New research finds promise for the psychedelic drug
by Bogenschutz and some of the same researchers found that psilocybin combined with talk therapy can help people stop smoking. Last year, the team received the first federal grant for a psychedelic treatment in over 50 years to expand that research with a three-year,Psilocybin’s effectiveness may have to do with how it affects the brain, says Bogenschutz. Research suggests that psilocybin promotes neuroplasticity, which allows people to change the way they think and behave.
The study also didn’t include the full range of people who could benefit from psilocybin-assisted treatment. Bogenschutz noted that on average, participants tended to have less severe drinking intensity than people who typically join clinical trials for the condition.
However, Bogenschutz says it’s possible that patients with more severe disease might benefit even more from the treatment, especially if psilocybin can address the problems that underlie not only alcohol use disorder, but also mental-health issues like, and even other kinds of substance use disorders. “People with co-occurring disorders and addictions might be an ideal population for this kind of treatment, because they might be able to benefit simultaneously for both disorders,” he says.