LSD Treatment For Alchoholism Gets New Look

[23smooches]

LSD Treatment For Alcoholism Gets New Look
ScienceDaily (Oct. 9, 2006) — For the past five years, Dr. Erika Dyck has been unearthing some intriguing facts related to a group of pioneering psychiatrists who worked in Saskatchewan, Canada in the '50s and '60s.

Among other things, the University of Alberta history of medicine professor has found records of the psychiatrists' research that indicate a single dose of the hallucinogenic drug LSD, provided in a clinical, nurturing environment, can be an effective treatment for alcoholism.
Her findings are published this month in the journal Social History of Medicine.
After perceiving similarities in the experiences of people on LSD and people going through delirium tremens, the psychiatrists undertook a series of experiments. They noted that delirium tremens, also know as DTs, often marked a "rock bottom" or turning point in the behavior of alcoholics, and they felt LSD may be able to trigger such a turnaround without engendering the painful physical effects associated with DTs.
As it turns out, they were largely correct.
"The LSD somehow gave these people experiences that psychologically took them outside of themselves and allowed them to see their own unhealthy behavior more objectively, and then determine to change it," said Dyck, who read the researchers' published and private papers and recently interviewed some of the patients involved in the original studies--many of whom had not had a sip of alcohol since their single LSD experience 40 years earlier.
According to one study conducted in 1962, 65 per cent of the alcoholics in the experiment stopped drinking for at least a year-and-a-half (the duration of the study) after taking one dose of LSD. The controlled trial also concluded that less than 25 per cent of alcoholics quit drinking for the same period after receiving group therapy, and less than 12 per cent quit in response to traditional psychotherapy techniques commonly used at that time.
Published in the Quarterly Journal for Studies on Alcohol, the 1962 study was received with much skepticism. One research group in Toronto tried to replicate the results of the study, but wanted to observe the effect of LSD on the patients in isolation, so they blindfolded or tied up the patients before giving them the drug. Under such circumstances, the Toronto researchers determined LSD was not effective in treating alcoholism.
The Saskatchewan group argued that the drug needed to be provided in a nurturing environment to be effective. However, the Toronto researchers held more credibility than the Saskatchewan researchers--who were led by a controversial, British psychiatrist, Dr. Humphry Osmond--and the Saskatchewan group's research was essentially buried.
But Dyck believes there is value in the Saskatchewan group's experiments.
"The LSD experience appeared to allow the patients to go through a spiritual journey that ultimately empowered them to heal themselves, and that's really quite an amazing therapy regimen," Dyck said. "Even interviewing the patients 40 years after their experience, I was surprised at how loyal they were to the doctors who treated them, and how powerful they said the experience was for them--some even felt the experience saved their lives."
In spite of the promise LSD showed as psychotherapy tool, its subsequent popularity as a street drug, and the perception of it as a threat to public safety, triggered a worldwide ban in the late 1960s--including its use in medical experiments. However, the ban on its use in medical experiments appears to be lifting, Dyck noted. A few groups of researchers in the U.S., including a team at Harvard, have recently been granted permission to conduct experiments with LSD.
"We accept all sorts of drugs, but I think LSD's 'street' popularity ultimately led to its demise," Dyck said. "And that's too bad, because I think the researchers in Saskatchewan, among others, showed the drug is unique and has some intriguing properties that need to be explored further."

[Jatelka]

And there's a fascinating article in the archive by Dr Dyck, here...

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...1172&catid=117

Which this article seems to be based on.

I wonder why it's hitting the news now? Could it be a sign of greater public interest in, and acceptance of psychedelics as medicines?

For those that are interested in the history of psychedelic research generally, there are a few other bits and pieces...

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...=202&catid=117

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...1877&catid=117

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...2101&catid=113

[Panthers007]

And I believe it was Humphrey Osmond, who also coined the phrase 'psychedelic', who began the work with alcoholics and LSD-25 in the 1950's.

"To fathom hell or soar angelic, just take a pinch of psychedelic." - H. Osmond

[bcubed]

It might interest those who don't know that Bill Wilson, co-founder of AA, tripped on LSD repeatedly about the same time as the original experiments mentioned here, and became sold on its use on alcoholics.

What happened afterwards is, IMO, one of the true "failures of leadership" in American history. Rather than use its significant social standing to push for open-minded treatment for alcoholics, the AA brass stayed coolly neutral, even censuring Bill for "having an opinion on an outside issue" (as if alcoholism treatment methodology was somehow "outside" the scope of AA!)

Even today (well, five years ago), this is a "skeleton in the closet" for much of AA, whose brass (from personal conversation) said Bill's "drug use" was OK as it was sanctioned by a doctor! (I.E. don't you dare use acid unless you find a doc to "write" for you, lol). When I strenuously objected that this stance was effectively empowering MDs with the power to change the pharmalogical profile of a substance (thus making them a quasi-"Higher Power,") I was rebuffed.

I'm convinced that, had AA brass put principles first and status of its founders (and--by extension--themselves) second, I'm pretty sure we'd have medical use of psychadelics legal and prevalent.

[Waffa]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a11t5NXaOQI "Dr. Steven Knope debates Andrew Weil on integrative medicine theories, techniques, and the use of LSD for medical treatment."

[1108]

LSD has been shown to be very effective at treating alcoholism (~50% compared to ~10% for AA), so why isn't it talked about more here?

I would have thought that a group of people that aren't scared by 'drugs' to recognize psychedelics as the way to treat addiction and have a FAQ/step by step guide on how to do it.

Why isn't there more interest even here?

[sandoz1943]

It's about time the previous research has proven LSD can be a powerful tool in treating alchololism. Nice to see MDMA being used in therapy again. SWIM hopes that with more people being exposed to some of the good that can be done they might reconsider some of the absolute garbage the media and powers that be have told them about drugs.