So, as I imagine, most of you know somebody or are close to somebody that has a problem with addiction. Whether it be alcohol, opiates, sleep aids(can be addictive), or even addicted to material things or even sex.

Well, SWIM has been working with psychedelics for quite some time now and he has tried using them to help 'cure' addiction. Now 'cure' might seem like too strong of a word but what he has found is that they DO help. One way they help is by showing the person that is addicted to something, that they are addicted to something! This can be a huge breakthrough for many people. Another way they can help is by showing the person what they have been doing to their bodies. It shows them the damage they have caused to their friends and family and also their own lives. This can be a very traumatic experience and it's best to have some loving support for when they break. Because it is like being broken. Psychedelics break down your beliefs and views into little segments so that you can view them individually. This is not very easy to somebody that is suffering anyway.

Another thing that some psychedelics do to help addiction is show the person what a GREAT drug can actually do. SWIM has seen this with heroin addicts. They need to be in a state of mind where they DO want to stop. It doesn't really help when they could care less. But, SWIM has seen heroin addicts take one hit of DMT and they come back feeling reborn or free from their addiction. Now it's very difficult to hold onto that feeling sometimes and it's also easy for them to fall right back into their habit if they aren't careful. He has heard one person say that they have felt like it cured them of their addiction. In the sense that they know they don't need to do it anymore. Because they have been shown something so precious and beautiful that it would be a shame to fall back into it.

AND on top of that, vaporized DMT is probably one of the most euphoric(sometimes) and intense experience that most people will ever go through in their lives. So, why go back to doing junk?

Psychedelics can really help many people see who they really are and show them how they don't want to live their lives. It's hard to break an addiction but it's something worth doing. It won't happen over night every time but it can in some cases.

Another interesting thing is that there are MANY herbs that you can use that will help quench addictions and withdrawal symptoms. Most of these herbs you will never hear about, but I have been searching for them for years and have finally found some that might help, even if its just a little bit. The point is, psychedelics can only do so much for addicts, there also needs to be follow ups and support for them. And if they are still having a really hard time, there are herbs that can help ease their path.

So, I would like to hear about anything any of you have found that can help addiction, whether it be herbs, psychedelics, hypnosis, or ANYTHING.

So go crazy and I will post some of my finds as well.

Iboga, Iboga, Iboga!!!!!!! NUFF SAID!!!!

iboga would be wonderful..but those people in the states may have a hard time getting it...i suppose they could just go to canada for it..

Iboga is no joke.

I believe in it's theraputic and healing powers but it is HIGHLY toxic and should be done with experienced practioners that devote themselves to helping addicts w/ this ethneogen and also have a medical staff present.

You can argue that the Bwiti tribe takes it w/out this type of setting but they have been using that root for a long time and are already initiates.

There are also ayahuasca clinics in peru and brazil (takawasi being one)where they treat addiction as a spiritual disease and supposedly w/ very good results.

The first thing any addict has to accept before there can be any progress is....that they are an addict and that life has become unmanigeable as a result of there drug use and they are willing to do whetever it takes to change there lives.

I believe ethneogens can be a very powerfool tool to help battle addiction but that is all it is.... a tool.

Infact Dr.Rick Strassman (cottonwood research) is working on a project that will try and prove the theraputic advantages of using aya to help addicts in the united states but he is stiil working all the logistics out and he wont be ready to take on volunteers for a few yrs.

Iboga is definately an option with proven results but...i cannot stress the fact that it should be done in a contolled environment for the safety of the sick addict.

Considering the practices of Ibogaine and Ayahuasca..

In this day and age, the only thing we need to fix is our own individual surroundings. There's no need for a doctor or shamanic rituals to 'guide' you into the deep end. The mind and spirit is all you need to further progress the psyche into your own understanding of life. Because if that part of the consciousness is lost than its not worth expanding your lifestyle into something so revealing that its almost too clear of a path.

Although I would advocate that many drugs such as opiates, amphetamines, etc. do have their benefits, the repercussions of addiction is over the boundaries of loosing insight into the future.

My experiences with ayahuasca &well, even mushrooms (Minus the rotten ones :roll have definitely settled the rush into something much more valuable. It's enough satisfaction to forget the mistakes and just think fully into what needs to be done. Forget the ego, protect your mind, and rock the intel into what needs to be done. Because for some reason, I feel pulled to the onset of creation and the global consciousness.

There's no need to do all the white stuff in the world...
Everything green is stable and sterile enough.
We just have to protect it with our own values.

