Psychedelic drugs are making a quiet comeback, as a smattering of recent studies have demonstrated their medicinal potential. The latest finding suggests it is time to revisit LSD as a treatment for addiction.

Pål-Ørjan Johansen and Teri Krebs of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology analyzed six clinical trials of LSD from 1966 to 1970 and published their results in March in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. The study subjects were being treated for alcohol abuse at inpatient clinics. They all underwent the standard treatment regimen for addiction, but some of them were also given a single, small dose of LSD during a therapeutic session.

The results of the old studies were tepid, but they all hinted that LSD had helped. Pooling the data gave Johansen and Krebs more statistical power. “Instead of six small studies, you have one big study,” Krebs says, and the results of that larger study were much more robust. Of those who had taken LSD, 59 percent decreased their alcohol consumption, as compared with 38 percent of subjects who did not take LSD. Six months after leaving treatment, those who took LSD were 15 percent more likely to be sober.

For just one dose of a psychiatric drug to remain effective for months is an impressive feat that researchers attribute to the unique qualities of psychedelics such as LSD. The feelings of openness and well-being brought on by the drug seem to help people see themselves—and their problems—in a different light. In this way, LSD could act as a kind of chemical catalyst for the “moment of clarity” cited by many addicts as a turning point in their treatment.

Krebs and other researchers are quick to point out that context matters for LSD's therapeutic potential; dropping acid at home will probably not help cure addictions the way it might in a rehabilitation facility under psychiatric guidance. The results add to the growing body of work suggesting that psychedelics have untapped potential. For instance, doctors have had recent success using MDMA, the psychoactive substance in ecstasy, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Other research has found that psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can ease anxiety in terminal cancer patients.

This recent spate of promising findings belies the hurdle researchers face: getting funding for such studies remains quite difficult, as it has been since the antidrug movement of the late 1970s. Yet Johansen thinks the tide may be turning. “People are definitely getting more interested,” he says. “And I think that's going to make it easier to get grant money going forward.”

6 Comments

1. 1. jerryd 05:31 PM 6/29/12

   
   I'd be rea careful with whom one gives this to.
   
   I've done far more than my share and rather enjoyed it but also had to care for too many who couldn't handle it.
   
   I do believe it can help people if used very carefully. Anyone using it to treat people should be required to take it first so they know whatn they are doing.

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2. 2. OXYMAN 08:11 PM 7/1/12

   ~~likewise, after 50 or so LSD trips, spent 1 in the back of a police car, driven through winter storms for fun (quite spectacular at sunrise), and many more stories the average person can never fathom, I will say with confidence these things do have + effects and I always use to say that the day after my trip that my bodys clock and overall processes (hard drive) was reset. Thus, I was renewed, ready to start over and move on with life.

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3. 3. tireldo 07:48 AM 7/8/12

   RIGHT HAND, RIGHT CHOICE -- Another example of favoring the side of your dominant hand is faucet choice. I probably have significantly desensitized the nerves in my hands since I always turn on the hot water lever (or pull it to the left) when washing my hands since I am left handed. At least, hopefully, I have very clean hands!

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4. 4. RickWestinfo 11:49 AM 7/23/12

   I thought we all knew that LSD can curb alcoholism from some studies done in England many years ago.
   LSD can have many benefits when used in the right conditions.
   How unfortunate it has to get a bad rap because the Government is busy making people afraid of it by shrouding it in mystery.

