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The Effects of Hallucinogenic Drugs on The Brain
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The Effects of Hallucinogenic Drugs on The Brain
Alicia Ebbitt
Hallucinnogenic Drugs alter a person's perceptions of reality and may cause hallucinations and other alterations of the senses. Drugs classified as hallucinogens include: LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetime(DOM), N,N-dimethyltrptamine(DMT), psilocin, and mescaline. There are two aspects of these drugs that classify then as hallucinogens. They all have common side effects, including distortion of sensory perception, and other psychic and somatic effects. These drugs also exhibit cross-tolerance. This means that a user of hallucinogenic drugs develops a higher tolerance to hallucinogens, the more they are used and the shorter the time span is between the last usage.Hallucinogenic drugs have been used throughout history for a number of reasons. They have been used as medicinal agents as well as having served religious purposes. Hallucinogens such as mescaline have been used in Native American ritual ceremonies. There was extensive usage of hallucinogens in the 60's and 70's as part of the counter- culture hippie movement. During the "acid tests" of this era, hallucinogenic drugs were used for mind exploration (B.L. Jacobs, "How Hallucinogenic Drugs Work").
Hallucinogenic drugs cause both physical and psychological effects on humans. The physical effects of these drugs include: dilated pupils, elevated body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, appetite loss, sleeplessness, tremors, headaches, nausea, sweating, heart palpitations, blurring of vision, memory loss, trembling, and itching. A user of hallucinogenic drugs will also experience a number of psychological alterations in the brain. These drugs may cause hallucinations and illusions as well, as the amplification of sense, and the alterations of thinking and self-awareness. It is quite possible to have a bad reaction to hallucinogenic drugs. This is referred to as a "bad trip" and may cause panic, confusion, suspicion, anxiety, and loss of control. The long-term effects of these drugs can be quite dangerous. These long-term effects may include: flashbacks, mood swings, impaired thinking, unexpected outbursts of violence and eventually possibly depression that may lead to death or suicide.
Quite a lot of interest concerning hallucinogens has been generated by neurobiologists and other scientists. The effects that hallucinogenic drugs have on the brain are quite complicated and very interesting. Many users of hallucinogenic drugs have experienced whole personality changes which raises questions about the relationship between brain and behavior. Scientists are also curious as to how total alterations of the senses can occur as the result of hallucinogen usage. Many people that have used hallucinogens claim to have "seen sounds" or "heard colors". Scientists ask questions such as: How can a person under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs see things that aren't there? or How do flashbacks work? Another aspect of hallucinogenic drugs that interests scientists is that they are psychomimetic meaning that they mimic certain aspects of psychosis. Through the use of hallucinogenic drugs, one can induce temporary symptoms of psychosis.
As a result of the great interest in hallucinogens, many years of research have been done to try and determine exactly how the brain is affected by these drugs. Scientists have tried to determine if there is a specific site in the brain where hallucinogens act. This has been difficult to determine. Scientists still are unable to answer all questions about hallucinogenic drugs. However they have been able to determine certain areas of the brain that these drugs do act upon.
Early on in the reasearch on hallucinogens, it was determined that hallucinogenic drugs structurally resemble serotonin (5-HT) Serotonin is found in specific neurons in the brain that mediate chemical neurotransmission in the brain. Neurons containing serotonin can be found in the brain stem section of the brain. Axons of serotonergic neurons project to almost every part of the brain, affecting and communicating with all sections of the brain. Serotonin also acts at many receptor areas of neurons. Because hallucinogenic drugs are structurally similar to serotonin, it was theorized that hallucinogenic drugs may act upon serotonergic neurons (B.L. Jacobs, "How Hallucinogenic Drugs Work").
Scientists began to carefully study the serotonin system and found out that hallucinogens do in fact have some kind of effect on serotonin. Hallucinogenic drugs cause an increase in the level of brain serotonin, but they inhibit the rapid firing of neurons containing serotonin. This is a negative feedback system in which as the serotonin level rises, the activity of serotonergic neurons decreases. It was originally theorized that this effect of hallucinogenic drugs directly caused sense alteration and hallucinations. Several observations however have shown this theory not to be true. These observations include the following: Low doses of LSD effect behavior, but do not depress firing of serotonergic neurons, The behavioral effects of LSD outlast the alteration of the firing of the serotonergic neurons, Repeated dosage of LSD results in a decrease of behavioral changes, but still effects neuron firing, Other hallucinogens do not affect serotonergic neurons, When serotonin levels are depleted, the effectiveness of LSD is not eliminated (Ian Leicht, "Postulated Mechanisms of LSD").
