Psychedelics and Psychedelic-Inspired Compounds for Substance Use Disorders: Are We Treating the Disease or Opening a Learning Window?
Brain Sciences October 29, 2026 Adela G. Buciuc, Mark S. Gold, Brian S Fuehrlein
Substance use disorders remain a leading cause of preventable death, and existing care is better described as disease management than as cure. Medications for opioid, alcohol, and tobacco use disorders reduce substance use, and opioid agonist treatment reduces mortality, yet retention is poor and functional recovery is rarely measured. This review asks whether psychedelics treat addiction, or...