Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)Substance Use Disorders (SUD)Public Health, Prevention & Behaviour ChangeLSDPsilocybin

Cessation and reduction in alcohol consumption and misuse after psychedelic use

An anonymous online survey of 343 mostly White male adults with prior severe AUD found that a single naturalistic moderate-to-high dose psychedelic experience (primarily LSD or psilocybin) was associated with marked reductions or cessation in alcohol use, with 83% no longer meeting AUD criteria afterwards. Greater dose and higher ratings of mystical-type, insightful and personally meaningful effects predicted larger reductions, though causality cannot be established and the findings support further clinical investigation of psychedelic-assisted treatment for AUD.

Authors

  • Albert Garcia-Romeu
  • Roland Griffiths
  • Matthew Johnson

Published

Journal of Psychopharmacology
individual Study

Abstract

Background

Meta-analysis of randomized studies using lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for alcohol use disorder (AUD) showed large, significant effects for LSD efficacy compared to control conditions. Clinical studies suggest potential anti-addiction effects of LSD and mechanistically-related classic psychedelics for alcohol and other substance use disorders.

Aims

To supplement clinical studies, reports of psychedelic use in naturalistic settings can provide further data regarding potential effects of psychedelics on alcohol use.

Methods

An anonymous online survey of individuals with prior AUD reporting cessation or reduction in alcohol use following psychedelic use in non-clinical settings.

Results

343 respondents, mostly White (89%), males (78%), in the USA (60%) completed the survey. Participants reported seven years of problematic alcohol use on average before the psychedelic experience to which they attributed reduced alcohol consumption, with 72% meeting retrospective criteria for severe AUD. Most reported taking a moderate or high dose of LSD (38%) or psilocybin (36%), followed by significant reduction in alcohol consumption. After the psychedelic experience 83% no longer met AUD criteria. Participants rated their psychedelic experience as highly meaningful and insightful, with 28% endorsing psychedelic-associated changes in life priorities or values as facilitating reduced alcohol misuse. Greater psychedelic dose, insight, mystical-type effects, and personal meaning of experiences were associated with a greater reduction in alcohol consumption, controlling for prior alcohol consumption and related distress.

Conclusions

Although results cannot demonstrate causality, they suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use may lead to cessation or reduction in problematic alcohol use, supporting further investigation of psychedelic-assisted treatment for AUD.

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Research Summary of 'Cessation and reduction in alcohol consumption and misuse after psychedelic use'

Introduction

Garcia-Romeu and colleagues frame the study within a context of high prevalence and poor treatment uptake for alcohol use disorder (AUD), noting limitations of current pharmacotherapies and psychosocial interventions, including high relapse rates. Earlier clinical research from the mid-20th century and recent pilot studies suggest that classic serotonergic psychedelics (notably LSD and psilocybin) may reduce problematic alcohol use; particular subjective qualities of the drug experience (for example, mystical-type effects and psychological insight) have been proposed as processes that might facilitate lasting behaviour change. This study set out to systematically characterise instances in which naturalistic (nonclinical) psychedelic use was followed by self-reported cessation or reduction in alcohol misuse. Using an anonymous online survey, the investigators sought to describe participant characteristics, the psychedelic experiences implicated, changes in alcohol use and related symptoms, and associations between psychedelic experience features (dose, mystical and insightful qualities, persisting personal meaning) and changes in alcohol consumption. The authors hypothesised that greater mystical-type subjective qualities would be associated with larger reductions in alcohol use.

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Study Details

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