Is Ayahuasca an Option for the Treatment of Crack Cocaine Dependence?

ABSTRACT

The low efficacy of crack cocaine addiction treatment available in Brazil has led Brazilian users to find alternatives to reduce drug consumption or even to reach abstinence. One of them is the use of entheogenic substances, like ayahuasca, an infusion obtained from two native plant species from the Amazon. The present report aimed to understand how crack cocaine users recover from drug addiction by consuming ayahuasca tea in a religious context. This is a qualitative study with a purposeful sample of 40 crack cocaine users, based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants reported that ayahuasca allowed them to access a consciousness dimension which enabled them to solve problems and traumas and reduce crack cocaine consumption. The religious ceremony increased the user’s spirituality and the reception from the community gave them a sense of self-esteem, strengthening them in an emotional and social way. That positive experience has been incorporated into the daily routine of most participants. Findings indicate that ayahuasca, in a religious context, may have therapeutic value for crack cocaine dependence treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Ayahuasca
• crack cocaine dependence
• crack cocaine user
• entheogenic substances
• treatment

Additional information

Funding

We thank FAPESP (Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo) for the master fellowship granted to the first author, Joselaine Ida Cruz.