Substance Abuse - LSD and other Hallucinogens
LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide )was first synthesized in 1938 and was thought to be useful in the treatment of schizophrenia. It was developed from lysergic acid which is an ingredient of the fungus Ergot.
Some news stories indicated that it may have been employed by government researchers in their studies of human behavior involving the military. It gained currency quite widely during the 1960s through the work of the noted psychologist Timothy Leary.
It was then employed primarily as an aid in the protest demonstrations of the period which focused on the Vietnam War and the free love movement. LSD was prominently involved during the celebrated rock music festival at Woodstock, New York .
Otherwise referred to as "acid", LSD was extensively used during the sixties and seventies in higher doses than today. Its use has increased recently and it still carries significant risks particularly as regards both long and short term mental and emotional stability. It is typically ingested orally in both tablet and liquid forms. It may also be ingested from small pieces or patches of absorbent paper.
Some of the commonly observed physical effects include tremors, increases in body temperature and heart rate, dilated pupils, dry mouth and sleeplessness. Much more alarming, however, are the behavioral effects which include hallucinations, blurring and confusion of the senses ("hearing colors" or "seeing music"), severe mood swings and loss of ability to stay in contact with events occurring in the real world.
An especially dramatic effect has been observed in some users - an acute panic state which may cause abrupt flight from the user's location and result in exposure to severe danger (for example, running across a highway). Related effects include "flashbacks" or partial re experiences of "trips" long after LSD use has ended and "trails" or perceptual anomalies directly traceable to past "acid" experiences.
Most of these effects will clear spontaneously but in some instances have been known to result in severe and prolonged mental conditions.
LSD is not considered addictive in the sense that it produces severe cravings for continued use.
Other Hallucinogens
These include Psilocybin and Psilocin both of which are derived from mushrooms (hence the popular street name, "shrooms"). They produce effects similar to those of LSD although they are not as long lasting.
The use of LSD and the other hallucinogens is detectable through urine analysisCopyright 2004-2008 S&T US LLC
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