Will members of 12-step recovery groups oppose the use of GLP-1 agonists for addiction?
Abstract
The integration of pharmacotherapy into abstinence-oriented recovery communities has historically been met with friction. However, a new dynamic may be emerging with the rise of GLP-1 agonists (e.g., semaglutide). While robust clinical trial data for GLP-1s regarding the treatment of substance use disorders remains unclear, these new medications are being adopted off-label by innovators in abstinence-oriented treatment facilities and selectively within the 12-step recovery community. This commentary provides an analysis of this phenomenon through the application of Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory. We argue that unlike previous medications which faced medication stigma for their psychoactive properties, it may be possible that GLP-1s are being met with less resistance from the recovery community because their mechanism of action is culturally congruent with the 12-step goal of relieving the mental obsession of addiction. We posit that this new phenomenon represents a practice-based evidence signal that deserves attention; perhaps the 12-step recovery community is not as anti-medication as once thought.
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BibTeX
@misc{kepner2026will,
title = {{Will members of 12-step recovery groups oppose the use of GLP-1 agonists for addiction?}},
author = {Wayne Kepner and Steven Klein and Keith Humphreys},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/jvqdz_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/jvqdz_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Will members of 12-step recovery groups oppose the use of GLP-1 agonists for addiction?
AU - Wayne Kepner
AU - Steven Klein
AU - Keith Humphreys
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/jvqdz_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/jvqdz_v1/
AB - The integration of pharmacotherapy into abstinence-oriented recovery communities has historically been met with friction. However, a new dynamic may be emerging with the rise of GLP-1 agonists (e.g., semaglutide). While robust clinical trial data for GLP-1s regarding the treatment of substance use disorders remains unclear, these new medications are being adopted off-label by innovators in abstinence-oriented treatment facilities and selectively within the 12-step recovery community. This commentary provides an analysis of this phenomenon through the application of Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory. We argue that unlike previous medications which faced medication stigma for their psychoactive properties, it may be possible that GLP-1s are being met with less resistance from the recovery community because their mechanism of action is culturally congruent with the 12-step goal of relieving the mental obsession of addiction. We posit that this new phenomenon represents a practice-based evidence signal that deserves attention; perhaps the 12-step recovery community is not as anti-medication as once thought.
ER -