It has now been determined that the effects of hallucinogenic drugs are actually caused by the effects that hallucinogenic drugs have on the post-synaptic activity of serotonergic neurons. Hallucinogenic drugs directly affect the serotonin receptors(specifically the serotonin receptor subtype, 5-HT2), which is what eventually results in a complex pattern of action potentials and activity. This was proven by the fact that the depletion of serotonin levels in animals does not result in a decrease of behavioral effects caused by hallucinogenic drugs (B.L. Jacobs, "How Hallucinogenic Drugs Work").
Hallucinations and other effects of hallucinogens are however very complicated experiences. They are not simply a part of a cause and effect system in the brain, where hallucinogenic drugs act on serotonin and cause hallucinations. Instead, hallucinogenic drugs act initially on the serotonin system, which sends into motion, a pattern of complex action potentials and activity. Other neurotransmitters may be involved in these activities as well. The effects that inputs and outputs have on each other in this system as well as the pattern of action potentials mediated by hallucinogenic drugs help to cause many of the complex changes that allow hallucinations to happen. (B.L. Jacobs, "How Hallucinogenic Drugs Work") Scientists continue to do research to determine the exact effects that hallucinogens have on the serotonin receptors and to answer any questions that they cannot yet answer.
WWW Sources
1) NIDA (National Institution Drug Abuse: LSD(Lysergic Acid Diethylamide).
2) Hallucinogenic Drugs in Psychiatric Research and Treatment: Perspectives and Prospects.
3) Tryptamine Hallucinogens and Consciousness.
4) Hallucinogens (PCP, LSD, etc.).
5) Narcotics, Dangerous Drugs, and Marijuana.
6) Healthguide Online: Substance Abuse: Hallucinogens.
8) Los Angeles Police Department Drug Recognition Expert Unit: Hallucinogens.
9) Postulated Mechanisms of LSD.
10) B.L. Jacobs. 1987. How Hallucinogenic Drugs Work. "American Scientist". 75:385-92.
11) M.C. Bindal, S.P. Gupta, and P. Singh. 1983. QSAR Studies on Hallucinogens. "Chemical Reviews". 83:633-49.
Comments made prior to 2007
When you list the drugs in the beginning of your article you list lsd psilocin and mescaline. But "psilocin" is not actually the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms. The correct term is "Psilocybin". Just thought I'd point that out ... Daniel, 19 February 2007
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Comments
thanx
thanx
MDMA
Last summer, July 2010 my friend and I tried MDMA. Can I just say that it was pretty amazing. Anyways we took two hits and waited; it took around 40 min for it to kick in for me and even longer for her. She kept saying it's not doing anything it's not doing anything, so I insisted she waited. We went for a walk and she kept insisting and finally took another hit and made me take one as well. So we both have .3g in us and it finally hits her like a brick wall that she throws up (the I told you so moment) and for me it was just like super intense something a little crazy for the first time I don't recommend doing that much. So my question is, because I had three hits the first time will I have to have an equal amount to get something like I got to the first time?? (I was really pissed that I took three since .2 was working nicely)
Thanks,
Mike
No, .2 should do you fine
No, .2 should do you fine next time as long as you let a couple weeks pass after your last roll.
However, if you wan't the same experience as last time then do the same amount. I would suggest spacing out you hits half an hour apart, in my opinion it is much more enjoyable.
lsd saved my life
i was physically abused as a kid from 6-12. my stepfather had constant roid rage and was extremely fucked up. i had my first suicidal thoughts at the age of 8, had depression since about then as well, started smoking pot when i was 14 and really loved it. tried coke when i was 18 and 4 other times at various times (never really enjoyed it, since it just makes you want more 10 minutes later lol). by the time i was 18, my depression built up and i attemped suicide. i was really fucked up in my head and couldnt figure out why. the attempt was a failure and made me hate myself more. i hated life and everyone around me made me sick. when i was 20 i was introduced to the idea of lsd. after doing a bit of research, i decided to try lsd for the first time. my life has since changed. lsd alters your perception and can change the way your brain functions. if you can control this, you can shape how you think! through the use of lsd i was able to dig deep into my mind and sub conscience and figure out what had been chaining me down since i was so little. i took lsd once a month for about a year and each time sorted out my feelings and thoughts. for the first time in my life i feel free, like a great weight has been lifted from me. im so much happier now. i love and appreciate people and the world that was once gray and dull is now bright. never have i ever been able to think so clearly and be so contempt with my existence. best thing is, i am now 22, and havent taken it in about a year and am still doing awesome as ever. ive even decided to go back to school and work on a degree. life is fucking great and for the most part, people are amazing.
