This article is to honor the life of my best friend Regal Nouveau, and the many more lives we have lost to substance abuse and alcoholism.
Had I known 2 years ago what I know now, I might have been able to help Regal. When he passed I decided to be more outspoken about my knowledge, and to try to help as many people as possible.
Disclaimer – I am not a therapist or a doctor. This is not intended as medical advise. If someone is on a prescription medication or working with a doctor, they should continue to do so and seek support in weaning off medication, if applicable.
I am simply a human who cares about humanity and has spent years doing medical, neuroscience and psychology research, in an effort to improve myself and help others. I am not licensed nor certified, however I can not stand by idly while our culture loses more beautiful souls to drugs and alcohol.
Foreword and Background –
Along the course of my life I lost many loved ones to addictions, and I spent 10 years of my life in two partnerships with women who recovered from opiates and both now live a life of sobriety.
Both of these women taught me volumes about personal strength, and mindset. I would like to preface this discussion with something important about sobriety.
Transitioning into sobriety is difficult, but possible. In order to transition one must undergo a complete mindset transformation. We must want health and happiness in order to achieve health and happiness.
Psilocybin can help us ease the transition and change our mindset into a positive outlook. However it is the responsibility of the individual to change their friend groups, eating habits and develop healthy life routines.
I offer a step by step way to break addictions, in order to live a healthy life, you must maintain your intention and mindset to change. If you falter, you can use this step by step process to regain your strength and transition again.
Mostly I would like to preface this article by saying something to all of my friends and followers who are reading this to seek help. You are not alone, and there is help. I have seen many people make this transition, and I have helped many friends who were struggling with a cycle of substance abuse.
Help and change is very possible, you just have to want to change, and use these natural resources to help.
At the end of this article I will explain a step by step method with psilocybin to support breaking unhealthy addictive behavioral habits. After that, I will link publicly available studies showing medical research backing this theory.
This process theoretically works for tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceutical, and other addictive drugs including cocaine, opiates and ketamine.
I have witnessed and coached transformations from pharmaceuticals (specifically SSRIs) and alcoholism using this process. Current studies show a high rate of success with alcoholism and tobacco addictions.
The fundamental method that psilocybin works through, helps anyone with cravings and reinforces the mind set we need to change, through the neuroplasticity and serotonergic properties of the medicine.
Psilocybin stimulates your brain and allows a rebirth of synaptic activity, creating neurogenesis, the resurrection of dead brain cells. This helps the user create lasting changes in mind set and repairs brain damage.
This is the reason why intention setting is key. Through setting intention before and during the experience, the user can consciously shift their mind set and rewrite their self-defeating programming. This is the fundamental method in how neuroplasticians work as groundbreaking psychology tools.
The future of therapy is psy-therapy, where one will be legally able to sit with a therapist and discuss their life while their brain is in a psychedelic neuroplastic state, enabling the rewriting of their fear based thought patterns, into a positive outlook.
Unfortunately, not everyone has years to wait until psy-therapy becomes regulated and legalized, and many are currently suffering, so I am here, writing about how to self medicate and take control over your life using a powerful anti-addictive and safe natural medicine.
When humans are stuck in depressive cycles, constantly using addictive substances can be the only relief and stimulation of endorphins. Transitioning to a healthier alternative that stimulates serotonin, allows the user to bridge the gap between a cycle of substance abuse to a healthier lifestyle with a focus towards sobriety and productivity.
The molecule Psilocin, one of the active alkaloids in Psilocybin Mushrooms, is near identical to Serotonin. Unlike other serotonin agonists, Psilocin is a serotonin replacement, binding with receptors to create a feeling of positivity and love, allowing the user to have a spiritual experience.
I recommend during these experiences to focus on deep breathing into the heart, helping to focus this feeling into a calm and relaxing experience, and releasing any anxiety or discomfort with your exhale.
Current research is limited but growing, showing incredible promise. At the end of this article I will list an array of published medical studies, to show the efficacy of psilocybin as a treatment for alcohol and tobacco addictions.
We are at the forefront of a new era, the world is slowly waking up to the incredible healing power of psychedelics, and beginning to view these medicines without the stigmas of the drug war era. However, because we are at the forefront, there are decades of work to be accomplished before psy-therapy will replace harmful pharmaceutical anti-depressants, or aid in therapy centers across the nation.
I am looking forward to the future, and I am optimistic about the evolution of the human race.
Please share this article with those in need. I appreciate everyone who uses this knowledge to help their loved ones and friends, and everyone who is inspired to make a healthy life change through my posts. I love you all and wish you the best in your transition.
Step by Step Guide on how to use Psilocybin Cubensis to Break Addictive Cycles
Step 1 – Find a Sponsor.
Someone you trust that you will be honest with about your progress. Ask if they can help you by holding space for your progress reports. Vocalizing your intention to transition is important for mindset, and having the help of a loved one or friend is very beneficial.
Seeking professional help or therapy is also recommended. Microdosing before professional therapy sessions is highly beneficial, and allows the session to help create lasting changes.
Step 2 – Taper your use.
