Psychedelic ingredient ‘Magic Mushroom’ could help treat alcohol addiction | Smart news

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Magic mushrooms are still illegal in the United States for recreational use, but researchers have tested psilocybin as a treatment for various mental illnesses.
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New research reveals that the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, in combination with talk therapy, could be a promising treatment for people with alcohol addiction.

In a study published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry, scientists found that patients who took this drug, called psilocybin, had an 83 percent drop in binge drinking, while those who took a placebo experienced a 51 percent drop. .

“These are exciting results,” explains Dr. Michael Bogenschutz, principal investigator of the study and director of New York University’s Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine, Andrew Jacobs of the New York Times. “Alcohol use disorder is a serious public health problem, and the effects of currently available treatments and medications tend to be small.”

Nearly 15 million people age 12 and older have an alcohol use disorder, the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found. Each year, more than 140,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, making alcohol the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

Despite this, the country has approved only three conventional drugs to treat alcohol use disorder, writes Carla K. Johnson for the Associated Press, and no new drugs have been approved in the past 20 years.

The dosing room where patients received their drug treatment

NYU Langone Health

In the new study, 93 patients participated in two medication sessions separated by four weeks. Each participant received either psilocybin or a placebo without being told which they received. During their sessions, they were “encouraged to lie on a sofa with shades and headphones that provided a standardized playlist of music,” the authors write. Patients also had 12 sessions of psychotherapy: four before receiving any medication, four between treatments, and four after both doses.

About half of those who received psilocybin stopped drinking completely eight months after their first dose, while about 24 percent of the placebo group stopped drinking.

“Alcoholism is difficult to treat, so any success is noteworthy,” Boris Heifets, who studies psychedelics at Stanford and was not involved in the research, told STAT News’ Olivia Goldhill.

Scientists don’t know exactly how psilocybin affects the brain, but some say it can help increase connections or change the way the brain is organized, allowing users to find new ways to deal with their illness, according to the Times.

Participant Jon Kostas says the treatment saved his life.

NYU Langone Health

One participant, Mary Beth Orr, tells the AP that before the study, she would have five or six drinks each night and more on the weekends. After treatment, he stopped drinking completely for two years, and now has an occasional glass of wine. And it credits psilocybin more than therapy, according to the publication.

“It made alcohol irrelevant and uninteresting to me,” Orr tells the AP. “I am attached to my children and loved ones in a way that only prevents the desire to be alone with alcohol.”

However, the research had one major limitation: due to the remarkable effects of psychedelics, most participants were able to guess which treatment they received. Orr reported flying over landscapes, seeing his late father and telepathically merging with historical figures, according to the AP.

Next year, researchers will begin a multisite trial with more than 200 participants, the largest study of psilocybin treatment for alcohol use disorder to date, the Times writes. Based on the results of the trial, they hope to seek Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment, which has so far shown promise.

“It definitely affected my life, and I would say it saved my life,” study participant Jon Kostas tells STAT. “My high expectations were to be able to manage my cravings. This exceeded that. It took away my cravings.”

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Most people with alcohol and drug addictions survive: NPR

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Anna Mable-Jones, 56, lost a decade to cocaine addiction. Now an owner, she started a small business and says life is “amazing.” Walter Ray Watson/NPR hide caption

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Anna Mable-Jones, 56, lost a decade to cocaine addiction. Now an owner, she started a small business and says life is “amazing.”

Walter Ray Watson/NPR

The United States is facing an unprecedented increase in drug-related deaths, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting another grim milestone this week.

In a single 12-month period, fatal overdoses claimed 101,623 lives.

But researchers and drug policy experts say the heavy toll hides an important and hopeful fact: Most Americans who experience alcohol and drug addiction survive.

They recover and go on to live full and healthy lives.

“This is really good news, I think it’s something to share and be hopeful about,” said Dr. John Kelly, who teaches addiction medicine at Harvard Medical School and directs the Recovery Research Institute. of Massachusetts General Hospital.

Kelly co-authored a peer-reviewed study published last year that found that approximately 22.3 million Americans, more than 9 percent of adults, are living in recovery from some form of substance use disorder. substances

A separate study published by the CDC and the National Institute on Drug Abuse in 2020 found that 3 out of 4 people who experience addiction recover.

“That’s a huge, you know, 75 percent,” Kelly said. “I think it goes against our cultural perception that people never get better.”

Life after addiction is not only possible. It’s the norm

Americans often see the more destructive side of addiction, drug crime, people stuck in doorways, and family members spiraling down.

