Psychedelics for addiction: what the evidence shows

In the UK KARE trial (96 people), ketamine infusions plus relapse-prevention therapy led to more days without alcohol over six months than placebo.¹

MORE-KARE, a Phase 3 trial across NHS sites, is now testing this at scale. No results yet.²

In a double-blind trial of 93 adults with alcohol dependence, psilocybin plus therapy roughly halved the share of heavy-drinking days compared with an active placebo over 32 weeks.³

A meta-analysis of six trials from the 1960s and 70s (536 people) found a single LSD dose reduced alcohol misuse.⁴!

A modern trial is recruiting in Switzerland.⁵

A UK open-label study of 14 people after alcohol detox (BIMA) found MDMA-assisted therapy safe and well tolerated. There was no control group.⁶

In the same survey, 76% of respondents with past alcohol problems reported improvement. Self-selected and retrospective.⁷

In April 2026 the FDA allowed a Phase 1 study of noribogaine for alcohol use disorder — the first US study of any ibogaine derivative. That's permission to test, not evidence it works.⁸

Observational studies from New Zealand (14 people) and Mexico (30 people) reported less withdrawal and reduced opioid use after treatment. There were no control groups.⁹¹⁰

In a Dutch study of 14 people, half developed dangerous QTc prolongation — a heart-rhythm warning sign.¹¹

In 2025 Texas passed a law letting the state co-fund an FDA trial of ibogaine for opioid use disorder, depression and PTSD.¹²

In a placebo-controlled safety study in opioid-dependent people, single doses of noribogaine showed only a non-significant trend towards less withdrawal (27 people).¹³

In a randomised pilot of 82 daily smokers, about 40% of the psilocybin group had stayed off cigarettes at six months, versus about 10% on nicotine patches. Everyone knew which treatment they got.¹⁴

This follows an earlier 15-person open-label pilot that reported high quit rates.¹⁵!

In a 55-person randomised trial, a single ketamine infusion plus mindfulness-based therapy kept 48% of people off cocaine in the final two weeks, versus 11% with an active placebo.¹⁶