as far as the effects of the drug itself, i do have subtle visual and audio hallucinations for the duration of the trip, but i still have control over myself. i get more fucked up when i drink 6 beers than if i were to take 3 hits. ive also tried shrooms which seem to pack more of a punch and hit harder, but the duration is shorter (about 1/2 the time of lsd). as long as you are in a situation where you are not going to harm yourself or anyone else (dont be stupid and go driving around or anything like that), i think if you are seriously interested you should try it (better off in a controlled environment). as far as other drugs that are addictive (coke, heroin, meth, crack), unless you want to destroy your life dont even try them.
be smart, be safe, love your fellow man, and love yourself! stop killing people because theyre different or share different beliefs! diversity is a beautiful thing, so dont hate it, embrace it! i fucking love you all!
:D
I love hearing stories like this. Acid opens people's perception to the beauty of life
wow
that is awesome
damn
idk... i rave out alot. like i dont see much of a difference in anything that i do. likke i feel maybe slower? i still go to highschool and get A's. I eat LSD or MDMA at least once a week. I like to stick with mints( good ectacy with high smount of MDMA and a little ketamine) idk i just enjoy my one life to live and stay smart aboutt it. it give me passion to play with lights and listen to bad ass music. idk i was hoping to be a decent example of how doing drugs isnt all the bad if your not a dumbass. ive done heroin and coke but its not what i would spend my money on. ha i just love rollin balls :P
PLURRRRR!!
I've eatin ALOT of LSD lol.
I've eatin ALOT of LSD lol. Ok weird to start it off like that but now I have your attention right. I once went on a three week ummm i guess "spirit quest" haha with my girlfriend. we ate lsd every other four 3 weeks. At least 3 to six hits at a time. switching between liquid and, normal everyday white on white blotter paper. And long story short....IM FINE lol. But yeah i continued to eat it at least twice a week and conitnue this up until this day. been doing it for over a year now. To tell you the truth I've never had more in depth conversations with people, knew my friends better or understood the world around me this well until this past year. I now find myself constintly pondering physics. Theories on time and space, the afterlife(which REALLY increased after i tried DMT, whole other story lol) But long story short im feel i really understand people better and my own intuition bett as well as myself in general. I have experienced a bad trip where i got got in a circle in my head about a problem i was having and couldnt get my mind off it but i was able to handle it and calm down. This was caused because lsd causes you to THINK about whatever you're thinking about...ALOT. And when its on cool subjects or everyday things you find yourself begining to understand them better. I think of weed and LSD and DMT as medicine for the brain as long as you can handle it. OH we sorry guys gotta run. ITS TIME TO DROP hahaha have fun everyone...TRIP SAFE!!! PS. DONT DRIVE A FUCKING CAR!!!!! bad idea. Worse then drivintg drunk. believe me. I KNOW lol
bad mdma trips
i've tried mdma twice now and i don't have to the usual euphoric feeling. the first time i passed out, the second i had a panic attack and threw up. i'm wondering if i will always have bad trips on mdma?
Hallucinogens
Do not take mexican mushrooms!!!!It may fell better for an hour but you will hate your life after 2 hours... you will die. God is the answer!!! Ask him to help you and forgive him for your sins.AMEN!
Hahaha "jesus saves"
You'll die??? Hahaha you arent gonna die, lol. You can do it once or twice every now and then and its not gonna kill you, you'd have to take a LOT to die, lol. That made my day. :)
Jesus Saves
Jesus Saves
jesus
Jesus never existed... god is just impossible.. you foolish people...
