At Sanctuary Clinics, we never believe that medication alone is the answer. But when promising scientific research emerges confirming what clinicians and patients have long suspected—namely, that certain medications can help diminish cravings and compulsive behaviors—we pay attention. One such study, “Exploring the Potential Impact of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Substance Use, Compulsive Behavior, and Libido,” offers insight into how GLP-1 receptor agonists may influence addictive patterns, appetite, and reward circuits via social media self-report analysis.

Let me walk you through what this study suggests—and how at Sanctuary Clinics we see this as one pillar in a triune approach to healing: spirit, community, and medicine.

Using a mixed-methods “netnographic” lens (analyzing Reddit and other social media posts from Dec 2019 to June 2023), researchers collected thousands of threads about GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g. semaglutide, liraglutide, tirzepatide) and coded user experiences regarding cravings, substance use, compulsive behavior, and libido.

Some key findings:

• Many users reported reduced cravings or lower consumption of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine after starting GLP-1 therapy.
• Themes included “craving reduction,” “medication side effects,” “lifestyle adaptation,” and “behavioral changes” (e.g. less impulsive shopping).
• For cannabis specifically, the data were more mixed and anecdotal—some users mentioned lowered use or lessened “munchies,” but the evidence was far less robust.
• The authors themselves state: these findings are not conclusive. They call for careful clinical trials to test whether GLP-1 agonists can truly be repurposed for addiction or craving reduction in controlled settings.
• The analysis also examined behavioral addictions, libido changes, and side effects—underscoring how interconnected our reward systems are.

In sum: this is not a “proof” but a signal—a scientifically interesting hint that GLP-1 receptor agonists may influence craving circuits and compulsive behaviors beyond appetite.

Although the social media dataset yielded only limited cannabis-specific findings, the broader pattern is illuminating:

• Craving circuits are shared across substances, behaviors, and food. If a medication can modulate reward pathways more generally, it may help blunt the neural “pull” of habit and compulsion.
• In the same article, references are made to prior work suggesting that GLP-1 agonists may influence dopamine and reward signaling, which is central to addiction neuroscience.
• Earlier cohort data (outside this particular article) have already hinted that GLP-1 agents like semaglutide may reduce incidence or relapse of cannabis use disorder in metabolic patient populations. (The new Nature / Molecular Psychiatry study we’ve discussed previously is one such example.)
• This social media study helps fill a space between bench science and clinical trials—listening to real-world voices in quasi-naturalistic settings.

But again, caution is essential: self-reports online may be biased, misremembered, or influenced by placebo effects. The authors emphasize methodological limitations.

At Sanctuary, we don’t see promising medications as replacements for recovery—it is one tool among many. If we were to integrate GLP-1 agonists in our protocol, it would always be under a carefully controlled, holistic, faith-anchored framework.

Here’s how we envision it:

1. Spirit & Community First

• Residents experience community on campus, sharing life—meals, worship, prayer, relational support, encouragement, and accountability.
• Spiritual disciplines (Scripture, reflection, prayer) reshape identity, hearts, and motives.
• Community members—staff, clinicians, patients—pray, worship, mentor, encourage one another in real life.

2. Medical Integration with Oversight

• Licensed medical providers evaluate who is a suitable candidate for GLP-1 agents. Not everyone qualifies.
• Labs, monitoring, side effects, interactions are tracked. Medication is prescribed purposefully and judiciously—not liberally.
• The medication is meant to assist, not do the heavy lifting. Cravings may be reduced, but healing of trauma, relational wounds, and belief systems must accompany.

3. Life After Residential: Continuity & Aftercare

• Our care doesn’t end when someone leaves the residential program. Alumni pathways, aftercare groups, discipleship, check-ins, relapse prevention strategies—all remain in place.
• Medications might taper or adjust, but spiritual and communal support remains steady through life transitions.

4. Positioning Sanctuary as a Pioneer

• We intend to remain at the cutting edge—not chasing fads but integrating emerging science responsibly.
• We will track outcomes, document cases, and contribute data (while protecting confidentiality) to further the cause of evidence-based, faith-informed addiction recovery.
• Our aspiration is to be among the first in Christian recovery settings to responsibly blend spiritual formation, community, and evolving pharmacotherapy.

• Addiction is biological, psychological, and spiritual. Ignoring any one dimension leaves a gap.
• Medications like GLP-1 agonists may help reduce physiological drive and craving—but they don’t address shame, broken identity, trauma, loneliness, or spiritual emptiness. That work must be done in community and relationship with God.
• Holistic recovery fosters lasting transformation, not just short-term symptom suppression.
• In a Christ-centered environment, we invite grace, restoration, purpose, and renewed flourishing—not merely abstinence.

If you or someone you love is struggling with cannabis addiction—or feels caught in cycles of craving and compulsion—please know:

• You’re not alone.
• There is hope.
• There is a pathway to healing that treats your mind, body, and spirit.

Call us today and speak with one of our trained care guides. We’ll listen with compassion. We’ll assess where you are—medically, psychologically, spiritually. And if Sanctuary Clinics is a good fit, we’ll walk with you, offering community, clinical care, spiritual nurture—and, where appropriate, careful use of emerging medications like GLP-1 agents.

Healing is not just about stopping a substance. It’s about restoration—of identity, of purpose, of relationship with God, self, and others. Let’s walk that path together.

In hope, grace, and healing,
Dr. Sesi Akoto
Medical Director, Sanctuary Clinics
Author, How to Help Your Loved One Get Off Cannabis