red22
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2009
- Messages
- 2,057
Alcoholics Anonymous was built on LSD.
Its founder, Bill Wilson, said:
โ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐จ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ค๐๐ค๐ก๐๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐, ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง.โ
Yet for 65 years, AA denied it.
Hereโs the story they tried to bury
December 1934.
Bill Wilson lay dying in Towns Hospital, ravaged by alcoholism.
His doctor, Dr. Silkworth, uses a radical treatment to try to cure him.
High doses of the hallucinogen known as:
'Belladonna Cure' or Deadly Nightshade.
The experience changes Wilson.
He sees a blinding white light, and his ego disintegrates.
But something else happens that he didn't expect:
๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป.
Instead, he starts Alcoholics Anonymous.
By 1941, he has 2000 members.
Today, he has close to 3 million.
But his fascination with psychedelics was just beginning...
In 1956, at the age of 61, he goes deeper.
He steps into a LA Veterans Hospital, not as a patient, but as a researcher.
He takes 250 micrograms of LSD under controlled conditions.
His reaction?
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
He saw LSD as the key to Step 12, the spiritual awakening that transforms alcoholics.
Wilson pioneered what we now call "psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy."
He even spoke to famous researchers:
Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, Carl Jung.
And Jung told Wilson: "๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ค๐๐ค๐ก ๐๐จ ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ช๐๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ค๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ..."
Wilson understood immediately.
The solution to alcoholism wasn't abstinence...
๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
Just as his belladonna vision had shown him.
So Wilson decides to write a letter to AA:
He passionately explains:
"One session could accomplish what takes years of step work."
"This is the future of recovery."
The AA's board response?
๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
Too risky. Too controversial. Too "confusing" for the abstinence message.
The founder's core belief about enhanced recovery... banned by his own organization.
But Wilson never gave up privately.
He remained in active correspondence with psychedelic researchers and continued personal sessions until his death.
He died in 1971, believing his organization missed the revolution. And the sad truth?
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ.
Today, AA struggles with ~15% long-term success rates
Compare that to Wilson's method:
83% reduction in heavy drinking
80% significantly cut alcohol use.
59% success vs 38% traditional treatment
The numbers don't lie - Wilson was right.
Wilson saw the future of addiction treatment.
His organization chose:
Fear over innovation.
Dogma over evidence.
Ideology over lived experience.
One of the greatest 'what ifs' in medical history.
As psychedelic research advances, let's hope we don't make the same mistakes.
The question isn't whether psychedelics work for addiction.
It's why we've ignored the evidence for 90 years.
I genuinely believe psychedelics hold a lot of promise for addiction treatment and MUCH more.
It's time to:
- Recognize
- Destigmatize
- Decriminalize
Retweet if you agree!
@0xQuasark. twitter. 2025-09-10.
Its founder, Bill Wilson, said:
โ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐จ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ค๐๐ค๐ก๐๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐, ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง.โ
Yet for 65 years, AA denied it.
Hereโs the story they tried to bury
December 1934.
Bill Wilson lay dying in Towns Hospital, ravaged by alcoholism.
His doctor, Dr. Silkworth, uses a radical treatment to try to cure him.
High doses of the hallucinogen known as:
'Belladonna Cure' or Deadly Nightshade.
The experience changes Wilson.
He sees a blinding white light, and his ego disintegrates.
But something else happens that he didn't expect:
๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป.
Instead, he starts Alcoholics Anonymous.
By 1941, he has 2000 members.
Today, he has close to 3 million.
But his fascination with psychedelics was just beginning...
In 1956, at the age of 61, he goes deeper.
He steps into a LA Veterans Hospital, not as a patient, but as a researcher.
He takes 250 micrograms of LSD under controlled conditions.
His reaction?
๐ช๐ถ๐น๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
He saw LSD as the key to Step 12, the spiritual awakening that transforms alcoholics.
Wilson pioneered what we now call "psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy."
He even spoke to famous researchers:
Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, Carl Jung.
And Jung told Wilson: "๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ค๐๐ค๐ก ๐๐จ ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ช๐๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ค๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ..."
Wilson understood immediately.
The solution to alcoholism wasn't abstinence...
๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
Just as his belladonna vision had shown him.
So Wilson decides to write a letter to AA:
He passionately explains:
"One session could accomplish what takes years of step work."
"This is the future of recovery."
The AA's board response?
๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
Too risky. Too controversial. Too "confusing" for the abstinence message.
The founder's core belief about enhanced recovery... banned by his own organization.
But Wilson never gave up privately.
He remained in active correspondence with psychedelic researchers and continued personal sessions until his death.
He died in 1971, believing his organization missed the revolution. And the sad truth?
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ.
Today, AA struggles with ~15% long-term success rates
Compare that to Wilson's method:
83% reduction in heavy drinking
80% significantly cut alcohol use.
59% success vs 38% traditional treatment
The numbers don't lie - Wilson was right.
Wilson saw the future of addiction treatment.
His organization chose:
Fear over innovation.
Dogma over evidence.
Ideology over lived experience.
One of the greatest 'what ifs' in medical history.
As psychedelic research advances, let's hope we don't make the same mistakes.
The question isn't whether psychedelics work for addiction.
It's why we've ignored the evidence for 90 years.
I genuinely believe psychedelics hold a lot of promise for addiction treatment and MUCH more.
It's time to:
- Recognize
- Destigmatize
- Decriminalize
Retweet if you agree!
@0xQuasark. twitter. 2025-09-10.
