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Why People are Replacing Alcohol with Magic Mushrooms: Drinking vs Microdosing
Alcohol is on the way out and magic mushrooms are stepping in to take its place. The world is over the hangovers, next-day dread, terrible decision making, and overly emotional episodes of alcohol. Instead, they’re embracing the magic of magic mushrooms: better mood, less anxiety, more creativity, extra energy, more focus, and zero hangover (people actually feel better the day after dosing).
Intrigued? Keep reading to learn more about why people are replacing alcohol with psilocybin (the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms) including:
Alcohol is a depressant that slows down brain function and disrupts its communication pathways. That blurred vision, slurred words, and lowered inhibitions? That’s the alcohol interfering with your occipital lobe, temporal lobe, and frontal lobe. Put simply, your brain isn’t working right after a few drinks.
And if your memory of last night is hazy, it’s because your hippocampus (the part of your brain responsible for forming new memories) couldn’t function properly with too much alcohol.
Our liver can metabolize 1 ounce of alcohol per hour. The feeling of being tipsy or drunk happens when we drink more alcohol than our liver can keep up with. Suddenly your balance is off, your judgment is skewed, and those regrettable late night texts start flying.
Regular heavy drinking can cause your brain tissue to shrink and your brain cells to die, leading to lowered brain function overall. In terms of mood, while those first few drinks boost dopamine levels, long-term drinking depletes both dopamine and serotonin, leading to consistent low mood and anxiety. It’s also why the urge arises to drink more or drink again – you want to regain those fleeting dopamine-fueled warm-fuzzies.
Psilocybin, unlike alcohol, is a brain healer. It targets serotonin receptors, lifting mood, enhancing brain connectivity, and boosting neuroplasticity—your brain’s ability to adapt and learn. It reduces activity in the fear center (the amygdala), and quite literally rewires the brain.
Psilocybin’s brain rewiring magic is being studied extensively and has been approved as a breakthrough treatment for depression, and has shown incredible promise in treating PTSD, ADD & ADHD, chronic pain, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.
In the end, alcohol and psilocybin paint two very different pictures in the brain. While one disrupts and diminishes, the other heals and enhances.
When it comes to alcohol, it’s like you on your least sharp, clumsiest, most overshare-y day. It muddles your judgment, slows your motor skills, and lowers your inhibitions. Say goodbye to clear vision, clear thinking, and restful sleep, and hello to hangovers—especially if you’re over 30, where recovery might feel like it takes an eternity. If you know, you know!
At a microdose level, psilocybin makes you feel calm, connected, more perceptive, extra aware of your surroundings, and more content. This is a sub-perceptual dose so you won’t feel impaired or high, just slightly elevated – like your best self.
Psilocybin at high macro doses can cause hallucinations, spiritual experiences, deep introspections, decreased motor function, feeling of greater connection, and an altered sense of time and place. Everyone’s experience is different, but experienced psychonauts agree that whether it’s a euphoric or difficult trip, the mushrooms are giving you/showing you what you need in order to heal.
A psilocybin journey, with the right set and setting, can be incredibly powerful to release past traumas, change unhelpful thought patterns, resolve emotional blocks, and change the way you see yourself and your life. Psychedelic therapy, the process of using psilocybin alongside talk therapy, is another powerful tool to boost psilocybin’s psychological effects.
Alcohol has a very high rate of addiction and when abused, can result in liver disease, brain damage, depression, and cardiovascular issues. Alcohol overdoses and alcohol withdrawal can both be fatal.
Psilocybin is considered non-addictive, has little to no known side effects, and has a very low risk of overdose. It isn’t recommended for those with schizophrenia or psychosis, however.
Psilocybin offers healing, not harm. Imagine the uplifting feeling of those first few drinks, but without the hangover, liver damage, or fuzzy brain. No poor choices. No extra calories. Just clarity.
Microdosing means taking a tiny, sub-perceptual dose. You won’t feel “high,” just more connected, content, and calm – ready to socialize as the best version of yourself.
NYU’s Center for Psychedelic Medicine conducted a rigorous study with 93 heavy drinkers who each consumed 7 or more drinks nightly.
Participants underwent two sessions a month apart, using either a psilocybin capsule or a hallucinogenic antihistamine, paired with 12 psychotherapy sessions. Following the classic set and setting guidelines, they laid down, eyes covered, and listened to journey-specific music during their trip.
Eight months later, nearly half of the psilocybin group had quit drinking entirely, and the rest of the group were drinking only 1 in 10 days compared to their daily binges before.
And it’s not just drinking – in a smoking cessation study using psilocybin, 67% of the long-term heavy smokers quit for good, even a year later. And 86.7% of the participants rated their psilocybin journeys as “one of the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives”. Definitely a trip worth taking.
On a physical level, researchers believe psilocybin can rewire the brain’s neural networks linked to addiction. It helps people break free from unhealthy thought patterns, stop overthinking, and view themselves and the world with fresh eyes.
Psilocybin allows more regions in the brain to communicate with each other, leading to mental connections and insights that wouldn’t occur in our usual thinking mode. It essentially shakes us out of our limited perspective, broadening our view to a new, broader, more balanced, less biased, and more positive perspective.
While psilocybin’s brain rewiring power is incredible, it’s only part of the magic: researchers found that “greater mystical experience was associated with greater therapeutic change”, meaning the spiritual experiences of psilocybin play an important role in healing addiction and all sorts of other mental health conditions.
Then, after the journey ends, psilocybin enhances neuroplasticity for months, giving participants a valuable window to reshape their thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors with a more adaptable brain.
Many of our community members have replaced alcohol with microdosing and love the effects they feel. Most report feeling more connected to others, more comfortable in their own skin, gratitude for the little things, a happy but calm energy, and overall ease in the mind and body.
We have four blends to choose from, depending on what you’re looking for in a microdose formula:
Lite Brite – Our most popular microdose blend, Lite Brite is formulated with psilocybin, passionflower, CBD, and ashwanghanda to boost your mood, reduce anxiety, and improve your sleep.
Connect Four – Inspired by the Stamets Stack, this blend is created to enhance cognitive function, boost memory and focus, and promote neurogenesis
View master – A blend of functional and magic mushrooms created to enhance productivity and focus.
Boomerang – Formulated to enhance performance and endurance, and support physical activity.
Read our in-depth guide to microdosing for more on picking your dosage amount and schedule, setting intentions, and getting the most out of your microdose experience.
If you’re ready for a powerful ceremony at a higher dose, try our ceremonial-grade Cacao Star Bar, handcrafted in Canada with sustainable golden teacher magic mushrooms and cacao sourced from an eco-forest in Guatemala. One square equals a microdose and the entire bar will take you on a full psychedelic journey.
Only undertake a high-dose journey under the supervision of an experienced facilitator or psychedelic therapist. Review our Guide to Macrodosing for more info on the preparation, journey, and post-ceremony integration.