Mushrooms
Regardless of people's beliefs, my religious friend had a great epiphany on mushrooms and he is very committed to his faith. I'd say if you are religious, give it a try. (Christians: Oddly enough, many of your traditions are linked to Amanita Muscaria, a hallucinogenic mushroom, not to be confused with psilocybin/psilocin shrooms)
I myself have greatly appreciated my experience with mushrooms. I would treat it as you would treat a valuable lesson; learn from it. Don't go with the mindset, "Let's get F*cked UP!" (but again, to each his/her own). Try and be respectful of the natural substance.
OMG I LOVE THIS ALL!!!!
OMG I LOVE THIS ALL!!!!
Hmmmmmm.....I dont know how
Hmmmmmm.....I dont know how to start this....but drugs r good.except for crack,cocaine,Bars,Blues,Herione,Nicatine,2ci,anti depresuent,Basically any kinda prescription druggs.Stick with massive amounts of good drugs such as:Acid,Molly(ecstasy),DMT,Mushrooms,Payoti,ether ... some other psychedelics.....Hahaha Yeaaaaa
Yeah, with your spelling,
Yeah, with your spelling, you're exactly the kind of poster-boy the drug community needs.
molly/mdma/ectasy made me feel wierd do you know y?
ive done molly a total of 3 times 3 differnt batches the last batch ive done was about .25 grams of supposenly molly i took it didnt really feel anything so i snorted snorted a very little bit (included in the .25 gram) then i drank alot of orange juice and took vitamen b6 i think it was to roll harder didnt really feel messed up but just a little wierd my pupils were dilated i also have add and then about 3 hours later after doing the molly/ectasy i smoked weed out of a bong got really messed up and had an amzing time i started like trippin out a bit music was insane and felt happy then the next morning i ate and burned later that night i think i re rolled i bugged out so bad had panic attacks high anexty bugged out felt out of place couldnt really sleep for a while then smoked 3 days later had the same expierence then smoked 4 days later and had the same expierence i havent smoked since then its been like 2 weeks some times i feel a little out of place but my pupils still randomly get big and have a little anxiety but i still sometimes feel a little out of place and get some anxiety but my pupils still randomly get big i used to smoke weed about 3-5 times a week and sometimes i will get spacey its been 3 weeks since i took the molly/ectasy will i eventually feel 100 percent better ive never really done any hard drugs or and phscyedilics beside this but also i partied alot and would drink and only get like 5 hours of sleep a night and then have class early but will everything eventually be fine and will i be able to smoke weed eventually again and enjoy the high with out gettin parnoid and be relaxed? can after effects last a couple of months with molly if you did a lot of molly in one sitting
It depends on the type of
It depends on the type of molly you have i think. I did some shard molly last week and the roll was awesome but the whole rolling experience is a strange one to get used to. If you over think it, you will get wayyyy stressed out and have anxiety. You just have to embrace it. I also felt like i re rolled when i smoke bud the next day. You also have to remember that the less frequent you take it the longer your brain has to recover from it. Dont over think it, relax, and go with the flow. Your trippin yourself out when you smoke now. It happens to alot of people.
The comments...
I'm 16 and have spent the past month debating whether or not to try LSD(Acid), but of course i want to attempt it because i've done mushrooms several times and enjoy the look of reality and the deep spiritual level it takes me to and being able to connect with people on a heart to heart basis. Hallucinogens do exactly what they're meant to which is causing you to hallucinate. So for the people saying negative things about them why bother? Drugs only find you when you're looking for them. And if you or someone you know was not curious about them to begin with you wouldn't be here on this page right now reading this. I'm also not premoting drugs either, because like said earlier its not that all drugs are bad such as cannabis (Pot) or psychobilin (Shrooms)on the contrary they can actually do good depending on your experiences. But like anything else things are best done in MODERATION. Alot of anything is what causes problems. Although sometimes it is possible to face dangers with one use. There are thousands of drugs out there , none that react exactly the same with everyone, drugs are a risk but sometimes you need to discover it for yourself. I myself sometimes face Anxiety, thinking that something's wrong with me due to using drugs (feelings not looks). I've never tried the "hard stuff" Heroin, Opium, Meth, E, etc..nor am i saying i never will (although for future reference i'd never touch needles considering i hate getting them from doctors let alone injecting myself! nor would i try E considering there's no such thing as safe ecstacy and isn't worth trying considering there's no guarantee you'll live if you do it. As for Meth, school has scared me straight and seeing people in the city and how destroyed their live's are terrify me. And cocaine and blow go along with no curiousity for it.) thats a question i won't be able to answer till i'm on my deathbed. As for Acid and maybe Opium, after reading comment after comment the words that truly made sense are Drugs are something you try because you want to experiment with it, not because of popularity status or to be "cool". Those are the only "Hard Drugs" i'd ever try IF i try them. I really hope my words opened some eyes because i know this discussion has really opened my eyes. The fact that people all over the world can discuss something for good or worse to answer questions we may encounter is amazing. Thank you everyone, including people commenting after this to add on to this discussion to answer other peoples questions including my own. Keep in mind i'm only 16 but as you can see have slightly more logic about the subject than the average cookie in the cookie jar. I guess i feel as though sometimes i feel older than i truly am, but thats mautrity which has nothing to do with drugs, BECAUSE age is just a number and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
-Sincerely, Javier,
Javier,
okay, first off, i've honestly never replied to anything on the internet besides Facebook and junk like that but i do read these kinda entries all the time. especially ones about hallucinogens. but Javier, i truly admire your perspective on all this. i view it the exact same and i've never found someone who viewed it as i do. i'm 16 as well (17 on April 1st, yeaaaaah :D) and i find it rather interesting that you've never even dropped acid, yet you have such an open minded look on it.
