CEO and co-founder of ATAI Life Sciences, Florian Brand explains why one psychedelic medicine might provide the key to fighting opioid addiction.
Opioids
No one wakes up one day and decides to become opioid dependent. You might have been warned against the risks - aware that there’s a chance of developing a tolerance or dependence on the drugs. At the start they block the pain and release that feel-good rush of dopamine in your brain, helping you function and go about daily life. But, after a while, that impulse - for a rush, for relief, for a shift in consciousness - can become all-consuming. What starts as a way to relieve stress and pain can become a full-blown dependency, or opioid use disorder (OUD).
Treatment options are limited. In 2018 alone, 2.1 million Americans met the diagnostic criteria for OUD. 47,600 people died from opioid overdoses.