Ibogaine: An Alternative Approach to Addiction Treatment

Have you heard of Ibogaine?

Has your son or daughter tried numerous treatment programs with no success?

For this reason, Ibogaine may be reserved for dire-straits addicts, who are likely — without a successful intervention — to die prematurely from drug use or related violence.”

When you’re the parent of a child struggling with addiction, the desire to help your child can become desperate.

We want to do whatever we can to help them.

When it comes time for treatment, we want to make sure we’re making the right decision.

For those who’ve never dealt with substance abuse, finding the right treatment program can be difficult. From traditional 12-step programs to intensive inpatient addiction centers, deciding on the right treatment can be overwhelming.

It is very important to be open to all the options in front of you because no two people respond to treatment the same way. Traditional treatment is what most people are familiar with, so it often becomes the only option.

There are many alternatives, and taking some time to study them could prove helpful. One alternative most people have never heard of is called ibogaine treatment.

What is Ibogaine?

Ibogaine is one of the most powerful treatments for substance use. It has had unprecedented results when treating even the most serious of addictions. This is because Ibogaine is a powerful psychedelic. And, because it is not legal in the USA, you won’t find clinics near you that offer ibogaine treatment.

However, it is quickly becoming one of the most revered alternative addiction treatments you can find. It was discovered (quite accidentally) to treat addiction in the 1960s but has been used for centuries by native tribesmen in the Gabon and Congo regions of Africa both in rites of passage ceremonies and as a spiritual healer.

It is great at helping treat all kinds of addictions but has shown exemplary results when treating opiate addictions like heroin and prescription medications.

Treatment lasts about 12-24 hours and works on both a physical and a psychological level.

Physical Addiction

Ibogaine eliminates physical withdrawals. This is especially true of those addicted to heroin and other opiates. Ibogaine was discovered, accidentally, by a young heroin addict named Howard Lotsof in the 1960’s. He took Ibogaine as an adventurous youth, and after the experience was over, he realized he was no longer addicted to heroin.

It seemed almost impossible, so he had a few friends go through the same experience, and the results were the same–no heroin cravings or withdrawal. He spent the rest of his life studying this alternative treatment option.

For heroin and opiate addicts, once the Ibogaine wears off, the physical cravings and withdrawals are gone. This is usually the most challenging part of dealing with addiction, which is why Ibogaine has a much higher success rate than traditional rehabilitation centers.

And it does this while simultaneously taking the addict through a 12-hour psychedelic experience. Ibogaine might not be for everyone. However, it certainly works for some.

Psychological Addiction

Physical addiction is only one piece of the puzzle. Trauma and past life experiences often cause an addict to continue to use, even if they aren’t aware of these past traumas.

Notable addiction specialist Gabor Maté says it this way. “There’s a huge statistical and causative link between…trauma and the addiction. That’s not a theory. It’s just reality.”

Traditional drug treatments often cannot, or do not, address the emotional trauma that can lead to addiction. Ibogaine is not like these traditional treatments.

Because it is a psychedelic medicine, it takes the addict on a journey through the mind. Often, addicts find themselves faced with past trauma. Ibogaine helps the addict become more accepting of their past and allows the addict to find peace and the ability to move forward in an entirely new light.

Who Are the Best Candidates for Ibogaine?

While this certainly isn’t a treatment option that will work for everyone, it does have a general “type.”

Often, patients treated with Ibogaine have tried traditional treatment methods repeatedly and failed.

Others have tried to quit cold turkey and cannot seem to change. And, of course, some are dealing with past issues that continue to haunt them.

Whatever the case, clinics can offer patients medically supervised treatment where they can be monitored and kept in a safe environment. Take the time to study your options before making any drastic decisions about addiction treatment for you or your loved one.

Safety Concerns

As far as deaths are concerned, Ibogaine has certain risk factors. Deaths from Ibogaine have all but been eliminated because of prescreening. Those who have issues when taking Ibogaine have some health, usually a heart problem that causes this.

It is why other clinics and we do drug testing, EKG, heart screening, liver function testing, and monitor patients the entire time while they are taking Ibogaine. We don’t leave anything to chance here.

The risk of death from Ibogaine has all but been mitigated. We have treated well over 1,000 patients with no issues. I know many if not all, clinics down here in Mexico have a similar track record. The ones that had problems in the past had them because of a lack of prescreening and heart testing.

Aeden Smith-Ahearn is the treatment coordinator for Experience Ibogaine treatment center. After suffering from heroin addiction for years, Aeden and his family looked to Ibogaine treatment as their last hope. Now, years later, Aeden has helped hundreds of individuals find relief from their addiction through Ibogaine.

Have you had experience with Ibogaine? If so, please let us know about your experiences in the comments. 

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