Trying to shake that nasty smoking habit? Don’t trip. Or, maybe you should trip. Literally. But only under scientific supervision.
Psilocybin, the active hallucinogenic in so-called magic mushrooms, could possibly help longtime smokers shake the habit, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins, although it’s not yet clear why or how.
Participants in the study were simultaneously enrolled into a cognitive behavioral therapy program, so it’s probably not wise to put those kind of mushrooms on your pizza just yet. The study was published in the the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
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It’s not just nicotine, either – psilocbyin shows good potential to treat other substance abuse disorders, but the Johns Hopkins study says more research is needed before any definitive conclusions can be drawn about the psychedelic being used as a treatment.
The study enrolled 15 full-time smokers – 10 men and five women – who’ve been smoking, on average, a pack a day for 30 years. The median age was about 50. Participants also had tried in the past to quit at least six times.
Initially, they were given a moderate dose, a 20 mg pill, of the psilocybin. That was gradually increased over two sessions spread over two months to 30 mg pills. The participants were closely monitored in home-like settings, and received one-on-one counseling.
Six months later, 80 percent of the group had refrained from smoking – a far higher average than other treatments like nicotine replacement therapies, which have about a 30 percent success rate. Mainstream superscription drugs like Chantix and Varenicline have a success rate of about 35 percent.
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The cessation in smoking as it relates to psilocybin can be just as much about behavioral health as it is about chemical dependence, according to the study’s lead author, Matthew Johnson.
“Quitting smoking isn’t a simple biological reaction to psilocybin, as with other medications that directly affect nicotine receptors,” Johnson said in a statement. “When administered after careful preparation and in therapeutic context, psilocybin can lead to deep reflection about one’s life and spark motivation to change.”
The study also says psilocybin should be applied alongside other cessation techniques. Further study is needed, given that the recent study was a pilot project with no control group.
The next study will compare smoking success rates for people who take psilocybin to those who use nicotine patches. MRI scans of the brain will also be utilized.
So, in the meantime, even if you smoke, don’t trip.
