Many people are aware of the recent resurgence of interest in psychedelics, from new studies in depression to Prince Harry’s use to deal with his psychological problems. What is less well-known is that psychedelics are now being used to treat addiction, especially alcoholism. And that has a long history.
In 1933, the founder of AA, Bill Wilson, achieved his abstinence as a result of a psychedelic experience, and when LSD was made available for research in the Fifties, he helped persuade the US government to fund six trials in alcoholism. These revealed that just one or two LSD doses as part of a traditional abstinence-based programme doubled the outcomes. This effect lasted for many months and was much greater than any subsequent medicine developed for alcoholism.