now, i dunno if you've already decided to do it and you already have or you just decided not to all together, considering it's been a while since you've posted that comment, but if you're still thinking about tripping and haven't yet, it's a beautiful thing. really. it's really all about your surrounding and who's with you. i advise a safe place and trip sitter doesn't sound too shabby. i've tripped around six or seven times and two of those times weren't very strong. it was mostly likely just crap acid. which is possible to run into. but i've yet to have a bad trip, not saying it isn't possible 'cause it totally is. but by putting myself in a safe environment and surrounding myself with close friends to trip with me, i feel like the chances of a bad trip are lessened greatly.
i remember when i tripped with my friend, Molly, for the first time. i was so amazed how she went into the whole thing. she wasn't nervous or scared or anything. and note that this was her very first time dropping. we turned up some tunes and just talked. when we finally hit the peak of our trip, she could tell that something was bothering me. and there was something bothering me. my other friend, Kaylee, was also tripping and her face kept changing into someone i felt i didn't know. i was honestly scared. i was freaking out or anything, because i knew it wasn't really her, but i still wasn't comfortable with it. i couldn't look at her for a while until Molly made the comment that Kaylee and i both always act like we're afraid. she told us that we should enjoy this whole new world and admire everything in it. the only reason we 'freak out' or feel like we're about to have a bad trip is because something during our trip frightens us in some way. and the only reason it frightens us, is 'cause we're not use to being in /that/ reality, we're use to our 'norm' in our reality. ever since Molly made that comment, i've always thought of it that way. yeah, you're taking a big risk when you take hallucinogens such as acid, but you need to learn to accept what you perceive. it's hard to explain and really understand unless you've been there. seeing your friend's face melt is a norm for this reality and you gotta learn to accept it instead of being scared. it's truly a beautiful experience and i feel like i learn more and more about myself and the others with me every trip. there's nothing like being on the exact same trip with someone you're close to and you literally feel, smell, hear, taste, see, think /everything/ they are. but there's also a difference between using a drug, and abusing it. i trip solely for inspiration and experience, nothing more. and it's not even often that i do. i usually enjoy my reality without it being impaired. :)
so, Javier, and anyone else who's looking into trying acid, i wish you a happy trip. read about it, it's fascinating. i always read about the drug before i ever get near it. i feel smarter that way. :p
Damn...
