The 12-step program Psychedelics in Recovery (PIR) is a lot like other fellowships geared toward recovery from addiction. What distinguishes it from organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous is its focus on the therapeutic use of psychedelics such as iboga and psilocybin.
PIR was co-founded by Dimitri M., who credits Ibogaine with helping him defeat a heroin addiction. Members of the group meet online twice a month. Many of the standard 12-step program practices, such as a moment of silence and a recitation of the serenity prayer, are observed. However, the discussions in these meetings center on the spiritual and/or curative aspects of psychedelic experiences.
PIR member Kevin F. told Rolling Stone that this organization does not promote the use of psychedelics. “We may even discourage some people,” he noted. “It’s a just a safe place to discuss the possibility of trying to incorporate psychedelic medicine into recovery.”
In many ways, PIR is following in the footsteps of its predecessors: As someone who received psychedelic therapy as treatment for depression, Bill Wilson, the co-founder of the first 12-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous, strongly believed in LSD as an aid to recovery from alcoholism. In particular, he felt that it could be incredibly helpful in bringing about spiritual experiences, which he considered essential to maintaining sobriety.
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