14 Jan PSILOCYBIN-ASSISTED TREATMENT FOR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE | JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
An important new research study at the University of New Mexico confirms that psilocybin is a promising treatment for heavy drinkers. Heffter researcher Michael Bogenschutz and his colleagues studied 10 individuals who were alcohol dependent for an average of 15.1 years.
“Abstinence did not increase significantly in the first 4 weeks of treatment (when participants had not yet received psilocybin), but increased significantly following psilocybin administration (p < 0.05). Gains were largely maintained at follow-up to 36 weeks. The intensity of effects in the first psilocybin session (at week 4) strongly predicted change in drinking during weeks 5-8 (r = 0.76 to r = 0.89) and also predicted decreases in craving and increases in abstinence self-efficacy during week 5. There were no significant treatment-related adverse events. These preliminary findings provide a strong rationale for controlled trials with larger samples to investigate efficacy and mechanisms.”