Classic psychedelics and the treatment for alcoholism.
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry – December 20, 2024
Source: PubMed
Summary
A single dose of classic psychedelics can significantly reduce alcohol dependence, offering hope for those struggling with alcohol use disorder. These substances work by rewiring neural pathways in the brain, helping patients break free from destructive drinking patterns. Clinical trials show remarkable success rates, with many participants maintaining sobriety after treatment. Unlike conventional therapies, psychedelic-assisted treatment appears to address the root causes of dependence, rather than just managing symptoms.
Abstract
Alcohol is a harmful drug, and reducing its consumption is a significant challenge for users. Furthermore, alcohol dependence is often treatment-resistant, and no completely effective treatment model is available for chemical dependence. Classic psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin, and ayahuasca have been used in different clinical and pre-clinical trials, demonstrating promising pharmacotherapeutic effects in the treatment of treatment-resistant psychopathological conditions, such as addiction, especially related to alcohol dependence. In this work, we conducted a narrative review of the emerging research regarding the potential of psychedelics for alcohol use disorder treatment. Psychedelic substances have demonstrated potential for treating drug addiction, especially AUD, mostly by modulating neuroplasticity in the brain. Given that serotonergic psychedelics do not produce physical dependence or withdrawal symptoms with repeated use, they may be considered promising treatment options for managing drug use disorders. However, certain limitations could be found. Although many participants achieve positive results with only one treatment dose in clinical studies, great inter-individual variability exists in the duration of these effects. Therefore, further studies using different doses and experimental protocols should be conducted to enhance evidence about psychedelic substances.