Psychedelics Use Linked To Decreased Alcohol, Cocaine And Antidepressant Use, New Study Shows

This article was originally published on Microdose and appears here with permission.

A new study shows that psychedelic use was associated with a decreased use of other drugs and substances.

The research paper, entitled Changed Substance Use After Psychedelic Experiences Among Individuals in Canada showed that participants reported substantially decreasing or completely stopping alcohol, cocaine, or antidepressant usage.

Published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction and sponsored by Psygen Labs and MAPS PBC (Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies Public Benefit Corp), the study looked at data from a cross-sectional online survey of over 1600 adults. The participants self-reported a detailed questionnaire about their use of psychedelics and subsequent use of other substances.

Participants reported substantial changes, with 43.8% decreasing or ceasing alcohol use, 42.5% ceasing or decreasing antidepressant use, and 42.4% decreasing or ceasing cocaine use.

Participants reported that the reduction in their substance usage was due to changes in feelings after psychedelics, namely feeling less anxious and less depressed, as well as more connected to others, nature, and themselves.

While this is self-reported and without clinical controls — and needs to be replicated in a stricter setting — the sample size and consistency with results from similar studies make this another compelling data point in psychedelic medicine’s potential.