Classic psychedelics and alcohol use disorders: A systematic review of human and animal studies
This systematic review of 27 human and preclinical studies (2000–2021) finds that classic psychedelics—particularly psilocybin—show promising but inconclusive evidence for reducing alcohol consumption. Human studies are hampered by small samples and methodological limitations and preclinical data are scarce and mixed, so higher-quality trials are needed to establish efficacy and mechanisms.
Authors
- Calleja-Conde, J.
- Morales-García, J. A.
- Echeverry-Alzate, V.
Published
Abstract
Classic psychedelics refer to substances such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, ayahuasca, and mescaline, which induce altered states of consciousness by acting mainly on 5‐HT2A receptors. Recently, the interest of psychedelics as pharmacological treatment for psychiatric disorders has increased significantly, including their use on problematic use of alcohol. This systematic review is aimed to analyse the last two decades of studies examining the relationship between classic psychedelics and alcohol consumption. We searched PubMed and PsycInfo for human and preclinical studies published between January 2000 to December 2021. The search identified 639 publications. After selection, 27 studies were included. Human studies (n = 20) generally show promising data and seem to indicate that classic psychedelics could help reduce alcohol consumption. Nevertheless, some of these studies present methodological concerns such as low number of participants, lack of control group or difficulty in determining the effect of classic psychedelics in isolation. On the other hand, preclinical studies (n = 7) investigating the effect of these compounds on voluntary alcohol consumption are scarce and show some conflicting data. Among these compounds, psilocybin seems to show the most consistent data indicating that this compound could be a potential candidate to treat alcohol use disorders. In the absence of understanding the biological and/or psychological mechanisms, more studies including methodological quality parameters are needed to finally determine the effects of classic psychedelics on alcohol consumption.
Research Summary of 'Classic psychedelics and alcohol use disorders: A systematic review of human and animal studies'
Introduction
Classic psychedelics — including LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca (DMT) and mescaline — act primarily at 5-HT2A receptors and can induce profound alterations of consciousness. Historical clinical use from the 1950s to the 1970s reported reductions in craving and alcohol consumption following psychedelic treatment, but many early studies lacked modern methodological safeguards such as control groups and blinding. Renewed interest since the 1990s has focused attention on these compounds as potential treatments for psychiatric disorders, including alcohol use disorder (AUD), and on underlying neurobiological mechanisms such as serotonin receptor-mediated plasticity. Calleja-Conde and colleagues set out to systematically review the human and preclinical literature published between 2000 and 2021 on classic psychedelics and alcohol-related outcomes. The stated aim was to synthesise recent evidence on whether classic psychedelics are associated with reductions in alcohol consumption or other alcohol-related behaviours, and to summarise proposed biological and psychological mechanisms that might explain any observed effects.
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Study Details
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- APA Citation
Calleja‐Conde, J., Morales‐García, J. A., Echeverry‐Alzate, V., Bühler, K. M., Giné, E., & López‐Moreno, J. A. (2022). Classic psychedelics and alcohol use disorders: A systematic review of human and animal studies. Addiction Biology, 27(6). https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.13229
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