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sycodelix
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Psychedelics May Help If You Have A Drinking Problem, Study Suggests
#26007085 - 05/22/19 09:52 AM (4 years, 10 months ago) |
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https://www.marijuanamoment.net/psychedelics-may-help-if-you-have-a-drinking-problem-study-suggests/
Psychedelics May Help If You Have A Drinking Problem, Study SuggestsPublished 23 hours ago on May 21, 2019 By Kimberly Lawson
SHARE TWEET On the heels of Denver becoming the first city in the country to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms, new research suggests that using psychedelic substances may help some people with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
“Findings indicate that, in some cases, naturalistic psychedelic use outside of treatment settings is followed by pronounced and enduring reductions in alcohol misuse,” states the study, which suggests that the substances have “the potential for dramatic change.”
The findings, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology last week, support past studies that link psychedelic use in clinical and religious settings with a decrease in unhealthy alcohol consumption.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine were interested in getting a better understanding of people’s experiences with using psilocybin, LSD and other mind-altering substances in a non-clinical, natural environment (at home, for example). They utilized an anonymous online survey (which remained accessible from October 2015 to August 2017) to ultimately capture the perspectives of 343 adults.
Aside from demographic information, the survey asked participants to take several standard psychiatric assessments regarding alcohol use. They were also asked to explain what their psychedelic experience was like, including what substances they consumed, how intense of a reaction they felt after consumption and what kind of long-term effects they endured.
Most participants, it turns out, were pretty heavy drinkers prior to their psychedelic experience: About 72 percent reported symptoms that classified them as having severe AUD. They consumed an average of 25.5 drinks per week, and reported having this problem for approximately seven years.
As for their individual mystical experiences, 36 percent reported using psilocybin and 38 percent reported using LSD. Other substances surfaced in the survey responses included ayahuasca and DMT. Most participants said they consumed the drugs for psychological or spiritual exploration.
According to the study, however, the effects lasted well beyond their individual psychedelic journeys.
“Almost all respondents reported that they had greatly reduced or quit drinking alcohol since their reference psychedelic experience as evidenced by a current self-reported mean of 4.3 drinks per week, down from a mean of 25.5 drinks per week before the reference psychedelic experience,” the study’s authors wrote. Only 10 percent stated they had hoped using substance of choice would help them drink less.
At the time they responded to the survey, a majority of participants no longer met the criteria for an AUD. While at least half of the sample experienced some alcohol withdrawal symptoms, including cravings, depression and irritability, many said their symptoms appeared to be “much less severe” compared to previous efforts to reduce their alcohol use. For most of them, the psychedelic experience happened a year or more prior to participating in the study.
“Although such benefits cannot be wholly separated from accompanying reductions in unhealthy alcohol use,” the study’s authors write, “they are consistent with reports of persisting positive effects of psychedelics lasting well beyond the period of acute drug action.”
There are a number of reasons why psychedelic substances may help reduce alcohol misuse, but a key factor that stands out, according to the study, is the spiritual and mystical-like effects the drugs seem to have for some people.
“Spirituality has long been thought to play an important role in recovery from alcohol dependence, and has been posited as a protective factor against alcohol misuse,” the study states. “Spirituality and spiritual practice have also been found to correlate with abstinence in alcohol dependence recovery. Though a major focus of research on spirituality and alcohol misuse has been on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and 12-step programs, psychedelics may represent an alternative path to spiritual or otherwise highly meaningful experiences that can help reframe life priorities and values, enhance self-efficacy, and increase motivation to change.”
Continued research into the potential benefits of psychedelics could be profound, especially considering the sheer number of people who struggle with heavy alcohol use. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, AUD affects more than 15 million Americans a year.
“When you talk to someone who has managed to overcome addiction, they often talk about how they had to answer big picture questions that connect to what’s important in life,” Matthew Johnson, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins and one of the authors on the study, told Inverse. “Psychedelics prompt those kinds of questions. Even though we have a lot more to explore, I think it’s likely that it’s the intense nature of the drug’s psychological experience that’s underlying its high success rates.”
