Study Says LSD May Help Treat Alcoholism
NEW YORK (CBS NEWS) - Decades ago, researchers would examine LSD's effects on various health conditions including pain, anxiety and alcoholism. A new study suggests it might be time to revisit the mind-altering drug's therapeutic uses. The study found lysergic acid diethylamide, also known as acid, could help serious alcoholics sober up.
"Given the evidence for a beneficial effect of LSD on alcoholism, it is puzzling why this treatment approach has been largely overlooked," study author Pal-Orjan Johansen, a neuroscientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said in a written statement.
For the study, Norwegian researchers reviewed six different LSD studies that were conducted in the U.S. between 1966 and 1970, that examined the effects of LSD on 536 alcoholics. Some patients received a single dose of LSD, while patients who served as controls received a low dose of LSD, a stimulant drug, or nothing at all.
Researchers found nearly 60 percent of patients showed a clear improvement compared with 38 percent of the control group, and were less likely to relapse on alcohol.
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