LSD 'helps Alcoholics to Give Up Drinking'

güttsfükk · #1 ● 03-10-2012, 07:24 PM

One dose of the hallucinogenic drug LSD could help alcoholics give up drinking, according to an analysis of studies performed in the 1960s.

A study, presented in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, looked at data from six trials and more than 500 patients.

It said there was a "significant beneficial effect" on alcohol abuse, which lasted several months after the drug was taken.

An expert said this was "as good as anything we've got".

LSD is a class A drug in the UK and is one of the most powerful hallucinogens ever identified. It appears to work by blocking a chemical in the brain, serotonin, which controls functions including perception, behaviour, hunger and mood.

Benefit

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology analysed earlier studies on the drug between 1966 and 1970.

Patients were all taking part in alcohol treatment programmes, but some were given a single dose of LSD of between 210 and 800 micrograms.

For the group of patients taking LSD, 59% showed reduced levels of alcohol misuse compared with 38% in the other group.

This effect was maintained six months after taking the hallucinogen, but it disappeared after a year. Those taking LSD also reported higher levels of abstinence.

The report's authors, Teri Krebs and Pal-Orjan Johansen, said: "A single dose of LSD has a significant beneficial effect on alcohol misuse."

They suggested that more regular doses might lead to a sustained benefit.

"Given the evidence for a beneficial effect of LSD on alcoholism, it is puzzling why this treatment approach has been largely overlooked," they added.

Prof David Nutt, who was sacked as the UK government's drugs adviser, has previously called for the laws around illegal drugs to be relaxed to enable more research.

He said: "Curing alcohol dependency requires huge changes in the way you see yourself. That's what LSD does.

"Overall there is a big effect, show me another treatment with results as good; we've missed a trick here.

"This is probably as good as anything we've got [for treating alcoholism]."

source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17297714

Dangers of LSD

During a trip the person may put themselves in danger without realising it such as thinking they can fly and trying to jump off a high building.
In some people, especially if LSD is taken in high doses, the drug can cause intense anxiety and panic attacks.
Some people experience flashbacks, reliving a bad trip weeks or even months after it happened.
In those already vulnerable, LSD may be the trigger for psychotic illness. Paranoia and other symptoms typical of schizophrenia may occur.

Boondoggle · #2 ● 03-11-2012, 06:35 PM

Interesting article, but I need to comment on this....

Originally Posted by güttsfükk ↗

Dangers of LSD

During a trip the person may put themselves in danger without realising it such as thinking they can fly and trying to jump off a high building.

So I've heard, but never have I encountered a credible, documented example. I think that's shit people made up in their Reefer Madness frenzy.

In some people, especially if LSD is taken in high doses, the drug can cause intense anxiety and panic attacks.

True, but rare, and they can be talked down. No big deal. It happened to my girlfriend when I was 17. She got over it and went on to do more LSD without harm.

Some people experience flashbacks, reliving a bad trip weeks or even months after it happened.

Again, so I've heard, but I have never encountered a single, documented example. I took LSD dozens and dozens of times in my youth, and so did many of my friends. None of this shit ever happened to a single one of us, or anyone we ever heard about. More bullshit from the Reefer Madness crowd.

In those already vulnerable, LSD may be the trigger for psychotic illness. Paranoia and other symptoms typical of schizophrenia may occur.

Now this IS true, and probably accounts for all the shit people claim about it. Give hallucinogenic drugs to crazy people and you get crazy behavior? Yeah, fucking duh.
[/QUOTE]

**kellyhound** · #3 ● 03-12-2012, 09:01 AM

spookypooky · #4 ● 03-12-2012, 09:13 AM

[QUOTE=Boondoggle;2769619]Interesting article, but I need to comment on this....

So I've heard, but never have I encountered a credible, documented example. I think that's shit people made up in their Reefer Madness frenzy.

Reefer madness can happen......Usually right after you find out your mom found and took the weed you hid under your matress..........

spycosis · #5 ● 03-15-2012, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Boondoggle ↗

Interesting article, but I need to comment on this....

So I've heard, but never have I encountered a credible, documented example. I think that's shit people made up in their Reefer Madness frenzy.

In some people, especially if LSD is taken in high doses, the drug can cause intense anxiety and panic attacks.

True, but rare, and they can be talked down. No big deal. It happened to my girlfriend when I was 17. She got over it and went on to do more LSD without harm.

Some people experience flashbacks, reliving a bad trip weeks or even months after it happened.

Again, so I've heard, but I have never encountered a single, documented example. I took LSD dozens and dozens of times in my youth, and so did many of my friends. None of this shit ever happened to a single one of us, or anyone we ever heard about. More bullshit from the Reefer Madness crowd.

In those already vulnerable, LSD may be the trigger for psychotic illness. Paranoia and other symptoms typical of schizophrenia may occur.

Now this IS true, and probably accounts for all the shit people claim about it. Give hallucinogenic drugs to crazy people and you get crazy behavior? Yeah, fucking duh.

I used a lot of LSD in my late teens. One time I was convinced I could fly ; all my friends tried to stop me, telling me it was impossible, but I refused to listen, and off I went, in a taxi to the airport. I was so high, that when I arrived there for the 2100hrs flight to London, I found I had forgotten my passport. My friends were right all along, and I constantly relive the horror of that day.
It was a tragic waste of the 12 pounds I spent on the taxi fare, and that is, I fear, something I will never get back.

LSD 'helps Alcoholics to Give Up Drinking'

Documenting Reality