Alcohol is the most widely accepted drug on earth – and also one of the most fatal.
Every year, alcohol directly results in the deaths of thousands of Canadians, not including fatalities from indirect causes.
For instance, consuming as few as three alcoholic drinks per week can greatly raise the risk of cancer, a leading cause of death.
In a society where having a few beers or a glass of wine socially or as a “wind-down” from your day is normalized, the impacts on people’s health are likely catastrophic.
Health Impacts of Alcohol
Observing someone struggling with alcoholism reveals effects that are profoundly debilitating, not just for the individual but also for their loved ones.
It’s a widespread issue, as 1 in 5 Canadians will meet the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence at some point in their lives.
This statistic means many of us are either directly affected by alcoholism or know someone who is.
The consequences of alcohol misuse extend beyond personal suffering.
Every year, the financial burden of alcohol-related harms on Canadians amounts to tens of billions of dollars in expenditures, surpassing the costs associated with tobacco, cannabis, opioids, or any other substances.
“Alcohol and tobacco use contributed 89% of the 277,060 hospital admissions and 76% of the 751,356 years of life lost due to substance use in 2017,” says Dr. Tim Stockwell, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR).
“More effective policies are urgently required in order to achieve effective harm reduction for these two widely used legal substances,” added Stockwell.
The University of Calgary is currently conducting a study of a treatment that has the potential to drastically reduce the harms of alcoholism.
The interesting thing about the treatment program is its utilization of a substance that is far more societally demonized than alcohol.
The substance? Psilocybin, more commonly referred to as “Magic Mushrooms.”
Magic Treatment?
Psilocybin is the active compound that gives the psychoactive mushrooms, often known as “Shrooms,” their “magical” qualities.
The idea of using psychedelics to treat mental or addiction disorders is not new.
However, the studies demonstrating their purportedly beneficial effects are few and far between and often anecdotal.
The University of Calgary study, led by Dr. Leah Mayo, Ph.D.and Parker Chair in Psychedelics at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), will be conducted using 128 people diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
It will be one of the first studies to hopefully find some conclusive evidence to either support or disprove psychedelics being an effective treatment method for alcohol addiction.
“Our study will help determine whether psilocybin combined with motivational enhancement therapy is a clinically feasible treatment for alcohol use disorder,” said Dr. Mayo. “We need to have scientific evidence about whether psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is an effective intervention.”
Structured Therapy
Participants will work with a specially trained therapist to support them throughout the trial.
Structured therapy sessions will be conducted before and after each psilocybin treatment. The primary goal will be determining if a brief but intense therapeutic experience is enough to instigate change.
“Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is something that is widely talked about, but not everyone agrees on what it means. This is particularly true for the ‘psychotherapy’ component,” said Mayo.
“We want to start with psychotherapy, which is effective on its own for some in this population, and then determine if adding psilocybin will improve the effectiveness of treatment.”
Co-principal investigator Dr. David Hodgins, PhD, will be training the therapists involved in the study.
“It’s important to collect solid and rigorous information on the use of psychedelic therapy,” says Hodgins, a psychologist and member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the CSM.
“Alcohol use disorder is complex. There isn’t one “magic” bullet that will be helpful for everyone. I’m interested in discovering whether this combination therapy could be an effective treatment for some.”
Indeed, there’s no expectation for the treatment to be like waving a “magical” wand.
However, if the study demonstrates even a slight improvement, it could instate a drastic change in the way we approach treating alcoholism.
Not only could it change the treatment of alcoholism, it could also alter Canadian’s perception of both these substances.
Suppose the currently illegal hallucinogen is found to be an effective treatment. In that case, it’ll be an interesting opportunity to examine the boundaries of what substances we legally deem to be a benefit versus a hurt to Canadians.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, scientific research is quickly debunking our casual attitude towards alcohol.
We’ll see if our current legislation around mushrooms remains strong after the results of studies come to light or if it starts to fray at the edges.