Yea damn... same thing here, I rarely reply to any kind of random postings and such, but I just feel like this really hit the nail on the head. Yes, certain drugs can and will ruin lives if used improperly and taken to the extreme. You have to be smart about it, and research what you're putting into your body. Of course using addicting drugs like cocaine, heroin, tobacco, and other crap like that is going to cause permanent, severe damage to your brain and body. It's just common sense. I've smoked pot since I was 15, and now that I'm 20... I don't feel a slight difference. My memory is the same, ability to learn new things hasn't decreased, and in general I feel the same. The only problem is that when I smoke a lot, I'll develop a cough sometimes, but that's because the heat of a burning substance will negatively effect your throat. If I use a vaporizer like the Volcano or something, it eliminates the heat and smoke factor... it's like a room temperature mist. Most drugs that have been killing people have been in existence for about hundred years or so. Before the modern time period, there were only a few mind altering drugs available including mainly: cannabis, tobacco, alcohol, opium, coca leaves, and hallucinogenics that have existed for thousands of years. Opium being the major player here in addiction and ruining lives because of severe addiction. On the flip side of the drug opium, there's evidence that major societies and religions such as native north and south americans, judaism, and christianity, just to name a few, where hallucinogens played a vital role in their development. That's HUGE. Now we just lock people up in a small room just for the act of consuming a substance deemed 'illegal' by the government, and let people who have succumbed to addiction suffer through painful withdrawal symptoms for a period of time before they are allowed out and go use again instead of trying to help them out somehow. I'm not saying that theres some conspiracy or something going on, but look at our society ever since the 'war on drugs'. An uncountable amount of money spent to abolish a nearly infinite source. That's like dividing by 0, it just can't be done! Also, Numerous wars in various countries where billions of lives have been destroyed or severely effected which costs tons of money. I think it's generally agreed now that Vietnam was pointless and there's no such thing as the domino effect. Now we're stuck in another pointless costly war that's lasted almost a decade now with no end in sight where we're actually HELPING fund the other side because of the black market made from making drugs illegal. Point being, drugs are always going to be on this planet and they are always going to effect one's life in one way or another, so if you don't want to be around drugs get off this planet and find one where mind altering substances do not grow. Society as a whole can either embrace that fact or hate it. Right now I believe our society in the USA generally hates that fact, and it's causing people to suffer needlessly because of it. If we allocated all the funds that put people in prison, and goes to searching to destroy highly renewable resources to somewhere that doesn't involve war or imprisonment, our society would benefit so much more as a whole rather than the consequences for using substances that can mildly hurt your brain like cannabis to mind destroying substances like meth, crack, and heroin. Anyways, with that being said, my experience with acid has been nothing but positive. I've always been heavily involved with music, playing multiple instruments since a young age, and in general, just loving almost anything to do with music, and to me, acid brought my appreciation for music to a new level. Not only that, but because it temporary changes your way of thinking and causes your brain to think of abstract ideas, it's helped me to do some real soul searching for who I am, the purpose of life, understanding how and why other societies view things, and strengthened my belief that everything happens for a reason... down to the fact of when someone has a thought at a particular moment in time to execute an action. Coincidences simply do not happen. Take for example this post and the timing of this reply. I've been interested in acid for a while and have been using it for about a year now, heavily at points, as it's easy to find where I am, and I randomly get the thought tonight to search something like the effects of hallucinogens on the brain and if lsd was a naturally occurring substance. I've already done my fair share of research in the past, and I learned nothing new from this site. However, I was led to this site where I read Javier's well thought-out comment which I agree with fully that was posted months ago, which is almost ancient with respect to internet time, to have just one reply that was posted only a couple days ago that was also thought out pretty well by someone who apparently doesn't reply much to random comments like these on websites. I know I don't... but anyhow, after all my drug induced experiences, I continue to succeed academically in one of the top engineering colleges in the US, just in case anyone who reads this thinks i'm probably some long haired new-age hippy or something, haha. Just do your research, use in moderation, and be smart about it when it comes to using drugs. As long as you don't have any bad karma or something you should be fine with acid or any hallucinogen for that matter. The key is knowing that your trip is what you make of it. Life is what you make of it.
fuck i truly believe in what
fuck i truly believe in what u are saying especially of wat u are saying in the end is u make ure own trip .If u are a good person these drugs wont harm u unless u do them regularly.After tripping myself i came to know the power these drugs give u and it is freaking scary sometimes .Now i noe y those motherfuckers had the balls to stay in taj india for almost 3 days and fucked so many lifes. If u know some1 who is not a pure person and has bad intentions dont ever encourage him to take drugs rather stop that asshole cause he will only cause harm and do nothing good to society .Keep those bastards away from this world which is so pure and wonderful.Dats the reason governments around the world have banned there consumption and that is a really good thing cause they know the effects of these drugs . I am sure if there were very few terrorists in this world drugs would have been legal all around the world and not only in amsterdam .I hope dat after reading this every1 will do the right thing and consume and encourage only good souls around the world to have hallucinogen drugs . let those chuts have mariujana hopefully they will lose there memories soon and die .Cheers to life and dont abuse these drugs do them very occasionally so dat u dont go mad for them and have a control over ure mind life will be so much happier and better and never make a person have a strond drug unintenionally cause it will fuck his mind and he will not be the same .Always be ready dat ure life will change after havin these drugs
Hey man that's cool that you
Hey man that's cool that you have a lot more understanding about these drugs then most people, shows that your mature about these things unlike some people who try Acid or Shrooms to fit in and then end up freaking out because they weren't mentally/spiritually ready to trip. I've done LSD/Acid 2 times now both times I took 2 hits and it was absolutely amazing! If you are into psychedelics LSD is definitely a beautiful trip, not only are the colors amazing (if you get good visual acid) but while your tripping you actually think about life a lot and I came out of both trips feeling like I understood much, much more about myself and about the world around me.