Less visible are the people who survive the disease and rebuild their lives.

“We are literally surrounded by people who are in substance use disorder recovery, but we don’t know it,” Kelly said.

Anna Mable-Jones of Laurel, Md., is one such success story. In college, he began experimenting with crack cocaine.

“That just sent me into a total downward spiral,” the now 56-year-old said.

Mable-Jones lost a decade to addiction, entering rehab and relapsing repeatedly. It was a terrifying time for her and her family.

“My mother [started] calling funeral homes,” he recalled. “She would call my sister and say … ‘I haven’t heard from Anna.’ “

But in a pattern researchers say is common, Mable-Jones’ disease eventually went into remission. He found a treatment that worked and has been drug-free for over 20 years.

“Things that I thought I would never win again, through the recovery process I have them all,” he said. “Today I am an owner, I have a car, I started my own business.”

A person in drug addiction recovery looks on from a substance abuse treatment center in Westborough, Massachusetts. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption

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A person in drug addiction recovery looks on from a substance abuse treatment center in Westborough, Massachusetts.

John Moore/Getty Images

Addiction is hard to beat, and that leads to stigma

Researchers say this data, and this lived experience, contradicts a widespread misperception that substance use disorder is a permanent and often fatal condition.

While tragic, the 100,000 fatal drug overdoses last year claimed the lives of a small percentage of the 31.9 million Americans who use illegal drugs.

Similarly, the approximately 95,000 deaths each year in the US attributed to alcohol represent a fraction of high-risk drinkers.

So why is this disease often characterized as incurable and hopeless?

Recovery experts say one reason is that addiction is excruciating and difficult to treat.

“Hopeless desperation, that’s a good way to describe it,” said Travis Rasco, 34, who lives in Plattsburgh, a small industrial town in upstate New York.

“I wanted to quit, I just couldn’t,” she said, describing her decade-long struggle with heroin.

Travis Rasco used heroin for a decade. He has now been drug free for four years, has a career, a wife and a baby. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption

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Travis Rasco used heroin for a decade. He has now been drug free for four years, has a career, a wife and a baby.

Brian Mann/NPR

Rasco relapsed again and again, causing enormous pain to his family. “I didn’t want to be that person, but I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

Studies show that people usually recover, but as with Rasco and Mable-Jones, the process happens slowly after multiple relapses.

It usually takes eight years or more to achieve long-term remission, even with high-quality treatment and medical care.

Rasco was working two jobs to feed his heroin habit when he finally found a way forward in 2018.

“I had quite a long ambulance ride [after an overdose] and something happened in that ambulance,” he said, describing an emotional pivot that felt different: “This is not the way to live.”

He was also able to convince his insurance company to pay for long-term treatment.

“They fought to keep just me [rehab] for 14 days; they didn’t want to pay 30, and I knew it wasn’t enough,” Rasco recalled. “They didn’t want to put me in a halfway house. I knew I needed a halfway house.”

This time it worked. He has now been drug free for almost four years, is married and has a baby.

“We’re trying to buy a house right now. Something I never thought would be possible, something I never thought I deserved for a long time,” Rasco said.

After healing, a better life

Recovery rates are not the same for all people. There are big differences in how the body and brain respond to alcohol and different drugs.

Studies also show that racial bias makes it harder for black and Hispanic Americans to find treatment. People in rural areas tend to have less access to health care.

Meanwhile, those with more financial resources or milder forms of addiction often recover faster.

But even people who use harder drugs for long periods usually recover.

“That 75% number. [of people who achieve remission] obviously includes people on the more severe end of the spectrum,” said Dr. David Eddie, co-author of the study on recovery success and also teaches at Harvard Medical School. “So there is absolutely hope “.

In fact, most people don’t just survive addiction. Research suggests that they often thrive in long-term recovery, reconnect with family, and enjoy financial success.

“They end up achieving things they wouldn’t have achieved if they hadn’t gone through the hell of addiction,” Eddie said.

The researchers say these hopeful findings are significant because they may inspire people to keep trying for recovery even after suffering multiple relapses.

“That can be a hard thing to deal with,” Eddie said. “How do you keep getting on the horse after repeated failed attempts?”

Is fentanyl a game changer?

People walk past an East Harlem health clinic that offers free needles and other services to drug users in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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People walk past an East Harlem health clinic that offers free needles and other services to drug users in New York.

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A troubling question is whether this pattern, multiple relapses leading to eventual recovery, will continue now that more street drugs are tainted with the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.

