“Lotsof was addicted to heroin during the early years of his adulthood, but his life changed in 1962 when he ingested ibogaine, an extract from the West African shrub iboga (Tabernanthe Iboga, Apocynaceae). While iboga has been used by indigenous African tribes during ceremonies and to treat fatigue and hunger for many years, Lotsof was the first known person to attest to its effects on drug addiction.

About 36 hours after taking ibogaine, the psychoactive state it had induced began to wear off, and the heroin withdrawal symptoms Lotsof usually experienced were absent. While he once thought of heroin’s high as euphoric, he now saw it as an emulation of death. “I followed the tree up into the sky and I saw these clouds in the sky, and I realized for the first time in my life, I wasn’t afraid,” said Lotsof at a 2008 lecture. “And that brought me to the understanding that at least certain drug addiction is fear and anxiety driven, and that fear and anxiety were gone for the first time in my life.” “

The ayahuasca experience itself was amazing–I felt 100 times better afterwards, and that feeling of having been healed (2 months ago) hasn’t left me. I would definitely do it over again, though there was nothing remotely recreational about the experience. Let me be clear: if I had to make the same decision again, I’d still do it. I don’t feel I’ll ever do the drug again.

Also: not everyone in AA needs it. John, above, gives a great example of the party line, and he’s absolutely right–for him, there was no real reason to do it. But no amount of service, personal inventory, or “putting AA first” was helping me. Now, I have new respect for all of that conservative, by-the-book AA stuff. And I still think I made the right decision taking ayahuasca.

When my sponsor told me that in his eyes it was a relapse, I disagreed, but I cheerfully agreed to restart my day count and do AA his way because _I don’t want to drink._

This wasnt good enough for him.

What must he want, I asked myself? I asked if he was telling me he couldn’t sponsor me anymore. He said he could, but he didn’t think I could claim to have continuous sobriety. I told him, politely, that that was fine. The day count wasn’t that important to me, staying sober was important.

Eventually, it became clear what he wanted: he wanted me to regret drinking ayhyasca. Only then could I accept my powerlessness. How can I regret something that brought me healing and peace? What am I supposed to do, share in an AA meeting that relapsing is AWESOME? That I reccomend it to anyone? I don’t reccomend ayhuasca for everyone, and I wouldn’t reccomend drinking to anyone.

But unlike some of the commentors here, I have a different perspective. That thing, that nameless malady that ayhuasca healed in me _wasn’t alcoholism_. I had two different problems. The compulsion to drink I treat with AA. Ayhuasca was another part of my life altogether.

I’d really love to hear more about David S’s experience with being in AA after ayahuasca.

The physical and spiritual transformation in me over the past year and a half have been nothing short of remarkable. I have had spiritual experiences in AA, but nothing like what I experienced in Peru. Since returning from Peru I have a love or myself and others that is something I never thought myself capable of. I have changed my diet and stopped eating all the foods that were killing me.

Ayahuasca is not for everyone. I faced my fears and daemons that were so buried in me that no amount of inventory process could have revealed them. I still have the medical condition that first drove me to Peru but it does not define me as a person any more and I do not live in fear of the pain.

I only ask you to remember the last few lines of the appendix on Spiritual Experience in the book Alcoholics Anonymous it goes something like this…

There is one thing that that can’t fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance and act as a bar against all knowledge and understanding. That concept is contempt prior to investigation.

If they have a high success rate then of course they should, and all indications are that success rates are generally very high. As long as addicts are not just replacing one drug for another – and I don’t think there’s any indication they are because I’ve never heard of anyone becoming addicted to ayahuasca.

I’ve never been an addict myself but I do have a lot of experience with ayahuasca and it is certainly a remarkable healer. The vast majority of people who I know that have taken ayahuasca, whether they needed deep healing or not, will say that ayahuasca has had lasting lifechanging affects on them.

Also, the amazonian shaman/healers who use ayahuasca do not like it when people refer to ayahuasca as a drug, they like to call it a medicine. Ayahuasca is definitely not a drug in the way that most people understand the word (whether you’re talking about legal or illegal drugs).

As far as I’m aware scientists have not been able to determine why ayahuasca can heal anything. None of its chemical constituents are known for their healing properties. However, nobody who has taken it can deny the incredible healing nature of an ayahuasca experience. Ayahuasca means “vine of the soul” and it is without a doubt a spiritual medicine that heals and affects all levels of your Self – physical, mental ,emotional and spiritual. And of course I expect people to be sceptical of that, and most people usually are – until they try it for themselves.

Anyway, I would certainly recommend that people do their own research into how ayahuasca is being used to treat addictions and a wide variety of other illnesses. There’s quite a lot of information out there, it’s just a pity that not many people seem to know about it.

Takiwasi specializes in addiction treatment, and although they keep a low profile in town, everyone knows who they are. Several of the local people who have gone through treatment there have told me with no reservations that without the help of Takiwasi and ayahuasca they would not be alive today.

I think that by being giving a chance to overcome the addiction, having a skilled and caring support network, the personal commitment to put in the hard work, plus ayahuasca ceremonies is a great combination for beating addiction.

Ayahuasca is not an addictive drug, and with the violent vomiting and diarrhea it often causes it can not even be considered recreational. If an addict has not had success through conventional methods then ayahuasca or iboga or whatever else should be tried. The goal is to end the addiction, and if the solution happens to be a thousands of years old traditional medicine from the Amazon or Africa then so be it.

I have been in a 12 step process for 16 years now and have a few relapses after many years….6 then out,,,3 the out …1 then out and today I have 4.5 years.
I am very grounded in my spirituality and have done all the steps repeatedly.
I have also taken the pharmacopeia path 1 time for 6 months as I unraveled some bits of abuse during a structured therapy with a qualified therapist.

I have run into a few people who have had direct experience with ayuasca as a tool for spiritual connection.

I have been seeking to hear more direct experiences from those who are either alcoholic or addicted and have done the work.
Then have gone on to try this method.
I am thinking that I have a foundation in the 12 steps and other spiritual disciplines and this might something to consider.
Bill Wilson himself tried LSD in the middle of his 2 decade of sobriety as tool to overcome depression but I have not read too much more on his experience.
I sure would not want this to be considered a relapse, but I guess I would be the only one to make that decision.

Any feedback,guidance or thought from someone with direct experience would be very appreciated.
Thanks