For a long time, we've known that the treatment options for addressing mental health and substance use disorders are not highly effective. Pharmaceuticals may help some in the short run, but may have significant side effects and were never intended to be used continuously for years.
 
Addiction recovery typically requires a multi-layered approach. In many cases, ongoing therapy, maintenance medications, and intentional support systems are essential to successful recovery.
 
What is a successful recovery though? Each individual's recovery will be unique to their mental health needs and circumstances. Treatment centers for addiction recovery in general have shown only marginal success. On average, individuals experiencing addiction may need to return to treatment an average of 6 attempts, though some require many more. 
 
The latest research is revealing more promising evidence for treating substance use disorder (SUD). Surprise, it is psychedelics. For alcohol use disorder in particular, psilocybin and ketamine are leading the race, with psilocybin pulling out front for effectively reducing or even eliminating the desire for alcohol. 
 
Shortly after I'd begun exploring the therapeutic use of psilocybin in 2020, I noticed a complete lack of desire for alcohol. The allure simply faded. For more than a decade before my pivotal relationship with magic mushrooms, my daily evening ritual involved drinking a glass of wine. I feel a new sense of personal empowerment and freedom I didn't know was possible.
 
Eddie and I have witnessed incredible results in some of the clients we've mentored, including total abstinence from alcohol use after one macro-dose psilocybin journey. We don't fully understand how it works but we see that the results are sustainable and change lives for the better.