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Alan Rockefeller
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Re: Psychedelics May Help If You Have A Drinking Problem, Study Suggests [Re: sycodelix]
#26007698 - 05/22/19 04:09 PM (4 years, 10 months ago) |
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Here's the study.
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174BPM
Registered: 05/12/19
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Re: Psychedelics May Help If You Have A Drinking Problem, Study Suggests [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
#26010457 - 05/24/19 02:46 AM (4 years, 10 months ago) |
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As an alcoholic that typically drank a case of beer and a bottle of vodka a day, every day for the last decade. Been to inpatient detox over a dozen times... I can say since I started micro dosing I have had zero cravings and been clean from that poison for months. Can honestly say with very high confidence that I don't think I will ever drink again.
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JizzMasterZero
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Re: Psychedelics May Help If You Have A Drinking Problem, Study Suggests [Re: 174BPM]
#26011871 - 05/24/19 11:20 PM (4 years, 9 months ago) |
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^^^ I find that to be fascinating! I think it’s fairly well known that the founder of AA, Bill W.,was a big believer in the use of LSD as a tool to help treat alcoholism. I just always thought that big doses with intense trips was the way to go since that’s how ayahuasca is given to treat addiction. I never thought about micro dosing psychedelics for this application. I’m sure way more people would be willing to try it this way, and the repeating doses keeps you on track. I’ll be the first one to admit that when tripping I feel guilty and dirty because of my drug use, but once the trip is over those feelings fade away.
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174BPM
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Re: Psychedelics May Help If You Have A Drinking Problem, Study Suggests [Re: JizzMasterZero]
#26012015 - 05/25/19 01:49 AM (4 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
JizzMasterZero said: ^^^ I find that to be fascinating! I think it’s fairly well known that the founder of AA, Bill W.,was a big believer in the use of LSD as a tool to help treat alcoholism. I just always thought that big doses with intense trips was the way to go since that’s how ayahuasca is given to treat addiction. I never thought about micro dosing psychedelics for this application. I’m sure way more people would be willing to try it this way, and the repeating doses keeps you on track. I’ll be the first one to admit that when tripping I feel guilty and dirty because of my drug use, but once the trip is over those feelings fade away.
I do a big trip every couple weeks or so. I think the microdosing has allowed me to be more introspective with regards to thinking about my issues and the regular dosage perhaps maybe just be substitution. But, the large doses do act like a nice system reset. This combonis what is working for me.
Everyones approach/does/treatment is def going to be different. Mainly because I think everyone reacts so differently in how they handle trips/micro dosing/their own introspection/etc.
I just think it's fucking awesome to be where I'm at right now and woild encourage anyone to give it a shot. My therapist is fascinated by it too and I typically spend half my session talking a out alternative therapies with her. Lol
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NosmoKing
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Re: Psychedelics May Help If You Have A Drinking Problem, Study Suggests [Re: 174BPM]
#26012271 - 05/25/19 07:42 AM (4 years, 9 months ago) |
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This is a big part of why I started this hobby. YMMV, but it worked for me. But now that the secret is out, the alcohol lobby will team up with people who like the high taxes they get from booze to keep prohibition.
Edited by NosmoKing (05/25/19 07:43 AM)
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Asura
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Re: Psychedelics May Help If You Have A Drinking Problem, Study Suggests [Re: 174BPM]
#26014266 - 05/26/19 12:07 PM (4 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
174BPM said: As an alcoholic that typically drank a case of beer and a bottle of vodka a day, every day for the last decade. Been to inpatient detox over a dozen times... I can say since I started micro dosing I have had zero cravings and been clean from that poison for months. Can honestly say with very high confidence that I don't think I will ever drink again.
Congrats, man! I spent the last 5 years or so drinking pretty heavily myself and during a big trip in January all desire to drink was taken away and I've been sober since. I was shown my higher self and I was like "there is no way I am going to drown that away". What's weird is I don't even think about drinking. When I have thought about it (usually when I read threads like this) there is an immediate revulsion to it. It's been miraculous. Fuck alcohol!
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