Hallucinogens

8 . hallucinogens

Types of hallucinogens:

L S D (ACID) is one of the most common hallucinogens. It is the longest-acting of the hallucinogens; the drug remains active in the body for up to 12 hours. The physical effects of LSD include numbness, muscle weakness, trembling, and often nausea. Slight bodily pain is also common. Despite widespread rumours, LSD is not stored in the spinal fluid for months, and does not remain hidden in any organ. It also does not cause long-term damage to the brain. Short-term side effects are tolerance and exhaustion. However, there are definite risks involved with taking LSD. People who are on acid experience things not as they really are, including visions, sounds, and feelings. Therefore, driving, swimming, and any other activity which requires a grasp on reality can be potentially hazardous and/or life threatening. Another unpleasant effect of taking LSD is the high state of anxiety and isolation one might develop while using (often called a “bad trip”).

P H E N C Y C L I D I N E (PCP/ANGELDUST) & K E T A M I N E (SPECIALK) are frequently taken for the euphoria and stimulation they produce. At the same time, they also cause a drunken-like state in their users, characterized by poor coordination, slurred speech, and drowsiness. At higher doses, it leads to a detachment from one’s environment, often noticed as a consistent blank stare. PCP users frequently find themselves in trouble with the law as a result of their poor reflexes and judgement, and general state of agitation. P S I L O C Y B I N (MAGICMUSHROOMS) has very similar, although slightly milder effects as those of LSD. As with LSD, the most negative effects caused by mushrooms are the intense feelings of anxiety and/or depression that sometimes develop while using.

HALLUCINATION:an experience involving the apparent perception of something not present.

Hallucinogens are drugs that drastically alter one’s thought processes, mood, and perceptions. At high doses, these drugs cause users to perceive an experience as actually happening when, in fact, it is not. At lower doses, they cause milder distortions in perception, thought, and emotion, but not imagined events. The experience is determined by the user’s previous drug experience, expectations, and the context in which the drug is taken, as well as the amount of the dose.

S I was at a party when a good friend of mine took ketamine. At first she seemed kind of dizzy and disconnected, then really into the music and kind of in her own world, and then really anxious and seemingly weirded out. I think she might have taken too much because she said that she was really nauseous and was on the verge of throwing up. After it was over, she said she would never take it again; it was too powerful and strange.