“It’s killing them on the first try,” Anna Mable-Jones said. “He’s not giving them enough tries, like maybe I’ve had.”

Some communities are trying to help, providing active drug users with clean needles and making the overdose reversal drug Narcan more widely available.

New York City recently opened the nation’s first official safe drinking clinics, where people with substance use disorders can use drugs under medical supervision.

Eddie said his research suggests more needs to be done to keep people alive while the healing process works.

“No one recovered from addiction died. My feeling is that if we can keep people alive long enough, we know that eventually most recover,” he said.

Travis Rasco, of upstate New York, says he’s thankful he’s had enough time, enough opportunities and enough help to rebuild his life.

“I have all the good things in life that everyone talks about,” he said. “I’m worthy of that too. Once you get to that place it’s pretty liberating.”

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Press releases | Yolo County

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Ms. Davis graduates from Addiction Intervention Court

For immediate release

Madison York

Head of Public Information

Madison.York@yolocounty.org

(Woodland, CA) – On October 27, 2022, a 24-year-old Davis woman successfully graduated from Addiction Intervention Court (AIC) in Yolo County. While she felt it was important for her story to be told, she asked to remain anonymous because of the stigma attached to people living with substance use disorders. She will be known as Barbara Fermin. Fermin had been attending AIC for almost three years before graduating. Members of the AIC team, along with Fermín’s mother, were present for the graduation.

The Addiction Intervention Court (AIC) is a specialized court program that serves up to 30 people who struggle with substance use disorders and are involved in the criminal justice system as a result of their addiction. The program is a collaborative effort made up of the Yolo County Public Defender’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, the Yolo County Superior Court, the Probation Department and the Agency for Human and Health (HHSA). The program provides intensive support and supervision services aimed at increasing a participant’s overall quality of life while reducing recidivism. AIC is an 18-24 month program.

In September 2019, Fermin was in prison for possession of heroin. The judge agreed to release her for a doctor’s appointment if she promised to return to prison after the appointment. Fermí agreed but never returned to prison. After a warrant was issued for her arrest, she was arrested again in mid-October, facing a new charge of “Felony Escape from Jail.” Supervising Assistant District Attorney Chris Bulkeley had numerous lengthy conversations with Fermin’s mother about what could be done to help Fermin, then 21 years old. In late October 2019, Bulkeley had discussions with HHSA staff and Fermin’s attorney to refer Fermin to AIC. They all agreed and, at the beginning of November, Fermín was referred to the AIC.

On January 21, 2020, Fermin was in court for his first AIC appearance. For the next 13 months, Fermin struggled with his addiction and relapsed on numerous occasions. The team was very close to sending her off the show and the members were not optimistic about her success. But Fermin kept trying and on April 15, 2021, Fermin was placed in a residential treatment facility in El Dorado County called Progress House. For the first time in a long time, Fermí got sober and began to flourish. AIC’s progress notes over the next 16 months included statements such as ‘doing very well’, ‘doing very well’ and ‘always amazing and fantastic’.

Prior to AIC graduation, participants are required to write an essay about their AIC experience. At Fermin’s, he stated, “I hear a lot of people say until you’re really ready, you’re never going to get clean, and maybe that’s true for some people, but honestly, I don’t know if I’d ever feel that way. 100% ready, thankfully for me the courts in Yolo County and the AIC gave me no choice.”

At the graduation, the members of the AIC team congratulated Fermín and told her how proud they were of her. Speakers included AIC Judge Tom Dyer, Assistant Public Defender Bret Bandley, Assistant Probation Officer Guillaume Denoix, HHSA Case Managers Terri Lipelt and Amanda Narvaez, and representatives of the prosecutors of district Chris Bulkeley and Jonathan Raven. The last speaker before Fermí was Fermí’s mother, who described Fermí’s inner strength and praised her for her ability to persevere and achieve this success. Finally, Fermí spoke and thanked the team for all their support and effort. The AIC team and participants celebrated on the court with a pizza and cake party. Fermin declared: “I’m lucky to be alive. If I used it today, I’d be dead. People don’t use heroin anymore; now it’s about the fentanyl that kills you.”

Currently, Fermin is on staff at Progress House, where she helps those who, like her, live with substance use disorders. When asked if she was going to celebrate her graduation tonight, she said: “No, I’m working. I did a shift change because the Progress House staff needed help.” For the next year, Fermin will participate in the AIC alumni program, where he will support current AIC participants and attend events with other AIC graduates. Judge Dyer scheduled a court date for October 20, 2023, at which time all charges against Fermin will be dismissed and he will have a clean record.

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