The substance misuse is the symptom, not the illness. The real condition was not caused by a syringe, tablet or bottle. Ibogaine may be useful as a temporary window of relief, but no hallucinogenic state can be a reliable foundation on which to undertake the level of earnest self-interrogation which is needed for sustainable recovery. We saw similar "miracle plants" (peyote, jimson weed) being advocated in the 1970s by the likes of Carlos Castaneda. We saw LSD being hailed as a wonder substance by Timothy Leary in the 1960s, with catastrophic effects. We have seen a plethora of antidepressants (including very dangerous ones) being celebrated in the past 20 years. Then came other herbal "miracles", and now comes Ibogaine. I think the pattern and its message is clear. These are temporary aids. But the only reliable medium for understanding one's own psychological responses to the world is one's own mind, the bravery to ask and answer painful questions, submission to moral values which are bigger and more compelling than oneself and - paradoxically - enough courage to be afraid of what would ensue if those values were dislodged. Healing is always in reach, rooted in the illness itself, not in pharma or remote botanical plants.