Iboga is good shit. Many would frown on this but a friend of mine took it unsupervised at a relatively high dose. It was more out of curiosity than anything else and he is quite accustomed to taking substances alone. Long story short he spent 12 hours in bed thinking about how good his childhood was, how lucky he was to have his loved ones and had a general feeling of well-being that lasted for around 2 weeks. He now takes nothing for granted and realizes he has a pretty good life.

That's a bit off topic but this prooved to my friend that Iboga is the number 1 soul searcher and gives one insight to oneself like no other drug that my friend has tried.

Unquestionably.

I believe in the therapeutic and healing aspects of psychedelics. Before psychedelics became taboo there was some research being done with this concept... It's truly sad that there is such a lack in proper psychedelic research. We've wasted the last 40 years in this regard. Imagine what we could have discovered about the healing properties of psychedelics in that time frame.

Here's a thread that I started on another forum a few months ago when SWIM was trying to stop binge drinking. It has some good suggestions for if you need to give up the sauce but aren't ready to stop partying just yet. I wouldn't say that SWIM is cured of his desire to feel 'artificially good' in some way when he goes out, but since discovering DMT his resolve against getting drunk has been strengthened considerably.
The desire to be a good person that DMT has amplified within him also stops him wanting to get drunk.
http://www.entheogen.com...ght=alcohol+alternatives

wow. SWIM is in the same position. I would say that one of SWIM's greatest weaknesses is that when he drinks alcohol he has a very hard time stopping. This was fine back in my college years, but now as an adult I feel that it is time for SWIM to try to put a stop to this. He can go weeks without drinking and never crave a sip, but once he starts its like he's opened up the floodgates and is more concerned with drinking than actual enjoying the time with the people with him. I almost feel like SWIM may have some social anxiety and the alcohol numbs this...?

He's trying very hard of late to focus on being a better person and decided not to drink alcohol altogether for a while. To a certain extent I think that SWIM's experiences with his friend dimitri have helped him come to this realization. He wants to focus on doing things that expand his awareness and are good for his mind, body & spirit. Right now he considers that to be occasional entheogen experimentation, combined with healthy eating and learning some medication & yoga practices.

What have you learned ohayoca? Any tips?

I guess I could be said to be addicted to lucid dreaming and having OBEs - I try every night and sleep as much as I can. Psychedelics seem to make it worse. On the other hand, I'm not using any hedonistic substances, not even caffeine and sugar.

If psychedelics help with addiction at all, I think it strongly depends on both, addiction and psychedelic - and most probably the subject and the reasons behind the addiction. There were studies on LSD underlining a certain positive tendency in the 70s. Sage is said to counter nicotine and cocaine - so possibly dopaminergic related - addiction. I know about no serious studies though.

[EDIT: Moved this comment to a new thread, 'Binge drinking', as it's not technically an addiction and isn't psychedelic-specific]

Jorkest,

Will you please give details of SWIMs experience using psychedelics to help cure addiction?

SWIM has a FOAF that is struggling with an alcohol addiction (is in rehab for the second time), so SWIM would appreciate any information you have.

I've found some papers on the LSD/alcoholism studies, but not a whole lot else. Does it matter which psychedelic is used? Is there a reason to prefer LSD/mescaline/mushrooms/DMT?

Thanks

Well when SWIM is working on an addiction..its best that the person wants to be free of it most importantly...because if they dont..not all that much will help...LSD works for alcohol dependence somehow...SWIM has experienced these effects..its like after a good strong acid trip..alcohol just doesnt taste good at all...but also noticed that these effects start to wane after a bit...

DMT works because its a drug like none other..and it throws you so far out..that if used to combat your addiction..you can leave it there..DMT shows you what a great drug can really do..but its not addicting so you can blast somebody out of reality a few times and when they come back they may see why they dont need it anymore....SWIM is still an alcoholic..but he got wasted the other night...he usually sticks to beer but all there was was rum..so he drank it..and got really really drunk..he then got home and thought it would be a good idea to take 60mg harmaline + 40mg THH + 30mg dmt fumarate..he was surprised how quickly and powerfully this supposedly low dose kicked in...he was seeing trails like hes never seen before...but the psychedelic effects on his mind were what really stood out..the dmt with harmalas made him see things in a different light..and he realized that he did not want to get that drunk again..it really got pounded into his head that night..also the concoction completely sobered him up...and he wasnt drunk anymore..

mescaline is nice because its euphoric and at lower doses you can use it as a replacement to the social lubricating effects that most people drink alcohol for...its a psychedelic that doesnt make you want to find a hole and hide yourself in it..

but the biggest thing is that you have to work with these chemicals..you have to want to quit..but it helps having these tools so that you can be in an altered state..one that isnt addictive..and learn how to be sober again..