ive done ALOT of drugs.
well my first time ive tried marijuana i reveald myself "feet,face,hands,etc.
the time i did shrooms it actally opend my mind and made me feel very connected with everyone and everything especially nature i loved it so i did them 10 more times .
the time i did extacy i notice that there wasnt a hell or a heaven or a god or the devil i believe that its just a good and a bad feeling that somtimes people choose.
the time i dropped acid i seen god and i thought that everything was beautiful and that we
were all one feeling so ive did it 16 more times
then ive moved on to cocaine wow hell of a drug dont do meth crack cocaine none of that stuff
its a very greaty drugs i rather be doing hullucinagens and make the world a better place can be very creative by doing psycadelics.
Opinion on Drugs
Weed: Overrated
Alcohol: Makes a fool out of you
Hallucinogens: You're playing russian roulette with your sanity
Ecstasy: Very fun, but can cause dependence and brain damage, over all not worth it.
Opiates/Opioids: Highly pleasurable, also highly addictive and dangerous
Meth: No personal experience, but research shows devastating effects.
Coke/Crack: No personal experience, but research show high potential for addiction
Drugs aren't worth it, don't damage your brain, use it. Find a hobby, do research, find something worthwhile to fill the void in your soul. Excessive drug use will have no beneficial effects, and most likely experimental drug use won't either,though some people claim fantastic results from hallucinogens (but I didn't consider panic, fear, anxiety, and losing touch with reality fantastic results) Whatever you choose to do, educate yourself on it before you do it, don't just drop a pill because someone says so.
It's different for everybody,
It's different for everybody, your personal experience isn't evidence for everyone else's life. damn narcissist.
Ive done molly twice and acid
Ive done molly twice and acid once and I had the best time and I think as long as you dont do a lot your good...but I was just wondering if its normal to still see things move...only sometimes and its been awhile since I did it last? Like right now the letters are moving just a little bit? Does this happen to anyone else?
yes, it's normal. it happens
yes, it's normal. it happens to alot of people, unless it's really bad like that you feel like you're still totally tripping. the feeling you are feeling can sometimes last for months though.
I have eaten mushrooms two
I have eaten mushrooms two times. Both were bad. I have also smoked A lot of weed for About two years and am now having anxiety/panic attacks. Sometimes I will see thing move closer to me or farther from me or like an object is being stretched. I see a layer of static on everything and will see objects glowing that arnt. Can anyone tell me what is going on or if I will ever return back to normal. I want complete honesty I either need to learn to cope with this or know that it will go away. It has been 3 months since this started and I believe the mushies did it although they were eaten a month before this started. Please help.
