Associations between ayahuasca consumption in naturalistic settings and current alcohol and drug use: Results of a large international cross-sectional survey
Authors:
Daniel Perkins, Emerita S. Opaleye, Hana Simonova, José Carlos Bouso, Luís F. Tófoli, Nicole L. Galvão-Coelho, Violeta Schubert y Jerome Sarris.
Journal:
Drug and Alcohol Review
Year:
2022
About the study
This exploratory study used the largest dataset ever collected relating to ayahuasca drinking in order to explore associations between ayahuasca consumption and participants’ current use of alcohol and other drugs. The authors also assessed the extent to which this associations may be influenced by patterns of use, aspects of the acute subjective experience and potential confounding factors, such as church or community membership.
Data analysed were from the Global Ayahuasca Project, an international online cross-sectional survey of ayahuasca drinkers conducted between April 2017 and May 2019 that collected data from 10,836 adult individuals who had consumed ayahuasca at least once.
The study identified a robust negative association between the consumption of ayahuasca and low current use of alcohol and other drugs for those with and without prior substance use disorders.
Abstract
Introduction: Emerging evidence suggests that psychedelic compounds, including the Amazonian botanical decoction ayahuasca, may provide clinical benefit in the treatment of alcohol or other drug use disorders. This study investigates associations between ayahuasca consumption in naturalistic settings and current alcohol and other drug use.
Methods: Online cross-sectional study of people who have consumed ayahuasca in religious, traditional and non-traditional settings in over 40 countries. A total of 8629 participants (53% male, average age 40 years) were included in the analysis. Logistic regressions were used to explore associations between ayahuasca drinking variables and the current use of alcohol and other drugs, as well as the influence of confounding factors, such as church or community membership.
Results: The number of times ayahuasca had been consumed was strongly associated with increased odds of never or rarely drinking alcohol, never or rarely engaging in ‘risky drinking’ and having not consumed a range of drugs in the past month, with these effects greater for those with a prior substance use disorder compared to those without. The strength of ayahuasca drinkers subjective spiritual experience, number of personal self-insights obtained and drinking ayahuasca with an ayahuasca church were also associated with lower substance use in some models.
Discussion and conclusions: Consumption of ayahuasca in naturalistic settings is associated with lower self-reported current consumption of alcohol and other drugs for those with and without prior substance use disorders, with such effects present after adjusting for religious or social group effects.
Photo by Vinicius “amnx” Amano on Unsplash.
Categories:
Studies & papers
, Ayahuasca
Tags:
ayahuasca
, scientific research
, study
, alcoholism
, psychedelics
, hallucinogens
, substance use disorders
, illicit drugs