SWIM has had much better luck with smoked DMT and heroin addicts...because DMT totally outshines anything heroin can do...there is nothing like experiencing LOVE..and heroin just cant pull that off..

I would guess that the main reason why psychedelics can be effective for addiction recovery is precisely that they don't require the addict's cooperation. It's more that once the addict trips, the issue of his addiction comes to him in the altered headspace, where the ego-level cognitive programming that keeps the addiction going gets scrambled and he gets a glimpse of things reframed from a different perspective. Of course, once you learn something in a trip, you have to follow through and preserve the momentum, which can be very hard to do once the ego comes back (esp if the issue is something like physiological addiction). But for many people, I imagine the initial shock of "wow this is bad for real" is enough to make headway.

As soon as i saw this topic i was very drawn to it not only because of my love of entheogses but i was once a addict myself. i wass addictied to heroin for 3 years. 5 or 6 rehabs and nothing worked. then one day my friend and i had some really strong lsd. we had been trippin all night and it was one of those experiences that you can remember but doesnt really need to be talked about. very eye opening. anyways we were hiking the AT(Setting) and like i said i was will a very good and experienced friend. well to make a long stroy short at the end of the "journey" i was completely cured of my addiction. But i might add that this was a very very strong trip. and i don't recommend it for anyone who doesnt understand..for the lack of a better word...the power and respect that these substances hold. anyways i was cured. bealive it or not i went through 0 to very very little withdrawal. and this lasted for a few weeks but then as soon as i was thrown back it to the environment that i use in. after a few months i did relapse. So my point im trying to make is when using pyscedelics for addiction i believe it can be kind of a hit or miss depending on what you REALLY want to be shown or tought. You must first want to stop using to be able to stop. So thats my tid bit. just a testimonial that it did work not only with the addiction but how i completely percieved life. Oh and i would like to add that after my relapse i did finally get clean and have been for more than a year.


pyscedelics i believe are tools not recreational drugs
and furthermore if they arent being used to "grow" then i believe its just as bad as shooting up a shot of dope.
"LOve LOVE LOVE isnt that why we are here"

I understand that psychedelics aren't a magic cure, and that the addict has to really want to quit and be willing to put in the effort.

So Jorkest, you think smoked DMT is the way to go? I thought that the duration was typically too short for this sort of thing.

SWIM may actually try this to help his FOAF, and would appreciate any specific advice anyone may have. Before reading this thread, his plan was going to be to give FOAF 30mg of DMT orally, and if that appears to be ok, boost to 45mg or more depending on how he reacts. This may be repeated a few times over a week or so like they typically do in ayahuasca ceramonies. The setting would be a beach house on a private beach with only SWIM, FOAF, and probably one or two other people that FOAF is close to.

In the studies on LSD and alcoholism that I've read, the LSD was given at the end of the week of some sort of therapy. Do you think that doing this upon leaving rehab would be a good time for this, or would it be better to wait until (if) he relapses again?

Any other input on which drug/dosage/timing/setting/anything would be greatly appreciated

Artaylor, congrats on staying clean!

soooooo interesting that iboga should be coming up on this thread!! SWIM spent damn near the entire day looking for it....found it at www.psychoactiveherbs.com but pussed out on sealing the deal in the end.....could only pay through wester union....always sketches SWIM out....

aaaaaanyways, SWIM is EXTREMELY interested in this medicine and would LOVE to hear any experiences/advice!!

LOVE AND GRATITUDE!!

Iboga here too.

http://www.shamanic-extr...c-ethnobotanicals/iboga/

Certainly interesting with all the wonderufl things I've heard about it.

But there is something about that site that doesn't seem right. Look at the shipping restrictions for peyote and Iboga. I know peyote isn't legal anywhere in the US and I didn't think Iboga was either. Can someone else take a look and comment on it.

oral spice would work in conjunction with smoked spice...the reason why SWIM thinks the smoked spice works so well is because its sooo damn powerful..its hard to get there with oral..just because you have to sit and watch it happen...you want to show this person the beauty and wonder of the world...and the best way SWIM knows of doing that is a pig bowlful of spice..but yes...keep them tripping for the whole week at least...two weeks is better.but..whatever you can do..because if you can get them interested in THESE chemicals..they might be like..why the hell would i take those other chemicals when these ones do THIS!

"...its hard to get there with oral."

I beg to differ. If you extract a few grams of DMT... . In all seriousness though, are you implying that staying at the peak intensity of smoked DMT for the duration of oral DMT would be too much?