Considering the way that glp-1 agonists curb alcohol cravings, and how various forms of cravings can increase others (like a smoker craving coffee more when they can't smoke temporarily, or vice versa), it makes sense that there's thing to be some underlying connections.

I wouldn't have pointed to norepinephrine as a layman, but after reading the article and thinking a bit, then doing a quick refresh on the less obvious effects of that, damn if it doesn't make sense.

And, with the mechanism being through an equivalent neurotransmitter in for fruit flies, I'm wondering if this isn't a very fundamental function of having a nervous system of any kind. I mean, we already know that other mammals and some birds exhibit behaviors aligning with alcohol addiction. Maybe addiction is so bloody universal that anything can be addicted to something, even if it isn't alcohol.

That may seem obvious, that it would work that way, but insects are vastly different in a lot of ways. And if it's that universal, it could revolutionize addiction treatment for humans. Assuming, of course that it both pans out andreaches a level of acceptance what with the way people reject new information