Treatment of alcoholism using psychedelic drugs: a review of the program of research
This review (1998) looks at the history of LSD as a possible treatment for alcoholism (AUD). It highlights the research that had been done and how psychedelics were subsequently relabelled as drugs of abuse.
Abstract
Following Albert Hofmann's discovery of LSD's psychoactive properties in 1943, and previous to their scheduling as controlled substances, the psychedelic drugs were widely studied - six international conferences and hundreds of papers discussed their potential therapeutic usefulness. The observation that the frightening experience of delirium tremens sometimes led alcoholics to moderate their alcohol intake suggested to early psychedelic researchers that the psychotomimetic experience thought to be produced by LSD could be used to treat alcoholism. A number of hypothesis-generating studies employing a variety of research designs to examine this premise were completed, but relatively few controlled trials attempted hypothesis testing. After twenty-five years of study, a combination of flawed methodology, uneven results and social reprehension led to the abandonment of research on the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs, leaving many avenues of inquiry unexplored and many questions unanswered. Today, after a thirty-year hiatus, this research is gradually being resumed, and there is renewed interest in the findings of previous studies. This article explores the history of one branch of psychedelic research, the therapeutic use of LSD in the treatment of alcoholism, and of the events that led to the relabeling of the hallucinogens as drugs of abuse.
Research Summary of 'Treatment of alcoholism using psychedelic drugs: a review of the program of research'
Introduction
Since Albert Hofmann discovered LSD's psychoactive properties in 1943, clinicians and researchers explored its therapeutic potential, producing more than 1,000 reports over the next quarter century. Early investigators proposed that LSD and related compounds might model psychosis, facilitate psychotherapy, or provoke powerful conversion-like experiences that could help people with refractory psychiatric problems, including alcoholism. By the mid-1960s, however, methodological weaknesses in many studies, inconsistent results, growing unsupervised recreational use, adverse-event reports and sensational media coverage combined with changing regulation to halt much clinical research. Mangini sets out to review the historical program of research that examined LSD (and related psychedelics) as a treatment for alcoholism. The paper traces early theoretical frameworks and therapeutic styles, summarises major uncontrolled and controlled clinical studies and adverse-event surveillance, recounts the regulatory and social responses that curtailed research, and identifies unresolved scientific questions and recommendations for future investigation.
Expert Research Summaries
Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.
Full Text PDF
Full Paper PDF
Create a free account to open full-text PDFs.
Study Details
- Study Typemeta
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- APA Citation
Mangini, M. (1998). Treatment of alcoholism using psychedelic drugs: a review of the program of research. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 30(4), 381-418. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1998.10399714
References (4)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Ludwig, A., Levine, J., Stark, L. et al. · American Journal of Psychiatry (1969)
Osmond, H. · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (2010)
Strassman, R. J. · Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (1995)
Strassman, R. J. · Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (1984)
Cited By (47)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Thal, S. B., Wieberneit, M., Sharbanee, J. M. et al. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2023)
Johnson, M. W. · Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences (2022)
Nair, J. B., Hakes, L., Yazar-Klosinski, B. et al. · ACS Omega (2021)
Hall, W. · Psychological Medicine (2021)
Podrebarac, S. K., O'donnell, K. C., Mennenga, S. E. et al. · Spirituality in Clinical Practice (2021)
Nielson, E. M. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2021)
O'shaughnessy, D. M., Berlowitz, I., Rodd, R. et al. · Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology (2021)
Garcia-Romeu, A., Davis, A. K., Fire Erowid et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2019)
Johnson, M. W., Hendricks, P. S., Barrett, F. S. et al. · Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2019)
Trope, A., Anderson, B. T., Hooker, A. R. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2019)
Show all 47 papersShow fewer
Nielson, E. M., Guss, J. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2018)
Richards, W. A., Garcia-Romeu, A. · International Review of Psychiatry (2018)
Barker, S. · Frontiers in Neuroscience (2018)
Bonson, K. R. · Psychopharmacology (2017)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Goodwin, G. M. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2017)
Morgan, C. J. A., McAndrew, A., Stevens, T. et al. · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences (2017)
Preller, K. H., Vollenweider, F. X. · Behavioral Neurobiology of Psychedelic Drugs (2016)
Canal, C. E., Murnane, K. S. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Bogenschutz, M. P., Forcehimes, A. A. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2016)
Garcia-Romeu, A., Kersgaard, B., Addy, P. H. · Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology (2016)
Tófoli, L. F., De Araujo, D. B. · International Review of Neurobiology (2016)
Gallimore, A. R., Strassman, R. J. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2016)
Nichols, D. E. · Pharmacological Reviews (2016)
Das, S., Barnwal, P., Ramasamy, A. et al. · Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology (2016)
McKenna, D., Riba, J. · Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences (2016)
Kometer, M., Vollenweider, F. X. · Behavioral Neurobiology of Psychedelic Drugs (2016)
Liester, M. B. · Current Drug Abuse Reviews (2015)
Garcia-Romeu, A., Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W. · Current Drug Abuse Reviews (2015)
Majic, T., Schmidt, T. T., Gallinat, J. · Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology (2015)
Bogenschutz, M. P., Forcehimes, A. A., Pommy, J. A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Johnson, M. W., Garcia-Romeu, A., Cosimano, M. P. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2014)
Winkelman, M. J. · Current Drug Abuse Reviews (2014)
Winkler, P., Csémy, L. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2014)
Loizaga-Velder, A., Verres, R. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2014)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Leech, R., Shanahan, M. et al. · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2014)
Jerome, L., Schuster, S., Yazar-Klosinski, B. · Current Drug Abuse Reviews (2013)
Bogenschutz, M. P. · Current Drug Abuse Reviews (2013)
Bogenschutz, M. P., Pommy, J. A. · Drug Testing and Analysis (2012)
Liester, M. B., Prickett, J. I. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2012)
Krebs, T. S., Johansen, P. Ø. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2012)
Maclean, K. A., Johnson, M. W., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2011)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Nutt, D. J. · Journal of Substance Use (2010)
Trichter, S., Klimo, J., Krippner, S. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2009)
Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Dyck, E. · Social History of Medicine (2006)
Nichols, D. E. · Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2004)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.