More people suffer from alcohol addiction than most drugs, and it is also one of the most harmful ones. The World Health Organization (WHO), reports that there are more than 140 million people worldwide with this addiction. Alcoholism is one of the world’s most avoidable causes of death. It is responsible for diseases that lead to more than 80,000 deaths every year in the United States and 3 million deaths globally.
Alcohol is not only legal and easy to access in most places, but it is also heavily promoted everywhere around us. It is almost difficult to dodge the fact that it is constantly being pushed in your face with happy hours, advertisements and so many liquor stores around. However, there is little talk about the bad side to drinking alcohol and how it can affect your life.
You can find several forms of treatments for alcoholism, especially programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which serve to help people to develop a spiritual connection to a greater purpose in life as well as a stronger relationship with God. This is a great solution to the major problem for some people, but for others, it does quite cut the cake.
Luckily, there are more ways to solve this problem. Research overseen by the University of New Mexico shows that psilocybin, a substance found in “magic mushrooms,” is an effective solution for alcoholism. Psychedelics have a long history of being useful in treating this disease. According to Bill Wilson the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, LSD is beneficial for helping alcoholics who are non-believers reach a greater spiritual awareness as a part of their rehabilitation.
What Research Reveals
Dr. Rick Strassman, author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule, was a part of a group of researchers who worked to inspire other scientists to study psilocybin as a form of care for alcoholics. While there has been research in recent years on the effects of psilocybin in certain people, there was never research done on the efficiency of psilocybin for alcohol addiction. The study was only administered on a select few; however, it still showed that this psychedelic is beneficial in treating alcohol addiction.
During the initial four weeks, no psilocybin was included and was only based on conventional therapy. As expected, the participants’ ability to abstain did not show much of a change. There was a much bigger difference once the patients received psilocybin – it led to a prolonged abstinence from alcohol which lasted over a period of up to 9 months after being treated. But, we have to take into consideration the studies done on the correlation between how much was taken and the actual outcome. The higher the dosage of psilocybin, the fewer cravings the patient had within a five week period. This is great news that we feel definitely deserves more attention from scientists.
Past Studies on Psilocybin’s Effects on Addiction
Matthew Johnson from Johns Hopkins University was able to prove that psilocybin can also be an effective solution for tobacco addiction. This substance has helped many quit smoking. According to Johnson, people were letting go of their smoking habit at such a high rate that it was double what was seen with “gold standard” medication.
Even the type of experience a person has with psilocybin effects the results they receive. The more profound and esoteric the experience is, the more likely the patient is to stay away from tobacco. Based on studies, it appears that the patients having a more esoteric trip were likely to refrain from tobacco more than the ones who had an increase in their dosage.
Science and Psychedelics in the Future
Studies on psychedelics have proven that this substance could be a life saver for people suffering from addictions who do not have the financial means for treatment. The Controlled Substances Act labels psilocybin as a schedule 1 substance making it hard to perform tests on it.
Without the right amount of funding, it is difficult to conduct comprehensive studies that would provide the use of psilocybin the trustworthiness it deserves. We remain positive that the more people become aware of its benefits, proper funding will soon be provided, and hopefully, the laws will change in our favor as well. The use of Psilocybin could lead to huge life changing rewards for addicts worldwide.
