Are Psychedelics Addictive?
The concept of addiction permeates many facets of modern day society. Alcohol, caffeine, opioids, social media, pornography… the list continues to grow each decade as an increasing number of substance abuses and destructive behaviors tighten their grips on a growing number of people. Addiction is being researched at length now, because it is crucial that we solve the complex puzzle of the causes and effects of addiction. Have you struggled with addiction in some form or another? Chances are that you have suffered from addiction, or will fight this serious condition – 9 out of every 10 people experience some kind of substance abuse or form detrimental habits by the age of 18. That is a staggering figure, and it does not even get into detail about the alarming statistics surrounding alcohol consumption, smoking, gambling or pornography addiction, or other serious substance abuses.
Particularly in recent years – brought on by the epidemic of opioid-related deaths – there has been steady growth in the awareness of the dangers of addiction. Addictive tendencies are being identified earlier, more frequently in youth and there are a lot more treatments available to adults struggling with addiction. One such treatment for addiction that is turning heads is psilocybin. Psychedelic mushrooms, and other psychedelic substances have been consumed by many cultures throughout history, but we are just now beginning to realize the benefits that these controversial substances can have for our mental and physical health.
Microdosing psychedelics like magic mushrooms is growing in popularity, and it is winning over many sceptics because there are no associated psychoactive “trips” when you take small, consistent doses of psilocybin. On the other hand, a lot of people continue to take large amounts of psychedelics like LSD, mescaline, ayahuasca and psilocybin in order to explore their consciousness, solve complex inner problems, and transform their perspectives about themselves and the world they inhabit.
Psychedelics like psilocybin are being studied closely for their positive effects on human health, but are psychedelics addictive in their own right? This question of addiction, safety and efficacy have always plagued psychedelics, but there is a wave of new developments that is making the public and the scientific community question their original assumptions about magic mushrooms. Are shrooms addictive? Let’s analyze the landscape of psychedelics and determine if potentially beneficial substances like magic mushrooms are addictive.
WHAT ARE PSYCHEDELIC MUSHROOMS?
To get started, we’ll first have to brush over what constitutes a “psychedelic mushroom”, and how they can benefit your health & wellbeing. What puts the “magic” in magic mushrooms, you might ask? Similar to THC or CBD in cannabis and hemp, psilocybin is the active compound inherent in certain species of mushrooms. There are over 180 species of fungi that are known to contain psilocybin and its derivative form, psilocin. Notable magic mushrooms like Golden Teachers, B+, Mazatapec, Mexicana, Amunita Muscarias and Psilocybe Cubensis have been cultivated over centuries for their psychotropic properties. The more we study mushrooms for medicinal values, the more intrigued we have become by the versatility of these unique organisms and their plant-based compounds. Magic mushrooms have been tested as a potential treatment for addiction and substance abuse, so it is shaping up to be less of a question of “is psilocybin addictive?” and more a matter of “how can psilocybin help you overcome your addiction”.
We will go into the psychology of what makes psilocybin such an effective remedy & supplement for good mental health, but before you find the answer to the question of “Are magic mushrooms addictive?”, you need to understand magic mushroom benefits.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND PSYCHEDELIC MUSHROOMS?
“Mushroom picking trips” have become a popular tourist attraction in countries like Brazil, Mexico, Eurasia and the Pacific-Northwestern regions of North America. These forays into the wilderness can be quite dangerous, because there are thousands of recognized species of fungi but some toxic varieties can easily be confused for beneficial ones. Although mushroom picking is a popular pursuit all over the globe, it seems a lot safer (not to mention less expensive) to simply cultivate them at home. Mushroom farming has gained a large following in recent decades, and many of the myco-growers have taken to cultivating their own psilocybin mushrooms as well. The community of myco-cultivators is becoming as vast and interconnected as the mycelium root networks that they grow. You might say that one of the only addictive things about psilocybin mushrooms is how much fun they are to find, or to grow!
There are also a lot of psilocybin providers that sell magic mushrooms online. If you’re too reserved on the idea of venturing into nature to find some wild mushrooms, or maybe you aren’t exactly an avid gardener and you’re not keen on growing your own, you can still find many kinds of psilocybin products online. Microdosing magic mushrooms has seen a recent surge in popularity, with many entrepreneurs, business professionals, athletes and everyday folks turning to these brain-boosting fungi for mental health support. Psilocybin has the dual-proficiency of being an effective remedy for serious trauma – such as PTSD, depression or severe anxiety – while also having many health benefits when taken as a long-term supplement for your wellbeing. Whether you’re looking to support good health or are in need of the life-changing experience & perspective that psychedelics can provide, psilocybin can be the secret ingredient to improving your quality of life.
So, are psilocybin mushrooms addictive? Definitely not if you’re microdosing because there’s no tolerance-building, no psychoactivity and zero mind-altering effects for you to become dependent on.
ARE MAGIC MUSHROOMS ADDICTIVE?
There are undoubtedly a lot of positive reasons why people turn to psychedelics, but are magic mushrooms addictive? Psychedelic mushrooms can truly change your life in unique and profound ways, but can a person become addicted to the hallucinations, psychoactive effects and changes to their consciousness? It is quite possible to become reliant on any substance, no matter how beneficial it might be or what kind of good intentions we have when we take it. As the saying goes, “too much of a good thing can be very bad” also applies to inherently positive substances like psilocybin. Are psilocybin mushrooms addictive? If used properly they can be a positive influence on other kinds of addiction, such as smoking, caffeine or even alcohol.
