Lifetime Psychedelic Use and Opioid Use Disorder Severity: Substance-Use Pattern Specific and Mental Health–Dependent Associations in a National Survey
Sebastian Ehmann, Nathan M. Hager, Paul S. Regier, Grant Jones, John JB Allen
PsyArXiv November 2, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/jd2rk_v1 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAmong a national sample of US adults, lifetime psychedelic use is associated with lower severity of opioid use disorder, but this relationship depends on broader substance-use patterns and mental health. The protective association appears specific to certain substance-use profiles and is mediated by mental health status. The findings suggest that psychedelic use alone does not uniformly reduce opioid use disorder severity; rather, the context of other substance use and psychological well-being shapes the association.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults from a national survey |
| Topics | Addiction |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Psychedelic use Hallucinogens Entheogens Psychoactive substances |
| Key finding | Lifetime psychedelic use is associated with lower opioid use disorder severity only in certain substance-use patterns and is mediated by mental health. |
Abstract
Lifetime Psychedelic Use and Opioid Use Disorder Severity: Substance-Use Pattern Specific and Mental Health–Dependent Associations in a National Survey