‘Hitting Highs at Rock Bottom’: LSD Treatment for Alcoholism, 1950–1970
Social History of Medicine July 17, 2006 DOI: 10.1093/shm/hkl039 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractBetween 1950 and 1970, psychiatrists in Canada and the United States administered LSD to alcoholics, aiming to trigger a profound psychological crisis that would disrupt drinking patterns. Early reports claimed high success rates, but methodological flaws and the drug's countercultural associations eroded medical support. The practice reflected broader tensions between biomedical research, social values, and the regulation of psychedelics.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | LSD |
| Dose | single high dose |
| Keywords | Geology Geochemistry |
| Citations | 87 |
| Key finding | LSD treatment for alcoholism rose and fell within two decades, shaped more by cultural and regulatory shifts than by consistent clinical evidence. |
Abstract
Journal Article ‘Hitting Highs at Rock Bottom’: LSD Treatment for Alcoholism, 1950–1970 Get access Erika Dyck Erika Dyck * *Department of History and Classics/Division of Studies for Medical Education, 2–2 Tory Building , University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H4 , Canada . E-mail: Erika.dyck@ualberta.ca Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Social History of Medicine, Volume 19, Issue 2, August 2006, Pages 313–329, https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hkl039 Published: 01 August 2006