There doesn’t appear to be much scientific evidence, if any, to support the claim that magic mushrooms are addictive in a chemical sense (our brains don’t crave this compound like it would nicotine or caffeine). However, the idea of exploring one’s consciousness, experiencing life-changing visions, or transforming oneself with the help of this phytocompound can be considered “addictive” in certain cases. We’ve looked at what psilocybin can do to the brain, where people go to find it, but we need to analyze the reasons why many people can become reliant on psychedelics for their health & happiness.
Are shrooms addictive? The simple answer to this question is: No. There doesn’t appear to be any correlation between forming an addiction based on psilocybin consumption and the chemical reactions occurring across the interfaces in our brains. Unlike substances that directly inhibit how our minds & bodies work – like alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and opioids – psilocybin can actually supplement the chemical imbalances in your brain and help you to feel better. Psilocybin mimics the chemical composition of serotonin, a very integral neurochemical that is involved in moods, cognition and a variety of motor functions. Of particular concern is how serotonin levels can balance your mood, such as with depressed states – your brain will try to make you feel better by re-upping the amount of serotonin to certain receptors. This is essentially how many antidepressants work to try and combat depression, but when it comes to naturally balancing your moods there’s nothing more effective than psilocybin because it can literally trick your brain into thinking that it’s plant chemicals are actually serotonin itself.
When you consume psilocybin, even in miniscule amounts like microdoses, this stimulates your 5-HT2A receptor, found in the prefrontal cortex. This important receptor called “5-HT” is responsible for two major functions in the brain: producing BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factors), and increasing the transference of Glutamate. BDNF is crucial because it stimulates growth, brain activity and new connections, whereas Glutamate is an important neurotransmitter that affects our cognition, learning and memory. Both of these neurochemicals can work in tandem towards similar positive outcomes, and this singular relationship between psilocybin and the 5-HT2A receptors in our brains illustrates its proficiency for neurogenesis. Neurogenesis is essentially the mapping and interconnecting of new pathways in the brain. What does this mean? Basically, it helps certain parts of your brain to communicate with others that wouldn’t normally be able to transmit to one another. There’s a reason that psilocybin and other psychedelics have been dubbed “fertilizer for your mind” because they seem to initiate verdant growth in our brains.
So, when you’re considering the substance of psilocybin itself, and you ask “are magic mushrooms addictive?”, the results seem to be negative. Nonetheless, the substance abuse factor is only one side of the addiction coin; what about becoming addicted to the behavioral changes, the psychedelic experiences brought on by magic mushrooms? Are psychedelic mushrooms addictive in terms of how they make you feel?
If you’ve never had a psychedelic experience before, you might be quick to say that all drug users are essentially addicts. This is a common stereotype in society towards anyone who experiments with substances outside the usual norms. Bias is rampant in today’s society – one person who habitually consumes prescription pills may refer to people who smoke cannabis for medicine in a negative light, while someone who suffers from depression and is wholly reliant on their antidepressants might criticize someone for consuming psychedelics. It is easy to fall into “choosing a side” in the debate over pharmaceuticals and natural, alternative medicines, but the risks of giving power to biases is that you might miss out on what’s really important: a long life of health and happiness. Both conventional medical practices and alternative natural health have the same goal in mind: your wellbeing. This is an important thing to remember, because it is often overlooked whenever the subject of “scientific vs natural” medicine comes up. You don’t have to choose one over the other, but we should instead combine the advantages that each has to offer.
If you are willing to look past the politics surrounding psychedelics these days, you will see that the pursuit of happiness, understanding the universe and a commitment to self-improvement are at the heart of most psychedelic experiences. Many people who turn to magic mushrooms do so because they’re struggling with trauma, seeking to enhance their cognitive abilities, or to explore philosophical or spiritual questions that they think are important. All of these examples depict personal journeys and individual discoveries – the crux of the matter of psychedelics is that they’re wholly unique to you and should not be decided upon by others.
Whenever you look to nature, if you’re perceptive to its beauty and ingenuity, you will notice that everything operates within an intricate balance. Even when we’re considering predators and prey, plants and animals, or even life and death as it pertains to the natural world, there is an unspoken understanding between these living beings on Earth. Nature can be chaotic, but in essence the very idea of “nature” is the concept of an unwritten balance between life and death, survival of one at the expense of the other. It seems like the more humankind distances itself from the natural world, the more we become frustrated or at odds with our own existence.
Psychedelics like psilocybin, being from the natural world, have imbued many open-minded people with a profound understanding of these kinds of concepts. Through hallucinations, introspective journeys, and a wide spectrum of spiritual experiences, many people have become enlightened about themselves, the world they live in, and their relationship to everything around them. Does this overarching theme of enlightenment seem like the kind of behavior that an addict would exhibit? Are shrooms addictive? For many experienced psychonauts, the answer to the idea of addiction is laughable, but it is easy to see how one might become a ‘very enthusiastic user’ of psilocybin if it brings about profound perceptions, self-awareness and satisfaction.
VERDICT: IS PSILOCYBIN ADDICTIVE?
In terms of addiction, psychedelics can be very enticing for a variety of reasons, but this does not mean they’re creating an absolute need or detrimental dependency in your system. Can you be addicted to happiness? Laughter? Would you call someone who continuously meditates “addicted to inner-peace & enlightenment” because they truly enjoy how it makes them feel? Framing these kinds of questions should hopefully make you realize that people who ask, “are psychedelics addictive?”, are focusing on the substance itself, and not the overall positive results that can be derived from compounds like psilocybin.
Too much of anything can lead to bad things, but if you’re talking about mental health, physical fitness and overall wellbeing, you can never have enough. Look into microdosing psilocybin today and determine if it’s the missing ingredient in your pursuit of a long and prosperous life.
Learn More:
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