Assessment of Alcohol and Tobacco Use Disorders Among Religious Users of Ayahuasca
Frontiers in Psychiatry April 24, 2018 Paulo César Ribeiro Barbosa, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Michael P. Bogenschutz et al. 95 citations
Members of the Brazilian União do Vegetal (UDV) who drink ayahuasca in ceremonies show lower rates of current alcohol and tobacco use disorders compared to the general Brazilian population, even though their lifetime use of these substances is higher. Among 1,947 UDV members aged 18 and older, those who attended more ceremonies in the previous year and had longer membership reported greater reductions in alcohol and tobacco problems. The findings suggest that regular ceremonial ayahuasca use, within a religious context, is associated with reduced substance misuse, particularly for adults over 24 years old.