Microdosing as an Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages are legal for adults over 21 in the US and many parts of the world. The use of alcohol is an integral part of many cultures today. It is widely consumed in conventional social gatherings and even business interactions. People also consume alcohol to help them relax.

Despite the wide use of alcohol in many parts of the world, it’s still a substance of abuse. Even the conventional use of alcohol has the potential to create substance use disorder or other physical dependence syndromes. There are many diseases that are linked to chronic alcohol use.

In 2017, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) gave the following statistics:

  • Over 16 million people above 18 agree to heavy alcohol use within the previous month
  • Over 65 million people above 18 agree to have had binge drinking episodes over the past months
  • Over 138 million people above 18 agreed to use alcohol before the survey they performed

Also, the level that generally defines heavy drinking shows that men should limit their weekly alcohol intake to less than 15 alcoholic drinks. For women, the limit should be less than 8 drinks a week. Binge drinking can cause a lot of serious issues in both men and women.

Fortunately, there are many alternatives for people who want to stop abusing alcohol. However, it’s worth noting that there aren’t any legal substitutes for alcohol. Currently available substances don’t produce the same type of intoxication produced by alcohol, which is what most people seek.

Nonalcoholic or Reduced Alcoholic Beverages

Today, there are many beverages with reduced alcohol content. Examples include sparkling juices and beer. People widely use these beverages as alcohol replacements. In different social activities today, you’ll find them in wide applications.

Beverages generally vary in the among of alcohol they contain. For example, sparkling juice doesn’t contain alcohol, while beer has little amount of alcohol in them. While they are considered substitutes, there are many people that don’t consider them a substitute. This is because these options don’t produce the alcohol sensation.

Addiction professionals generally frown against the use of alcohol, even in a small amount. Someone recovering from alcohol use disorder, the person is also expected to avoid consuming alcohol.

Fortunately, there are other options to consider. Here are some other great alcohol replacement options:

  • People use many mineral drinks of water and sparkling water options in place of alcohol.
  • Plain club soda is also an option
  • People usually take nonalcoholic mixed drinks with the tastes of certain cocktails
  • Soda, coffee, and juice are also great alternatives to alcohol.

For someone who is recovering from alcohol use disorder, these are great options for them to use.

Practical Alternative to Alcohol for the Relaxation Feelings

People use alcohol to handle daily stress or to relax. The social use of alcohol helps to provide stress relief via its mechanism of action. It basically affects the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid. The result of the action is a reduction in the levels of excitatory neurotransmitters.

A lot of people drink large quantities of alcohol to reduce daily stress. However, people with a history of alcohol use disorder are advised against using alcohol for any reason. Reports from the book Stress Reduction and Prevention shows that people who want to replace alcohol use have many alternatives.

Some of the practical alternatives you can apply to include the following:

  • Socialize with friends, sleep well, and learn time management as an option for mental stress reduction.
  • Learn breathwork exercises
  • Exercise is a great option to consider
  • Progressive muscle relaxation is also helpful

Microdosing as Alcohol Replacement

The sober life is increasingly becoming the lifestyle that people choose in recent times. However, becoming sober has always been a challenge for many. Today, it’s now easier, cooler, and even mainstream.

As mentioned earlier, alcohol use leaves many with serious medical conditions. The good news is that research shows that psychoactive substances help people reduce alcohol dependence.

Treatment of Alcohol Dependence

A placebo-controlled clinical trial was recently published. This study answers many questions about the use of psilocybin and its potential for treating alcohol dependence. The study had 93 participants and 12 therapy sessions. Some of the participants were given 2 doses of psilocybin and 2 doses of antihistamines.

The results showed that 51% of the antihistamine group reduced their drinking, while 83% of the psilocybin group reduced their drinking.

Today, the two main psychoactive substances used in mitigating alcohol dependence are psilocybin and LSD. The studies generally show that these substances work via the Default Mode Network and Task Positive Network.

While further studies are required to fully support the use of psilocybin and LSD as alcohol replacements, currently available research and reports from people show that they are effective options.

Other Medications as Alcohol Replacement

Alcohol is a CNS depressant, and it works by slowing down the neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There are many other CND depressants that have a similar effect to alcohol, and they include:

  • Barbiturates like secobarbital
  • Benzodiazepines like diazepam
  • Opioids like acetaminophen
  • Muscle relaxants

However, using these substances for recreational purposes is prohibited because most of these substances are controlled. This means you need a physician’s prescription to use these substances. Another thing to note is that using any of these substances means you are going from one substance of abuse to another.

Conclusion

Psychedelic substances remain the most promising option that people use as alcohol replacement. However, there are still questions about how to measure the perfect psychedelic dose to use. Some people recommend ceremonial doses with a trip sitter. Also, microdosing routines are widely applied, and many reports show that it’s an effective option.

Psilocybin is one of the main psychedelic substances that people use. Visit Microdose Bros blog to learn more about psilocybin and its effectiveness on mental health conditions and alcohol use disorder. You can also buy magic truffles at our Microdose Bros store. We ship discreetly in Europe.