The new review, which examines psychedelics for their potential as treatment of substance abuse disorders, finds that the psilocybin – assisted psychotherapy has “significantly reduced alcohol consumption” and has a high rate of smoking cessation. It also shows that it can lessen dependence on opioids.
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAP) “was associated with significant reductions in alcohol consumption, smoking cessation, and related psychological improvements,” says the research, published last month in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.
This review examined 16 studies. The majority were either open-label, observational or controlled. The authors noted that “underscore” the number of randomized controlled trials.[es] “The need for robust clinical studies.”
Researchers found that participants with alcohol abuse disorder who received psilocybin therapy reported “fewer heavy drinking and abstinence days” as well as increased neuroimaging results indicating normalized brain activity.
The studies on PAP, and the tobacco use disorder “demonstrated a high rate of abstinence from smoking, while mystical experiences predicted long-term outcome.”
Findings on other SUDs [substance use disorders] The authors concluded that “results were mixed, but psilocybin demonstrated potential to reduce opioid dependency and nicotine consumption.”
A 15-person team of researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, New York University Center for Psychedelic Medicine at Imperial College London and Western University, Canada, University of South Adelaide, Australia, Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, and universities of Alberta Calgary Ottawa Toronto and Toronto authored the new review.
By combining data from several studies, they stated that “we hope to gain a better understanding of the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and how it can be used for different SUDs.”
The report notes that, despite a dearth of research outside the tobacco and alcohol industries, psilocybin is generally tolerated. In studies in which it has been combined with psychotherapy. [showed] Significant reductions in substance abuse reported.”
These results follow a report published earlier in the year which examined the effectiveness of using psilocybin to treat the disorder of methamphetamine abuse. This report found that “the outpatient treatment is feasible, does not seem to cause safety issues, and shows signs of efficacy warranting more investigation.”
The study published as a Preprint by The Lancet, in January of this year, showed that, among a group of small people who were undergoing a treatment with stimulants, “Methamphetamine desire decreased and depression, stress, anxiety, quality of life improved, from the baseline up to 90 days after. There are only a few treatment options for people with methamphetamine abuse disorder.
Last summer, meanwhile, two other studies—including one with contributions from a top federal drug official—examined psychedelics and alcohol use disorder (AUD).
A single dose of Psilocybin is “safe and effective for reducing alcohol intake in AUD” patients, according to one study. The other concluded that classic psychedelics including LSD and psilocybin have shown potential as treatments against drug addiction.
The National Institutes of Health last year also announced that it would put $2.4 million toward funding studies on the use of psychedelics to treat methamphetamine use disorders—funding that came as federal health officials noted sharp increases in deaths from methamphetamine and other psychostimulants in recent years, with fatal overdoses involving the substances rising nearly fivefold between 2015 and 2022.
In 2023, meanwhile, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced a $1.5 million funding round to further study psychedelics and addiction.
Recent research also suggests that psychedelics may unlock new promising pathways for treating addiction. A first-of-its-kind analysis in 2023 offered novel insights into exactly how psychedelic-assisted therapy works for people with alcohol use disorder.
Last year, meanwhile, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, identified the treatment of alcohol use disorder as one of a number of possible benefits of psilocybin, despite the substance remaining a Schedule I controlled substance under U.S. law.
It highlighted a study from 2022 that suggested that “psilocybin might be useful for alcohol use disorders.” Research found those in psilocybin assisted therapy had less heavy drinking days than their control group over a period of 32 weeks. NCCIH said this “suggests psilocybin might be helpful for alcohol addiction disorder.”
Outside of psychedelics, research from 2019 indicated that the cannabinoid CBD may also have the potential to treat substance use disorders involving cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine—adding to earlier research showing the cannabinoid has the potential to help people battling substance use disorders involving alcohol and opioids.
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