LSD in the Treatment of Alcoholism
F. GORDON JOHNSON M.B., B.S.1
1 Consultant psychiatrist, Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Research Foundation, 477 Waterloo St., London, Ontario, Canada, and assistant professor, University of Western Ontario
Ninety-five alcoholic patients took part in a single-blind study of the efficacy of LSD treatment, which featured four treatment groups: LSD given with and without a therapist present, sodium amobarbital-methamphetamine hydrochloride given with a therapist present, and routine clinic care. At one-year follow-up, with 87 percent of the patients reporting, all groups showed significant improvement in the areas of drinking and employment, but there was no significant difference between groups on any improvement criterion measure. This study thus lends no support to the claims made for the efficacy of LSD treatment in alcoholism.