Set a 14 day goal with your sponsor to take less of the addictive substance every day until day 14, in which you will be removing the substance completely.
For example, if you are drinking 10 beers a day, you need to start tapering by drinking 9, then 8, then 7… etc…. until you are at 0.
Step 3 – Set Boundaries
Explain to your friend groups that are under the influence of the substance, that you are quitting and need space for your transition. In order to change you need to stop spending time with those who trigger your cravings, or offer you substances. You will need to change your life, and the first step is by setting boundaries with those people who encourage you to drink or do drugs.
Step 4 – The Transition
On day 14, you will be quitting the addictive substance.
It is important that on this day you have a prepared setting for your psilocybin experience. A comfortable space with calm music. If you feel overwhelmed, I recommend closing your eyes, breathing into your heart and listening to ambient music.
Disclaimer – while psilocybin was proven medically safe in a recent study in London (the largest controlled study of psilocybin to date), it can have adverse psychological effects on users who have schizophrenia. This information is a recommendation, however it is the responsibility of the individual to make their own choices.
Some playlists to help ~
Ambient playlist I compiled ~
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3HgO9oiEahpXnmT7lZRcCq?si=0670311423d3437a
Music for Mushrooms : A Soundtrack for the Psychedelic Practitioner (by East Forest)
https://open.spotify.com/album/2LFyfGcBrrsvF8tECUs5gK?si=aZ_ruC_2SMGekjQVdGymuw
It is also very important to have no alcohol or toxic substances in your system, so get a full night of sleep and expect to have your psilocybin macro dose experience in the morning, before your cravings begin.
Clear your home of all alcohol and substances the night before.
Flush all drugs and pour out all alcohol.
Psilocybin strains vary in strength, however there is no overdose limit. For a true macrodose you are going to want to take 3/4-2 grams based upon weight (note – this is a therapeutic macro dose, not a heroic dose).
It is ok to take less at first and feel how the medicine works with you. Even a 3/4 gram amount will help you break your cravings. You can always take more, but you can’t take less.
Having a sober friend on call, or someone trusted to hold space during your experience is very helpful. This person should be instructed to hold space, comfort and listen without judgement. Reminding the participant to take deep breaths and that they will be ok, is highly beneficial.
For a complete mental change, you want to set an intention, pray with the medicine and ask it to give you the answers you need. When asked if I believe in shamanism, I often state that the medicine is the teacher, the human guide is just a facilitator of the experience.
You are asking for answers from this medicine, hold it in reverence and ingest it with respect, and this energy will be returned to you.
The easiest way to ingest psilocybin cubensis is by powderizing it and adding it to a healthy smoothie. I use banana, frozen mango, water and 2 scoops of Orgain vegan vanilla protein power to start my day, any smoothie will work. Banana and protein powder help the metabolism digest the medicine slower, which helps.
Note – Every individual is different. Dosages and effectiveness vary by person and strain. This is a guide to help support your transformation, however every individual is free to make changes. If an individual needs professional help, or a rehabilitation center, they should seek it.
Step 5 – The Follow Up Therapy
This step is equally as important as Day 14.
On Day 14, the participant will experience a mindset breakthrough and start making health conscious choices in their life. Maintaining these choices for long periods of time can be difficult.
Often the cravings come back.
When they do I recommend microdosing psilocybin immediately. 70-200 mg of psilocybin powder consumed in a smoothie or capsule will stop cravings in their tracks, while also still allowing you to be a functioning member of society.
I call 300 mg the “Whole Foods Dose” because anything under 300 mg. I can go into a public store and not feel overwhelmed. In fact, my anxiety of social experiences is reduced, and I feel more uplifted and positive about my day, which enhances productivity.
A daily microdose regime, starting in the morning with a breakfast smoothie is very effective at helping the person break their addictive cycles and stay on a healthy lifestyle course.
Check in with your sponsor every few days during this time.
Step 6 – Health Consciousness
Breaking free from unhealthy cycles is not just a singular act. It is an entire mindset change.
Find sober ways to stimulate endorphins that are healthy. Yoga, exercise, meditation, dance… etc…
Focus on transitioning into a healthier life as a whole.
You are becoming a new person, embrace this and be happy for the opportunities that your new sobriety has offered you.
Eventually, hopefully you can be of such a solid mindset that you can still go to events and be around drugs and alcohol without desiring to partake, however please change your friend group during this transition as you are vulnerable.
Focus on healthier relationships with people who are supportive of your transition into sobriety.
Final Thoughts –
Sending this article with my love and hope for a community and future that is free from these health struggles. Humans are beyond blessed, to simply exist and live in a place where we have options and opportunities to evolve.
To waste these opportunities on fleeting moments of escapism, while furthering our own health and mental struggles, is simply a waste of the blessing of life that we have been bestowed with.
To everyone who is depressed, or feels like they have no options, I recommend this short practice. Steady your breathing, calm your nervous system, close your eyes. Think of everyone who has ever loved you, and remember a time or place when you were most happiest.
Now, it is time to reclaim your innocence, reclaim your health, and live the life you deserve.
Thank you all, I love you. May this message be received with peace and help those in need.
