Vikki was walking her dog and listening to NPR in Santa Monica one day, when she heard an advertisement for an unusual medical trial. Pacific Neuroscience Institute was studying whether psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, could help alcoholics kick their habit. Vikki, 60, was a steady drinker and had been since she was 18. She never got terribly drunk, but nor did cocktail hour ever come and go for her without drinking wine. She liked to socialize because socializing meant drinking, and she began to wonder if the wine meant more to her than her friends did. So, she called PNI and enrolled in the study. Listen to this podcast to learn how two psychedelic trips, guided by doctors and trained medical staff at PNI after comprehensive medical exams and extensive preparation, changed Vikki’s life, beyond just the wine.

As a note, this clinical trial is closed but other psychedelic-assisted treatments are available for qualified patients with alcohol use disorder.