{"id":82056,"date":"2022-09-09T11:34:13","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T09:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/?p=82056"},"modified":"2023-11-12T20:05:08","modified_gmt":"2023-11-12T19:05:08","slug":"nyt-studie-viser-at-psilocybin-muligvis-kan-kurere-alkoholisme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/blog\/new-study-shows-psilocybin-may-possibly-cure-alcoholism\/","title":{"rendered":"Ny unders\u00f8gelse viser, at psilocybin muligvis kan helbrede alkoholisme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today, fresh findings<\/a><\/strong> published by Jama Psychiatry build a strong case for another beloved psychedelic compound: psilocybin<\/a><\/strong>, the active ingredient in shrooms and magic truffles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what has been dubbed the \u201cfirst modern, rigorous, controlled trial\u201d <\/em>of its kind, scientists have proven that taking psilocybin combined with talk therapy can help heavy drinkers cut back on their drinking \u2014 or maybe even quit cold-turkey\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Psilocybin as a Cure for Alcoholism<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Michael Bogenschutz<\/strong>, director of the NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine, who led the study, said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore parts of the brain are talking to more parts of the brain. There\u2019s a possibility of really shifting in a relatively permanent way the functional organization of the brain.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"alcohol
via Unsplash<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The study took place over 32 weeks of double-blind observation. 93 participants were given either a placebo (aka a \u201csugar pill\u201d<\/em>) or a pill which contained psilocybin, in between sessions of talk therapy with a licensed psychiatrist.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article describes how it all took place:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll participants were offered a total of <\/em>12 psychotherapy sessions<\/em><\/strong> from a team of 2 therapists, including a licensed psychiatrist: 4 before the first medication session, 4 between the first and second medication sessions, and 4 in the month following the second medication session.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe psychotherapy\u2026included motivational interviewing and <\/em>cognitive behavioral therapy<\/a><\/em><\/strong> for AUD as well as material designed to help the participants to manage and make use of the psychoactive effects of [psilocybin].\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure comfort while taking psychedelics, psilocybin was given to participants in a specially-tailored set and setting<\/a>.<\/strong> Such involved the use of cosy couches, eye shades, and a curated playlist on headphones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Psilocybin] was administered at approximately 9 AM, after which participants were required to stay in the session room with the therapists for at least 8 hours (except for bathroom breaks). During the session, participants were encouraged to lie on a couch wearing eye shades and headphones providing a standardized playlist of music.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounds pretty cosy, eh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improved Drinking Outcomes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The results? Those who took psilocybin performed better<\/strong> than those who took placebo pills, in the eight months following the dose. On average, the psilocybin group engaged in heavy drinking on roughly one out of ten days<\/em>. In contrast, the placebo group drank heavily on one out of four days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the kicker: nearly half<\/em> of those who took psilocybin were able to stop drinking completely<\/strong>. The placebo group had only 24% in comparison.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"hand
Participants who took psilocybin greatly reduced their heavy drinking. Nearly half were able to stop drinking entirely. <\/em>Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash<\/mark><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This shows that while talk therapy on its own\u00a0may help nudge you to quit alcohol almost a quarter of the time, taking psilocybin alongside talk therapy<\/strong> increases your chances to almost 50-50! Who would have thought it possible?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study\u2019s authors were pleased with their findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn this randomized clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy treatment for AUD, psilocybin treatment was associated with <\/em>improved drinking outcomes<\/em><\/strong> during 32 weeks of double-blind observation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough this was, to our knowledge, the first controlled trial of psilocybin for AUD, these findings are consistent with a meta-analysis of trials conducted in the 1960s evaluating LSD as a treatment for AUD.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018It cured my alcoholism\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jon Kostas<\/strong>, 32, first started visiting bars regularly when he was 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York City native soon got stuck in a vicious loop of alcoholism, in which he drank as many as 30 drinks per night. Despite his genuine desire for change, nothing seemed to work out in terms of erasing the allure of alcohol. Except perhaps for one thing \u2014 a fresh, new treatment he stumbled upon which involved the use of psilocybin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kostas had his first psilocybin-assisted therapy session in March 2015. Today, he credits his strong sense of self-control to the psychedelic compound.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"hand