– Jason Burruss
Backing medical studies and excerpts –
Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: a proof-of-concept study
“The intensity of effects in the first psilocybin session (at week 4) strongly predicted change in drinking during weeks 5-8 and also predicted decreases in craving and increases in abstinence self-efficacy during week 5. There were no significant treatment-related adverse events. These preliminary findings provide a strong rationale for controlled trials with larger samples to investigate efficacy and mechanisms.”
Psilocybin-occasioned mystical experiences in the treatment of tobacco addiction
“In an open-label pilot-study of psilocybin-facilitated smoking addiction treatment, 15 smokers received 2 or 3 doses of psilocybin in the context of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking cessation. Twelve of 15 participants (80%) demonstrated biologically verified smoking abstinence at 6-month follow-up. Participants who were abstinent at 6 months were compared to participants still smoking at 6 months on measures of subjective effects of psilocybin. Abstainers scored significantly higher on a measure of psilocybin-occasioned mystical experience.”
Psilocybin for treating substance use disorders?
“Preliminary data of ongoing alcohol and smoking addiction studies in humans shows promising effects of psilocybin administration on substance use. Importantly, psilocybin has a low risk of toxicity and dependence and can be used safely under controlled clinical conditions.”
“Psilocybin’s chemical structure is similar to that of serotonin. Dysregulations in the serotonin system are associated with alterations in stress hormones, such as cortisol, and mood disorders.”
“After psilocybin administration cortisol levels spike and activate the executive control network, with subsequent increased control over emotional processes, and relief of negative thinking and persistent negative emotions.”
Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation
“At 12-month follow-up, 10 participants (67%) were confirmed as smoking abstinent. At 12-month follow-up 13 participants (86.7%) rated their psilocybin experiences among the five most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives.”
“Conclusion: These results suggest that in the context of a structured treatment program, psilocybin holds considerable promise in promoting long-term smoking abstinence. The present study adds to recent and historical evidence suggesting high success rates when using classic psychedelics in the treatment of addiction. Further research investigating psilocybin-facilitated treatment of substance use disorders is warranted.”
Classic hallucinogens in the treatment of addictions
“Although plausible biological mechanisms have been proposed, currently the strongest evidence is for the role of mystical or other meaningful experiences as mediators of therapeutic effects.
Classic hallucinogens have an excellent record of safety in the context of clinical research. Given our limited understanding of the clinically relevant effects of classic hallucinogens, there is a wealth of opportunities for research that could contribute important new knowledge and potentially lead to valuable new treatments for addiction.”
Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depression Effective for Up to a Year for Most Patients, Study Shows
“Previous studies by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers showed that psychedelic treatment with psilocybin relieved major depressive disorder symptoms in adults for up to a month.
Now, in a follow-up study of those participants, the researchers report that the substantial antidepressant effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy, given with supportive psychotherapy, may last at least a year for some patients.”
Tapping into Psilocybin’s Potential
“It’s really unprecedented in pharmacology, and probably throughout science, that you would have an entire research agenda that looked this promising be put on hold for decades,” says psychiatry researcher Matthew Johnson.
“There are an incredible number of questions that need to be explored,” says Johnson. “These substances tinker with the serotonin system and interact with it in a unique way. What we’re understanding now is that regardless of receptor-level pharmacology, the really interesting changes that occur with these compounds are in brain network dynamics—the way different areas of the brain communicate with each other.”
“Work published last December in the Journal of Psychopharmacology demonstrated that a high dose of psilocybin could produce large, sustained decreases in depression and anxiety among cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and clinically significant depression and/or anxiety.”
“Another small study published in the January issue of The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse found that psilocybin, when administered with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking cessation, resulted in substantially higher six-month smoking abstinence rates than are typically achieved through other medications or CBT alone. About 87 percent of participants rated their psilocybin experiences among the five most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives.”
“When administered in carefully controlled settings, says Johnson, psilocybin’s effects are often akin to “mystical experiences” that people who are deeply religious or practice meditation report—timelessness, a sense of self dissolved to a larger whole and an overall feeling of positivity. What’s more, he adds, “there may be changes in brain network patterns that persist beyond the acute effect, almost like the acute effects may be inducing plasticity and flexibility.”
“Additional studies being planned at Johns Hopkins will explore psilocybin’s effects on depression unrelated to cancer and how meditative states compare with psychedelic ones. Meanwhile, researchers at fellow institutions have found that psilocybin may effect change in areas as varied as inflammatory disease, addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
“These studies could offer insight into underlying likenesses among these maladies, Johnson says. While depression and addiction currently are considered different disorders, “there might be more in common than we normally realize,” he says. “I think psychedelics are going to be a powerful tool to address those questions.”
The serotonergic system and cognitive function
“The current evidence implies that reduced 5-HT neurotransmission negatively influences cognitive functions and that normalization of 5-HT activity may have beneficial effects, suggesting that 5-HT and 5-HTR represent important pharmacological targets for cognition enhancement and restoration of impaired cognitive performance in neuropsychiatric disorders.”
Jason Burruss Articles 