Transcript LSD
LSD And its effects on the human body and mind. STEVEN WRIGHT On LSD • "If God dropped acid, would he see people?" LSD’s Other Names and how it is Taken LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is also known as • Acid, Kool-Aid, Looney tunes, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, microdots, panes, purple haze, sunshine, Just to name a few. • LSD is usually taken by mouth by licking it in its liquid form of swallowed in tablet form • In liquid form it can be licked off of any surface. Examples includebooks and postage stamps. Psychological Effects • people may hear sounds or noises that are not really there, while visual hallucinations may cause normal objects to be distorted or changed into frightening doppelgangers. Others may experience a slowing of time, or have out-of-body experiences, while other may feel as though they have achieved a higher level of understanding, while bad trips may make people feel intense fear, sadness and anxiety • Prevents the reuptake of Prevents the reuptake of serotonin The nerves in the brain become confused without a supply of this neurotransmitter and send out false signals that result in an LSD trip. A trip is an intense and very visual experience that occurs after taking the drug. Short Term Physiological Effects Nausea, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure. numbness, tremors and nausea/vomiting • Bad Trip Adverse and/or Long Term Health Effects • a growing tolerance to the drug, which disappears quickly after use of the drug is stopped, once it is there is prolonged anxiety and depression. • flashbacks (that is, short-lived, intense reexperiences of part of a previous trip) which can occur days or even months after the last dose has been taken, leading to disorientation, anxiety and distress How LSD Impairs the Ability to Make Logical Decisions Possibility of Physiological and Psychological Dependency • LSD has zero physical addiction potential. It is not physically addictive and • it is not a drug that you will want to immediately do again. This is not the type of drug where a user experiences withdrawal if another dose isn't ingested within a relatively short period of time. • However, as with many drugs, users can (and do) become psychologically dependent on LSD. Its pyrotechnic effects and dazzling high can become a distraction, perhaps even an escape from reality for some people. It can become very hard to function in "consensus reality" if you are taking LSD on a regular basis Overdose Complications and Possibility of Fatality • There have been no recorded deaths from an overdose on LSD • Possible to harm yourself because of irrational thoughts that may arise from using the drug. Famous Example of how an Acid Trip May Lead To Death of Injury The Statistics on LSD LSD Interesting Facts • Famous musicians such as The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix wrote songs about their experiences while taking LSD, most famously Lucy in the sky with Diamonds, and Purple Haze. • The CIA Operation MKULTRA, which was formed in the 1950s “to investigate whether and how it was possible to modify an individual’s behavior by covert means,” tested LSD on citizens and CIA operatives without their knowledge or consent. Bibliography • Ed. Barbara C. Bigelow (2006) UXL Encyclopedia of Drugs and Addictive Substances Detroit: UXL, 2006. P473-490. • Kasschau, R. (1995) Understanding Psychology: NY, NY: McGraw Hill. • LeVert, S. (2006). Drugs: The Facts about LSD and Other Hallucinogens. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish.