Ten UK veterans will be administered psychedelic drugs in an experimental new treatment for gambling addiction. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Magic mushroom treatment

A new study is being launched to determine whether psilocybin, the active psychedelic ingredient in magic mushrooms, could be used to treat gambling addiction.

the drug will be administered during a week-long retreat in the Netherlands

The study is being launched in a collaboration between Heroic Hearts, a UK veterans’ charity, and researchers from the University of Gibraltar. The drug will be administered during a week-long retreat in the Netherlands rather than in a clinical setting.

In addition to being given psilocybin, the volunteers for the study will also be provided with guided experiences and therapy.

Promising studies

Psilocybin, while having a long history as a recreational drug, has come into the spotlight in recent years after showing promise in treating a range of different addictions.

the subjects will be given up to five grams of truffles

Ten veterans who volunteered for the study will initially undergo a screening process. During the week, two psilocybin ceremonies will take place, during which the subjects will be given up to five grams of truffles under the supervision of trained therapists.

While the retreat will only last for seven days, the full program will take place over nine weeks, with the veterans prepared and coached for two weeks before undergoing the ceremonies.

Keith Abraham, CEO of Heroic Hearts,was hopeful about the possibility of the success of the treatment, saying: “I’ve dedicated my life to working with these medicines and providing access to others for these medicines. So I’m a huge believer in their potential.

“But we’re here for research, and our beliefs don’t matter. So let’s wait and see what the research comes back and says.”

New perspectives

Veterans are disproportionately susceptible to gambling addiction; a study from Bangor University in the UK shows that ex-servicemen are more likely than the general population to gamble as a way to cope with distress or overcome post-traumatic stress disorder.

Standard treatments have been limited in their success, which has resulted in the exploration of alternative methods. Earlier this year, Imperial College London’s Centre for Psychedelic Research also began experimenting on the issue using brain imaging technology.

It stimulates insightfulness and gives you new perspectives on your self.”

Dr. David Erritzoe, who worked on the project, said that taking psychedelics “helps you enter an expanded state of consciousness, typically with a profound sense of oneness. It stimulates insightfulness and gives you new perspectives on your self.”

“We aim to prepare the patients as well as we can, so that they can lean into the experience,” Erritzoe added.