Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult…
Was this tested against, or added to, standard alcohol-use treatments I could already access (naltrexone, acamprosate, structured therapy)?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Diphenhydramine is a weak psychoactive control; the paper's own blinding assessment showed most participants correctly guessed their assignment, so expectancy effects cannot be excluded.
Phase 3 complete; rolling NDA under FDA review, final module expected Q4 2026. Breakthrough Therapy designation 2018 (TRD) / 2019 (MDD).
In 95 adults with alcohol use disorder randomized to psilocybin vs diphenhydramine alongside 12 weeks of psychotherapy, the psilocybin group had a significantly lower percentage of heavy drinking days over 32 weeks; no serious adverse events occurred in psilocybin recipients.
Worth asking
Was this tested against, or added to, standard alcohol-use treatments I could already access (naltrexone, acamprosate, structured therapy)?
Source
Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial — Bogenschutz MP, et al. (2022)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2096
DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2096
How this was scored
- Study design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 95
- Preregistered
- Yes
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- No
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 77 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Diphenhydramine is a weak psychoactive control; the paper's own blinding assessment showed most participants correctly guessed their assignment, so expectancy effects cannot be excluded. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial — Bogenschutz MP, et al. (2022). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2096. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Randomised controlled trial. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were not independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is psilocybin FDA approved for this use?
No. Its current status is: Phase 3 trials. Phase 3 complete; rolling NDA under FDA review, final module expected Q4 2026. Breakthrough Therapy designation 2018 (TRD) / 2019 (MDD).
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.