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5. 5. ezeric 04:19 PM 10/26/12

   Forward by the distinguished Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.-Author
   Provocative and Enlightening Book Dissects the Human Consciousness
   “The Far-Off Land” philosophically evaluates the hallucinogenic drug-experience and
   intends to collect the perspectives of philosophy for better understanding of the human
   consciousness, improve the cure to mental illness
   RIVERTON, Utah – (Release Date TBD) – A credible resource classifies hallucinogens as psychoactive drugs
   that could cause subjective changes in human perception, thought, emotion, and consciousness—inducing
   experiences qualitatively different from those of ordinary consciousness. To gain a deeper understanding about
   this perennially interesting subject, author Eugene Seaich attempts to dissect the human consciousness to
   provoke and enlighten the readers’ mind in The Far-Off Land, a revealing book that presents a philosophical
   evaluation of the hallucinogenic drug-experience.
   This book is a cerebral piece of literature that attempts to discover the broader realities that lie behind
   psychogenic phenomena and seek a pattern that will explain the longing of human being for the Beyond, for the
   otherworldly substance of their intuition. Seaich will take readers on a trip through millennia, offer them
   glimpses of the forthcoming and explore deeper his own psyche—and experiences with LSD and mescaline—in
   order for them to discover a more profound and broader understanding of the mind and human consciousness.
   Guided by a cardinal principle, Seaich captures the philosophical prospects and covers a great background of
   other relevant fields of study that promote psychotropic knowledge to better understand human consciousness—
   and to ultimately improve humanity’s cure to mental illness and even solve life’s mysteries.
   Filled with tremendous meaning and insight, revelations and wisdom, historical facts and quotes from the
   world’s greatest minds and literature, The Far-Off Land is an intelligent and poetic prose that will inform
   readers about human consciousness and inspire them about life, including its complexities, a journey full of
   realizations and value. Stanley Krippner, PH.D. Co-author DEMESTIFING SHAMANS AND THEIR WORLD
   
   Now available
   An attempt at a philosophical evaluation of the hallucinogenic drug experience.
   By PH.D. Eugene Seaich
   
   http://rosedogbooks-store.stores.yahoo.net/falaatatphev.html#.T7wD9uqBceQ.facebook
   

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

6. 6. ezeric 04:19 PM 10/26/12

   Forward by the distinguished Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.-Author
   Provocative and Enlightening Book Dissects the Human Consciousness
   “The Far-Off Land” philosophically evaluates the hallucinogenic drug-experience and
   intends to collect the perspectives of philosophy for better understanding of the human
   consciousness, improve the cure to mental illness
   RIVERTON, Utah – (Release Date TBD) – A credible resource classifies hallucinogens as psychoactive drugs
   that could cause subjective changes in human perception, thought, emotion, and consciousness—inducing
   experiences qualitatively different from those of ordinary consciousness. To gain a deeper understanding about
   this perennially interesting subject, author Eugene Seaich attempts to dissect the human consciousness to
   provoke and enlighten the readers’ mind in The Far-Off Land, a revealing book that presents a philosophical
   evaluation of the hallucinogenic drug-experience.
   This book is a cerebral piece of literature that attempts to discover the broader realities that lie behind
   psychogenic phenomena and seek a pattern that will explain the longing of human being for the Beyond, for the
   otherworldly substance of their intuition. Seaich will take readers on a trip through millennia, offer them
   glimpses of the forthcoming and explore deeper his own psyche—and experiences with LSD and mescaline—in
   order for them to discover a more profound and broader understanding of the mind and human consciousness.
   Guided by a cardinal principle, Seaich captures the philosophical prospects and covers a great background of
   other relevant fields of study that promote psychotropic knowledge to better understand human consciousness—
   and to ultimately improve humanity’s cure to mental illness and even solve life’s mysteries.
   Filled with tremendous meaning and insight, revelations and wisdom, historical facts and quotes from the
   world’s greatest minds and literature, The Far-Off Land is an intelligent and poetic prose that will inform
   readers about human consciousness and inspire them about life, including its complexities, a journey full of
   realizations and value. Stanley Krippner, PH.D. Co-author DEMESTIFING SHAMANS AND THEIR WORLD
   
   Now available
   An attempt at a philosophical evaluation of the hallucinogenic drug experience.
   By PH.D. Eugene Seaich
   
   http://rosedogbooks-store.stores.yahoo.net/falaatatphev.html#.T7wD9uqBceQ.facebook
   

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this