Chapter 15 From the roots up: Ibogaine and addict self-help

Abstract

Publisher Summary The chapter offers information on the formation of International Addict Self-Help (INTASH), the introduction of ibogaine in the addict self-help scene in Holland, and the contribution of the addict self-help movement to the development of ibogaine treatment. The chapter also describes the INTASH intake, treatment, and aftercare procedures and the importance of addict self-help involvement in future developments with the clinical use of ibogaine. Ibogaine was introduced to the addict community in 1990 by Howard Lots of and Bob Sisko from the International Coalition for Addict Self Help (ICASH). The late Nico Adriaans, Josien Harms, and others formed an informal organization, Dutch Addict Self Help (DASH), which today is called “INTASH,” to treat addicts with ibogaine. INTASH performed four initial treatments with ibogaine on opiate-dependent poly-drug users, some of whom had been in methadone maintenance programs for many years. The successful results of these treatments were impressive. The goal of the self-help organization was to provide treatment with ibogaine in a nonjudgmental and trusting environment. A clinical argument can be made that ibogaine is safer and more effective than ultra-rapid detoxification with naltrexone or naloxoneIbogaine already is available in the currently existing international black market where it is being bought and sold in the streets and used without the proper medical screening and attention that is needed, which can lead to possibly hazardous situations.