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Article
Publication date: 1 November 2004

Gary Hayes

Ibogaine is hailed as a miracle cure for addictions, with reports of up to 90% effectiveness, while others talk of violent reactions and an increased potential of overdose. In…

Abstract

Ibogaine is hailed as a miracle cure for addictions, with reports of up to 90% effectiveness, while others talk of violent reactions and an increased potential of overdose. In this overview, we look at its potential as a treatment for addictions. We talk to those who administer it and use it and ask why so little research has been carried out in the UK to establish its safety and uncover political and commercial reluctance to investigate its potential.

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 4 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Article
Publication date: 2 December 2010

Peter Brackenridge

Ibogaine therapy offers a viable alternative to mainstream treatment for opiate addiction. The combination of the addiction‐arresting and fast‐acting properties of ibogaine, with…

Abstract

Ibogaine therapy offers a viable alternative to mainstream treatment for opiate addiction. The combination of the addiction‐arresting and fast‐acting properties of ibogaine, with the slow and thoughtful conversation of psychoanalytical psychotherapy is a novel approach to what still remains a difficult condition to overcome.Safer than methadone, ibogaine use is steadily increasing world‐wide, and is becoming a more accepted treatment for opiate addiction. This year it has become a prescription medication in New Zealand. Howard Lotsof, who discovered the anti‐addictive properties of ibogaine 47 years ago, and who died in January 2010, devoted his life to improving access to ibogaine treatment, and instigated the first ibogaine providers' conference in Mexico in 2009.This paper explores the use of ibogaine and psychoanalytic psychotherapy in the clinic for the treatment of opiate dependency, the relationships between the two approaches, and how they differ from other treatment modalities.

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 June 2011

James Rodger

Existing treatments for alcohol and substance dependence are of limited efficacy and acceptability to users. Since such dependence is associated with high co‐morbidity and…

Abstract

Purpose

Existing treatments for alcohol and substance dependence are of limited efficacy and acceptability to users. Since such dependence is associated with high co‐morbidity and mortality rates, alternative treatments should be urgently evaluated. Ibogaine, a hallucinogenic alkaloid, derived from Tabernanthe Iboga, a plant unique to the rainforests of West Africa, is already associated with a large underground treatment scene. This paper aims to explore this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on the comparative ethnography of magicoreligious Iboga use in West Africa alongside contemporary accounts of ibogaine addiction treatment, and contextualizes these within the neurobiology and anthropology of addiction and treatment provision.

Findings

While the exotic otherness of ibogaine no doubt contributes to interest and hope, the impact of the medicine, not just on craving and withdrawal, but on the perceived acquisition of psycho‐spiritual insight, may validate such anticipation. Both West African and Western Ibogaine use are explored in the context of oppression, resistance and a re‐asserted morality. Successful ibogaine treatments appear to respect but transform existing subcultural meanings and identities, while promoting realism and psychosocial integration.

Practical implications

Existing treatment programmes might learn from the inherent critique of conventional treatment enacted in ibogaine treatment scenes.

Social implications

Lack of mainstream investment may partly reflect the cultural positioning of drug‐users (and of this drug‐class) yet the scale of underground ibogaine use demands urgent funding for research to optimise safety and further understanding/development.

Originality/value

An understanding of how addicts seeking ibogaine are culturally positioned, and position themselves, illuminates the specific attraction of ibogaine treatment for this group, and has important implications for practice, drug policy and treatment development.

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2004

Gary Hayes

Abstract

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 4 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2007

Casey Hardison

Casey Hardison was arrested in spring 2004 for the production of psychedelictype drugs ie. LSD, 2C‐B and DMT. In the three years since, not one person from ‘authority’ had…

Abstract

Casey Hardison was arrested in spring 2004 for the production of psychedelictype drugs ie. LSD, 2C‐B and DMT. In the three years since, not one person from ‘authority’ had bothered to ask him what motivated him to synthesise psychedelic drugs. It was as if the a priori assumption that ‘all illegal drugs are bad’ had provided the answer. Hence, the Judge asserted that Hardison did it for ‘that basest of human emotion, greed’ as though the psychospiritual benefits of an alchemical path dedicated to expanding consciousness and personal transformation, through insights integrated into action, upon which he had expounded at great lengths during trial, were some elaborate ‘portmanteau defence’, just some ruse to get him out of the dock. It was not, it was a committed stand for ‘cognitive liberty’ and for a world full of people who understand the fine line between alone and all one.

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2007

Hattie Wells

The debate concerning the religious use of psychoactive substances may seem an unlikely candidate for revival in the current prohibitionist climate. Drug consumption is far more…

Abstract

The debate concerning the religious use of psychoactive substances may seem an unlikely candidate for revival in the current prohibitionist climate. Drug consumption is far more likely to incite public concern over the harmful and habit forming properties of certain substances, than conjure up an enthusiasm born of the 1960s for their potential to produce a sincere mystical experience. However, the recent emergence of religious movements who consume plant hallucinogens as their sacrament, and the growth of drug tourism for the spiritually inclined, reflects a renaissance in the use of psychoactive plants and chemicals for spiritual inspiration. This trend presents a challenge to the way in which certain drugs are culturally and legally defined, and brings the concept of religious freedom into the sphere of drug policy.

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Content available

Abstract

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 August 2020

Jani Pestana, Franca Beccaria and Enrico Petrilli

The purpose of this paper is to investigate motives and modalities of psychedelic substance use in the psychonaut community that is hosted on the Reddit platform (r/psychonaut)…

18065

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate motives and modalities of psychedelic substance use in the psychonaut community that is hosted on the Reddit platform (r/psychonaut). Psychonauts are sometimes described as responsible drug users. Elements of responsible use include sharing stories, advice and experiences, reagent testing substances, proper dosing and education on harm reduction and its practical implication. Investigating psychonauts’ substance use can highlight what responsible use means for them and could inform best practices for psychedelic use.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative content analysis of posts and comments on the r/psychonaut subreddit was completed. In total, 350 posts were investigated. A combination of deductive and inductive methods was used to both structure the research and to allow room for novel information. To investigate participant’s motives, this combination was used to both collect and analyse the data. To examine modalities, concepts and keywords were formed out of the collected data and then analysed.

Findings

Motives for use ranged from self-knowledge, self-investigation and self-medication to increasing artistic expression, curiosity and recreation. Concerning modalities, the respondents put a high emphasis on preparation, set and setting, integration, dosage and gathering and sharing information through research, articles and trip reports. These features are identified in the literature as elements of responsible drug use. This investigation can help by unearthing best practices already in use by the community to inform the bourgeoning movement of psychedelic substance use – both in a medical and self-reflexive setting.

Originality/value

This paper is framed in the context of paucity of the academic literature on people taking psychedelic substances in Western society in non-rave and non-medical settings, with findings that indicate important change happening in the psychonaut subculture.

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2010

Cameron Adams

Psychedelic drugs have been miscategorised in the UK and the US as being among the most harmful and warranting no medical investigation. Likewise, users of psychedelic drugs are…

Abstract

Psychedelic drugs have been miscategorised in the UK and the US as being among the most harmful and warranting no medical investigation. Likewise, users of psychedelic drugs are falsely stereotyped as disorganised and delusional. Conversely, psychedelics have been used by leaders in a number of fields to aid creative problem‐solving. This may be due to the psychedelic substances aiding dissolution of cognitive boundaries and temporarily allowing the individual to escape their reality tunnel. This aid to problem‐solving may be just what we need to solve the complex problems facing us today.

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

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