This piece is a personal and evidence-informed perspective on the current status and future direction of addiction psychiatry in the UK, based on my 30 years as a clinical academic addiction psychiatrist. Alcohol and drug addictions are associated with immense burdens to the individual and society, and this is likely to endure. Challenges facing addiction services to overcome include...
Background: Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has shown promise for alcohol use disorder (AUD) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, the effects of open-label administration following blinded treatment are unclear. Here, we present safety and efficacy data from an open-label extension of a Phase II RCT (NCT02061293) examining PAT for AUD. Methods: Adults with AUD (N = 59) received a...
Annals of NeurosciencesMarch 23, 2026Hemant Kashyap, Lalhmingmawii Khiangte, Nandan Kumar Thakur et al.
Background: Neuropsychological functioning, metacognitive awareness and mindfulness are central to self-regulatory processes operating across cognitive and affective domains. Although global research on these constructs has increased, integrated evidence from non-Western contexts, particularly India, remains limited. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess and compare...
Music and psychoactive substances play a key role in forming identity during adolescence. Grasping the historical, neurobiological, and clinical aspects of this relationship is crucial for exploring how music therapy (MT) can support recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). In this chapter, the discussion begins by framing adolescent risk-taking, including substance experimentation, as a way...
Bloy et al. [1] provide an important and methodologically rigorous secondary analysis of the Ketamine for the reduction of Alcoholic Relapse (KARE) trial, examining whether acute psychoactive effects mediate the therapeutic impact of ketamine in alcohol use disorder (AUD). Their finding that dissociative and perceptual effects did not mediate abstinence outcomes is clinically relevant, and...
Recent retrospective analyses have shown that individuals with comorbid Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) are overrepresented among responders to ketamine for Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD). Ketamine is an effective treatment for depression and also a potential substance of misuse. The authors contrast a mechanistic pathway with a possible expectancy effect to account for these findings, and...
New treatment options are needed to improve outcomes for patients with both opioid use disorder (OUD) and injection-related infections. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has been suggested as a potential treatment for substance use disorders (SUD). To address this need, a qualitative study was conducted to understand the attitudes toward PAT from individuals with OUD who have survived...
BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) often co-occur, presenting a major clinical challenge with limited effective treatments. However, ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects and has shown promise in reducing alcohol use, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can be effective for both substance use and mood disorders. This study explores the...
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) often co-occur, worsening outcomes, relapse rates, and treatment response. Ketamine produces rapid and sustained PTSD symptom reduction and reduces AUD relapse. Prazosin effectively treats PTSD-related nightmares and may reduce alcohol consumption in individuals with heightened autonomic reactivity. The dual complementary...
People with alcohol use disorder experience alterations in consciousness from 0.8 mg/kg intravenous ketamine administration. Ketamine's effects appear to be broadly consistent across three repeated infusions. Ketamine-related reductions in alcohol consumption do not appear to be mediated by the acute psychoactive effects of ketamine.