Psilocybin was key to curing Jon Kostas\u2019s alcoholism once and for all. via Unsplash<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He told USNews.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt definitely affected my life, and I like to say it saved my life.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[The psilocybin treatment] worked almost like an antibiotic for me, where I was sick with a disease or a disorder.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon after his cravings for alcohol started to go away, Kostas felt the psilocybin treatment was working well enough for him to stop it gradually.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went into this clinical trial. I did psilocybin-assisted therapy, and I left.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy greatest expectations for this were to be able to manage my cravings, and this surpassed that. <\/em>[Psilocybin therapy] eliminated all my cravings to the point where it cured my alcoholism.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Therapy to Face Years of Hidden Pain\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Paul Mavis<\/strong>, 60, used heavy drinking as a way to ignore the pain of his daughters\u2019 deaths.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, the executive from Wilton, Connecticut sought comfort in alcohol. He tried several times to quit drinking, to no avail. When Mavis decided to participate in a 2019 study<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 one which used psilocybin-assisted talk therapy to help treat alcoholism \u2014 he began to uncover layers of deep emotional pain that had been left festering for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite being given a placebo, Mavis fully believed he was taking psilocybin along with sessions of talk therapy. The experience was enough to make him think about what might trigger a new episode of binge-drinking if he quit alcohol cold-turkey. The answer was simple: his unexpressed grief for his daughters. He wept for the first time in years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to serious talk therapy, which helped to break down his emotional barriers, Mavis started to equate drinking with death.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told the Wall Street Journal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Examining my pain] was really uncomfortable. I had the emotional maturity of a 15-year-old. That was the age I started drinking.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mavis has not touched a single drop of alcohol since the study.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microdosing to Get Rid of Unwanted Habits<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Taking low doses of psychedelics on a scheduled basis (in the study\u2019s case, 25-40 mg of psilocybin<\/em> given twice in between talk therapy sessions) is nothing new.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also known as microdosing<\/a><\/strong>, the practice has helped countless people to get rid of unwanted habits, such as social binge-drinking and alcohol use disorder. The usual trippy effects of full-on psychedelic doses are not the goal; it\u2019s the sub-perceptual boost<\/em> in awareness and creativity you are really after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"microdosing
Microdosing magic truffles can help you kick unwanted habits, such as addictions and Alcohol use disorder (AUD). (Photo via Wholecelium)<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Take the 215k users on the Reddit forum r\/microdosing<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0for instance, who swear by the power of microdosing to get rid of their unwanted habits. One user shares how microdosing shrooms helped them to hop on the wagon:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI began microdosing last week of February and quit drinking [the] first week of April, have not had a drink since\u2026 Microdosing has definitely been a huge contributing factor.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another user revealed just how much alcohol was cut out of their life after microdosing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCompared to when I started I\u2019d estimate my alcohol consumption is down 90%.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microdosing as a Tool, Not a Magic Pill<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In an interview<\/strong> with i-D for Vice.com<\/a>, Michelle Janikian<\/strong>, author of Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companio<\/em>n, spoke about the subtle mood-enhancing benefits of microdosing \u2014 and why taking taking psychedelics on their own, especially without talk therapy, should not be seen as a \u201ccure-all\u201d<\/em> magic pill for substance abuse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a fan reach out to me on Instagram recently and say that she\u2019d been microdosing to try to stop doing cocaine. She said she was microdosing and still doing coke every weekend. I really didn\u2019t know what to say to her because, you know, it doesn\u2019t really work like that.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMicrodosing can be a tool, but you have to come to it with the right intentions; you have to want to change your behaviours. It can definitely help, but it won\u2019t fix your problems for you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Stephanie Hicks<\/strong>, a clinical psychologist, shared similar views about overcoming substance abuse and addictions. She told i-D:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to overcoming addictions, there is never a magic solution.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBe clear about why you want to make this change and remind yourself of this when it feels like more of a struggle. Spend time noticing what draws you back to old habits and work out new ways to manage these situations. You may not find a solution immediately \u2014 it\u2019s about using trial and error to discover what works for you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All Shroomy on the Western Front<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, the future of psychedelic drugs looks bright for the Western world. A slate of legislation changes<\/a><\/strong> in favour of psilocybin is coming up this year. A major research centre for psychedelic therapy just opened in Melbourne<\/a>,<\/strong> and a new clinical trial for psychedelic therapy using music is rocking London<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This milestone study on psilocybin to cure alcoholism is the latest effort to remind people of its other role as a tool for healing<\/em>, not just for fun. For centuries, and even millennia, indigenous peoples such as pre-Mayan cultures have been using shrooms and magic truffles as medicine<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why stop now?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Den mest produktive seriemorder i USA er stadig p\u00e5 fri fod. Der er et navn for det. Alkoholmisbrug (AUD) dr\u00e6ber ca. 95.000 amerikanere hvert \u00e5r som f\u00f8lge af druk eller leverskader.\u00a0
\nTidligere forskning har vist, at lysergisk syrediethylamid (LSD), ogs\u00e5 kendt som syre, er effektivt til at d\u00e6mpe alkoholtrangen, n\u00e5r det tages sammen med samtaleterapi.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":82079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-82056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychedelic-studies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82056"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161795,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82056\/revisions\/161795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82056"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=82056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}