LSD 'helps alcoholics to give up drinking'

image captionCould LSD be used to treat alcoholism?


A study, presented in theJournal of Psychopharmacology, looked at data from six trials and more than 500 patients.



LSD is a class A drug in the UK and is one of the most powerful hallucinogens ever identified. It changes the way serotonin - which affects perception, behaviour, hunger and mood - works in the brain.






The report's authors, Teri Krebs and Pal-Orjan Johansen, said: "A single dose of LSD has a significant beneficial effect on alcohol misuse."


"Given the evidence for a beneficial effect of LSD on alcoholism, it is puzzling why this treatment approach has been largely overlooked," they added.


He said: "Curing alcohol dependency requires huge changes in the way you see yourself. That's what LSD does.


"This is probably as good as anything we've got [for treating alcoholism]."

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