A Compound That May Help Heavy Drinkers Quit

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According to a recent study, psilocybin, a compound included in psychedelic mushrooms, may aid heavy drinkers in reducing their intake or quitting alcohol completely. According to Fred Barrett, a Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist, the new study—which was published in JAMA Psychiatry—is "the first contemporary, rigorous, controlled trial" of whether psilocybin can succor patients who are battling with alcohol use.

In the experiment, 93 patients relaxed on a couch with their eyes closed and listened to recorded music while taking a tablet containing psilocybin or fake medication. Patients using psilocybin performed better than the control group during the eight months following their inceptive dosage session, engaging in heavy drinking on about 1 out of 10 days on average as opposed to roughly 1 out of 4 days for the group taking sham pills. Patients taking psilocybin experienced more headaches, nausea, and anxiety than those receiving a dummy, though. Although the exact mechanisms of psilocybin's effects on the brain are unprecedented, it is thought to enhance connections and, at least temporarily, alter how the brain organizes itself. According to Dr. Michael Bogenschutz, director of the NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine, who oversaw the study, "more parts of the brain are talking to more parts of the brain."

The potential longevity of those linkages is less well understood. Theoretically, those getting psilocybin therapy may be more able to break harmful behaviors and take on new stances when paired with talk therapy. Psilocybin has to be studied extensively, according to Dr. Mark Willenbring, who previously oversaw the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's treatment research division. Both groups benefited from talking to a therapist, he observed, and the additional benefit of psilocybin appeared to fade over time. Psilocybin is currently illegal in the US, where there are only three medications approved to treat alcohol use disorder.