at about a million miles per hour, even at night. Classic ADHD pattern, thoughts bouncing everywhere, planning tomorrow's work, replaying today's conversations, spinning up new project ideas. Alcohol was my off switch. That 500ml of Jameson didn't just get me buzzed; it quieted the mental noise enough that I could actually fall asleep. Without it, I'd lie in bed for hours with my brain spinning through everything I needed to do tomorrow. What's fascinating is that retatrutide seems to provide some of that mental clarity and calm without the alcohol. Though I'll be honest, the sleep part has been tricky. ## The Sleep Challenge: GABA Withdrawal Meets Retatrutide Here's something they don't tell you about quitting a nightly drinking habit: your GABA receptors are completely shot. Alcohol acts on GABA receptors to produce its sedative effects, and when you've been hitting them with 500ml of whiskey every night for years, they downregulate hard. Add in retatrutide, which can cause insomnia as a side effect (especially at higher doses), and sleep became a real challenge. My brain, already prone to racing thanks to ADHD, now had no chemical brake pedal at all. I've had to get strategic about sleep. [Melatonin gummies](https://amzn.to/4mfHQIu) have been a very helpful, I take 10mg about an hour before bed. On particularly restless nights, I'll make a cup of [Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea](https://amzn.to/4n9jikH) while doing my evening routine. The combination of chamomile, spearmint, and lemongrass actually helps make me drowsy. Between these simple tools and maintaining strict sleep hygiene, I'm finally getting decent rest without the alcohol crutch. ## Turns Out, Science Backs This Up Naturally, I had to dig into what the hell was happening. Turns out, there's legitimate research supporting exactly what I was experiencing. A study published in [Psychopharmacology](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-025-06854-3) earlier this year tested retatrutide specifically for its effects on alcohol (Windram et al., 2025). Researchers found that retatrutide significantly disrupted how rats processed alcohol's rewarding effects. At the dose they tested, it reduced alcohol-seeking behavior without affecting normal behavior patterns. From what I understand, retatrutide works on the same brain receptors that control our reward system, the part that makes us want things. Alcohol hijacks this same reward system to create cravings. So when retatrutide hits those receptors, it basically turns down the volume on that "I want a drink" signal. Instead of fighting the craving with willpower, the craving just... isn't there. User reports from forums like the [GLP-1 Forum](https://glp1forum.com/threads/retatrutides-effect-on-alcohol-cravings.1398/) consistently describe this exact experience. One person said they went from "finishing a bottle of wine every night" to "having a hard time drinking because I just can't handle the taste." Another reported 41 days sober with "the desire to drink completely gone." **The most striking part: everyone describes it as effortless.** ## The Bigger Picture: This Isn't Just About Me A [Virginia Tech analysis](https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/01/research_fralinbiomed_GLPalcohol_0104.html) examined over 68,000 Reddit posts about GLP-1 medications. When researchers looked specifically at alcohol-related discussions, they found 962 users had made 1,580 posts about alcohol, and 71.7% of those posts reported reduced cravings, reduced consumption, or negative reactions to drinking. It kind of makes sense when you think about it. These medications were designed to reduce food cravings, and apparently the same brain circuits that make us want food also make us want alcohol and other substances. So when retatrutide turns down the "I want food" signal, it accidentally turns down the "I want a drink" signal too. **Stanford's Dr. Anna Lembke says ["These molecules demonstrate exciting early promise in stemming the rising tide of addictive disorders,"](https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/04/ozempic-addiction-glp-1s-mounjaro-lembke.html) though she notes more evidence is still needed.** That might sound cautious, but after experiencing it firsthand, I'm starting to think we're witnessing something significant. For deeper insight into this dopamine-driven problem, I highly recommend picking up a copy of [Dopamine Nation](https://amzn.to/3Jmv9Ns) or [The Official Dopamine Nation Workbook](https://amzn.to/4oH1cI4) ## The Unexpected Ease of It All Here's what's been most striking about this entire experience: I've spent months trying to tackle the alcohol habit through pure discipline and willpower. Military training teaches you that most problems can be solved by applying more mental toughness and systematic effort. But this wasn't like that at all. There was no battle to fight, no cravings to resist, no moment where I had to choose between the bottle and my goals. The desire simply disappeared. It's the difference between forcing yourself not to eat a donut you're craving versus walking past a donut shop and not even noticing it. One requires constant willpower; the other requires nothing because the want isn't there. Before retatrutide, every sober day was an achievement, a conscious choice I had to make and remake every evening. Now, months later, sobriety is just my default state. No effort required. ## What This Means Going Forward I'm now halfway through week 7 on retatrutide, down 34.4 pounds, and several months completely sober without a single craving. The effects appear to be holding steady. If anything, they've gotten stronger as I've increased my dose from 2mg to 4mg and now to 6mg weekly. But there are important caveats: The research suggests these effects are reversible. Stop the medication, and cravings return to baseline within days to weeks. This positions retatrutide as a management tool rather than a cure. Also, not everyone experiences alcohol effects this dramatically. Individual responses vary significantly, and people with lower BMI or moderate drinking patterns might see less pronounced changes. For me, this unexpected benefit has been life changing. Removing 1,150 calories per night isn't just helping with weight loss, it's clearing mental fog, improving sleep quality (once I figured out the GABA issue), and eliminating a habit that was quietly undermining my health for years. **The most compelling part? It happened without me even trying.** That's the real story here. Not just that retatrutide can reduce alcohol cravings, but that it can eliminate deeply ingrained habits effortlessly. For someone who spent decades cycling between extreme discipline and complete abandon, finding a middle path that doesn't require constant willpower feels revolutionary. If you're considering retatrutide for weight loss and you have any relationship with alcohol worth examining, this might be worth researching. Just don't expect it, let it be a pleasant surprise if it happens. And if you do find yourself suddenly sober, be prepared for the sleep challenges. Stock up on some good sleep aids and give your GABA receptors time to heal. ::subscribe[{"variant":"default"}] --- **Disclaimer:** The information provided on this site is for **educational and informational purposes only** and reflects my **personal experiences and opinions**. It is **not** intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Retatrutide is an **investigational drug** that is **not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)** for any use outside of clinical trials. Do not attempt to obtain or use this compound without proper legal authorization. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional before making any decisions regarding medications, supplements, or medical treatments. The author does **not** sell or distribute any pharmaceutical products. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this site may be affiliate links.