Underground Ibogaine treatment and drug user activism by Dimitri Mobengo Mugianis/TITLE> <META name="title" content="Underground Ibogaine treatment and drug user activism by Dimitri Mobengo Mugianis"> <META name="description" content="Abstract presented during the ibogaine session in Barcelona, Spain in May 2008, on Monday, May 12th during the International Harm Reduction's (IHRA) 19th Conference by Dimitri Mobenggo Mugianis."> <META name="keywords" content="ibogaine, Dimitri Mobengo Mugianis, ibogaine conference, International Harm Reduction, 19th International Conference, IHRA, RAI, Recursos dÕAnimaci— Intercultural, Howard Lotsof, Dora Weiner Foundation, Bwiti, Dimitri Mobengo Mugianis, Alex Wodak, Alonso Perez, Ibogaine Association, Daba Beal, Cures Not Wars, Ben de Loenen, Ibogaine: Rite of Passage, Ibogaine therapy, addiction, dependence, treatment, opiate, opiate dependence, chemical dependence, ibogaine art, iboga alkaloids"> <META name="robots" content="index, follow"> <META name="contact" content="ibogaine@desk.nl"> <META name="homepage" content="http://www.ibogaine.org, http://www.ibogaine.desk.nl">  </head> <body> <center><h1>Underground Ibogaine treatment and drug user activism</h1></center> <blockquote> <align="left"><h3> Abstract # 397 - 6PM - Session 2</a> <align="left"><h3>Author(s): Dimitri Mugianis</h3> <align="left"><h3>Presenter: Dimitri Mugianis </h3> <p> Ibogaine, an alkaloid derived from the Iboga plant indigenous to Western Africa, is an entheogen whose ingestion produces a dreamlike state. In 1962, Ibogaine was found to eliminate withdrawal symptoms and subsequent cravings among a group of heroin users. Clinical and pre-clinical studies have since validated Ibogaine's ability to attenuate opioid withdrawal symptoms and reduce the use of opiates, cocaine, alcohol and nicotine. </p> <p>Ibogaine treatment, which involves administering the drug in a single session, is available in a number of clinics throughout the world, though it is illegal in the United States. In the U.S., an activist treatment community has arisen which offers users an alternative to other treatment modalities, including opioid maintenance-based approaches that demand adherence to rigid institutional guidelines that translate into mechanisms of social control. </p> <p> Our organization, Freedomroot, comprised of current and former drug users, has conducted approximately 200 Ibogaine treatments. We are self-supporting and the cost of treatment varies according to each individual's ability to pay. We reach out to drug users through street outreach, user social networks and the internet, informing users of the availability of Ibogaine treatment. We conduct treatments in homes, hotel rooms and other non-conventional settings. Pre-treatment assessment includes current drug use, medical and mental health history, liver panel and EKG. </p> <p>Abstinence is not always the goal of Ibogaine treatment. For example, Ibogaine has been used as a means of reducing tolerance to opioids. Other noted effects include engaging in safer and/or reduced drug use, improved self-care and psychological healing from past traumas. Beneficial effects of treatment are often attributed by the user to the content of the entheogenic experience. Ibogaine treatment, discovered and actualized by users for users, is a prototypical example of user self-empowerment and activism, particularly when delivered using a, underground, peer-driven model. </p> </blockquote> <center> <p> <input type="button" value="Close this window" onclick="self.close()"> </p> </center> </BODY> </HTML>