A Clinical Study of LSD Treatment in Alcoholism

A controlled investigation of 176 male alcoholic patients compared three different LSD treatment procedures with a milieu-only condition. Half of each group also received disulfiram after hospital discharge to test whether it could enhance any of the treatments. All groups showed significant improvement on several clinical assessments during post-treatment and follow-up, but no single treatment condition proved superior to the others. The authors conclude that dramatic claims for the efficacy of LSD treatment in alcoholism are unjustified.

Study at a glance

Abstract

One hundred seventy-six male alcoholic patients participated in a controlled investigation of the differential efficacy of three LSD treatment procedures and a "no therapy," or milieu treatment, condition. Half of each group was also assigned to disulfiram after discharge from the hospital to determine whether any of these techniques could be enhanced by its use. Although significant improvement was shown within all treatment groups as measured by a number of clinical assessments in the post-treatment and follow-up periods, no one treatment condition proved to be superior. The authors conclude that the dramatic claims for the efficacy of LSD treatment in alcoholism are unjustified.