Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens are bad newsLSD, aka acid, is probably the most well known of the hallucinogens. During the 1960’s psychedelic art and music was inspired by the experience of these drugs. LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) causes a disruption in the communication between nerve cells in the brain and the neurotransmitter serotonin.Serotonin works to regulate behavioral, perception and interacts with the body’s regulatory system which effects: hunger, mood, temperature, sensory perception and muscle control.Users use LSD to see colors and images of things that are not real. They may hear sounds and feel things. LSD, discovered in 1938, can produce rapid and intense emotional changes.
Health HazardsPart of the drug terminology has been “bad trip” describing the sometimes frightening and disturbing sounds and images a user experiences while under the influence of LSD, or similar drugs. These drugs are not required to have a “bad trip”, you can have a “bad trip” the first time you try it.The experience of the user is directly related to their personality and expectations and the circumstances under which the drug is taken, making Hallucinogens rather unpredictable. Unlike many other drugs which produce almost instantaneous results, users will not realize any effect until 30-60 minutes after taking the drug.Under the influence, depending on the amount they take, users may have rapid emotional swings, feeling several different things at once. Delusions can be experienced and visual hallucinations. Hallucinogens can cause severe mental problems.Senses may get distorted and confused, as the user may hear a color, or see a sound. The user might “freak out” as fear and panic set in. The emotional signs are more observable, but there are also physical signs. Dilated pupils, rapid or increased heart rate, dry mouth, loss of appetite, increased blood pressure, tremors, sweating are all common possibilities.No One Wants a “Bad Trip”The “trip” the user takes on Hallucinogens may last 12 hours of more, making the “bad trip” a terrifying experience. Feelings of despair, fear of dying, insanity are triggered. The safety of the user becomes an issue, as they can have accidents, which are sometimes fatal.Another negative by-product of the drug is that users, both chronic and occasional, can experience flashbacks, even long after they have taken the drug. These lingering effects of Hallucinogens use can be problematic. Flashbacks happen without warning and come on suddenly. Users have reported that flashbacks can happen months or even a year after a Hallucinogenic trip.More Bad ConsequencesThe bad consequences don’t stop there. Use of the drug can contribute to depression or schizophrenia. Although Hallucinogens is not considered addictive, it can, like other drugs, produce tolerance in the user. They may not have the same craving, but users who continue to take the drug need higher doses to produce the same effect. For the reasons we outlined above, this makes any continued use of Hallucinogens very dangerous.Drug-induced EnlightenmentI remember the 1960’s, those years when America transitioned from “Leave It To Beaver” to Hippies, from being earthbound to walking on the moon. We banned prayer from public schools, escalated an unpopular war and developed a pocket calculator. America was stretching itself beyond the traditional and ushered in was an era of drugs, sex and rock ‘n roll. One of the pop gurus of the time was Dr. Timothy Leary (1920-1996), whose search for enlightenment led him to hallucinogenic drugs, such as LSD and other hallucinogens.Wikepedia.com describes him as an “advocate of psychedelic drug research and use, and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space. An icon of 1960s counterculture, Leary is most famous as a proponent of the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of LSD and other hallucinogens. He coined and popularized the catch phrase ‘Turn on, tune in, drop out.'” America had endured World War II, followed closely by the Korean Conflict and, of course, the Vietnam War. We were living in the “Cold War” period, and many of the youth of the 1960’s remember the emergency drills in school, when we were instructed to crawl under our desks and cover our heads in case of a nuclear attack. Young people were looking for meaning to all of the craziness. Psychedelic drugs and other hallucinogens were Leary’s answer to expanding and learning about the mind and psychology.Leary believed that the use of these drugs, in the right dosage and in the right setting, would be beneficial in finding a better treatment for alcoholism even a way to treat and rehabilitate criminals. However, he did have a caveat.For the most part, America wasn’t concerned about any medical research, but young people did interpret Leary’s ideas as a green light to take recreational trips on LSD and other psychedelics. “Can I get off on this,” was a common question of the day. Kids wanted to escape the realities of the world and a horrible Asian war. They searched for God, for meaning, for a new experience.Leary founded the League for Spiritual Discovery in 1966. This was a religion, based on the use of LSD. What Leary was really trying to do was prevent the inevitable declaration of LSD as an illegal drug. Leary thought that he could protect his use of the drug by calling it a religious practice, using freedom of religion as his primary reasoning. His organization was formed in September, but LSD and other hallucinogens were declared illegal in October. Leary would later encourage people to start their own religion.Couldn’t Accept His Own LimitationsI have an appreciation for Leary, mainly because of his academic brilliance and industrious drive. What he may not have been able to accept was his own limitations as a finite being. That search for what is beyond, for enlightenment, or the desire to escape the human condition, is something I believe we can only accomplish by being in relationship with God. From this existence, through death of the body, the finite becomes eternal, the limitations are removed and we bask in the pure light of the Almighty Creator. Perhaps Leary believed LSD and other hallucinogens gave him a glimpse of God’s glory.That yearning, that search for something more is part of being human. The vast majority of people look for that fulfillment outside of a relationship with God. People look for meaning and purpose in their profession, their possessions and their standing in the community. Commonly, People abuse drugs to escapePeople abuse drugs to escape, either not understanding or not wanting to consider the answer that God so freely wants to provide. Take this pill, make more money and you’ll be happy. When we turn away from God’s answers, we gravitate to non-productive, deadly human alternatives. In the search for enlightenment, we miss it. That is the tragedy of Timothy Leary.That is also the tragedy of getting addicted to LSD and other hallucinogens.For more about Hallucinogens link to Books
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