Psychedelics that are effective for alleviating substance abuse, notably ibogaine and ayahuasca, are not usually seen as addictive, but unfortunately our culture criminalizes substances that produce non-ordinary states of consciousness. On the other hand, ketamine has been used in the treatment of heroin addiction and alcoholism but is also the most addictive of all the psychedelics. Ketamine can bring repressed psychic material to light for purposes of integration but can also provide a reliable escape from biography, this world and the body, for those who seek such escape. People can too easily delude themselves into thinking that the unusual nature of ketamine’s disembodied consciousness invariably offers a deeper, more spiritual experience, which is possible but unlikely if used for purposes of escape. The idea that psychedelics can be helpful in combating drug abuse is in opposition to the notion that psychedelic drug use is inherently wrong. Instead, it supports the idea that problems related to drug use have more to do with how the drug is used, who uses it, and for what reasons, rather than the drug itself. This volume will contribute to legitimizing the field of psychedelic substance abuse treatment research in the hopes that eventually funding agencies such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism will feel comfortable supporting this research. This will happen only once we have honest drug education where we can show that psychedelics, like other drugs, have both benefits and risks.