A similar thing happened to
A similar thing happened to me. Currently im a month into round two. At first I had a bad trip on mushrooms. About two weeks to a month later I started getting panic attacks smoking weed. I stopped smoking weed for about a month. I started smoking weed again because I missed it and to my suprise no panic attacks. I was able to smoke weed like I used to for about a little less than a year with no problems. Well last month I decided to take a couple acid tabs at a festival. Not gonna lie, one of the best experiences of my life. Unfortunately, I am back to where I was the first time. I can't smoke without having a panic attack. I've been doing some research lately and am starting to realize I may have a mental illness. Don't know if it was brought out from the drugs or what but the only advice I can offer is with time you will heal and I recommend not doing anymore hallucinogens. Check out schizophrenia and depression. Sorry I couldn't give you a direct answer but that's as honest as I can get. Hope it helps :/
Took too much
Wondering if I even stand a chance in life after all the ecstasy & ketamine abuse I've done. (worried about long term effects) I gave into the pressure and was caught up in the fun because everyone was doing it :( Anyways I started at 18 usually going to nightclubs on the weekends or just hanging out and doing ketamine. Went hard for about 4 years, most of it occurred in the summer. Was always clean during the winter, spring and fall I'd go out like once a month maybe. Basically shit has caught up with me. I realize what's done is done - no going back. Effects I suffer are short term memory loss, occasional long term memory loss. Inconsistent personality. Example would be for four weeks I'd almost feel fine, then the following week my memory just seems totally shot and in general feel like a tool. I won't even bother giving insights for that period because I feel like I'm always wrong. Basically in general I function decent for the most part. I still socialize rather well with people, I have a good vocabulary and good common sense. I don't think there has been a day since the abuse I haven't questioned if I'm fucked up though, definetly plagued because I have always had OCD minorly. (Drugs have made it worse of course, I know they bring out underlying disorders). Everyone reacts different to drugs, and has done different amount over different periods of time. I think I'm just posting this because I'm feeling depressed working a job that isn't a career and my confidence has been shattered because I'm worried I won't make it. I'm hiding all this from my parents too - don't make the same mistakes as I did people, everyday you pay the price and some. Wondering If anyone has ever been able to bounce back and make something of themselves when they have brain damage. I`m trying to heal myself by taking omega 3 twice a day with meals (increased brain function) and taking ginko biloba which is a memory supplement. I might also order this supplement that helps with cognitive function I believe I read they use it for recovering ketamine addicts. Anyway that`s my story, keep it in moderation please if your gonna do neuro fryers.
Long term effects of drug use...
Alvan. Hi my name is Leroy. You are not alone with reoccurring & persistent side effects of past hard drug use. I am 46 years old right now. But, from the ages of 17-26 I dropped probably 125 hits of LSD. Smoked lots of pot, cocaine and a shit load of beer. I never thought I was going to live past 30. Now it has been a long hard road of recovery. I always knew there was going to be a freight bill at the end of my drug use. Just never thought it would be for life. I used between the years of 16-26. Have been clean & sober for 20 years this past June. It took rehab. Living in a halfway house for a year. AA & NA and under a doctors care from a Psychiatrist & therapist. I take four Psychotropic drugs. Took Jesus Christ as my savior. Stay on a strict diet and exercise. I still have flash backs that cause me intense anxiety to where I throw up at a moments notice. When driving down a street I still see traffic lights pass by once or twice. Still have terrible nightmares of overdosing with evil characters that know me. Have a hard time swallowing food & digestion. I relate to every word that you have written in your comment. You do not talk too much. In todays times I work as much as I can. Live very simple. Have positive friends and a loving woman that nurtures me through flashbacks. Alvan. The trick to everything I have said is to learn to be okay with Alvan. You are perfect, just the way you are. You and I have irreversible damage. And that is okay. Take care my friend... -Leroy-
drugs are neurotoxic poisons
drugs are nothing more than neurotoxic poisons that are active free radical molecules. once ingested they make their way into the bloodstream and get into the gaps between the billions of nerve cells in our bodys. the feeling of percieved eurphoria or relaxation comes from these molecules blocking nerve transmission especially in the brain. we know that feeling relaxed makes us feel good, but the illusion is that the subconscious brain detects a foriegn toxic chemical and defends your body by releasing adrenalin, adrenalin releases stored sugar from the liver and stimulates the heart to beat faster to feed your body of more oxygen and sugar energy for your immune system to flush out the toxic chemicals. the more you have in you the more energy is needed to flush it all out and it can take hours, days if your a regular user. the enrgy demand for hormonal detox rapidly depletes the body of water, sugar and oxygen legels and after some time can make you feel tired, exhausted and irritable. fruit juice is natures answer to dealing with hormonal detox. which is nothing more than a hangover. its full of natural antioxidants and natural sugars that keep your sugar levels maintained which your body and nervous system readjusts and heals. long term use means the nerves are reduced in their ability to function properly and as your brain is made up of nothing but nerves it reduces the whole bodys abilty to fuction properly. this can lead to long term muscle weakness and nervessness of muscle tremors and chronic pain. normal chemical detox takes just 3 days. anything else you read is rubbish. after that you will have to reprogram your brain when it comes to dealing with associations of sights, smells, sounds and places etc that trigger memories of using, wanting or thinking you need it again. for anyone who has been spiked, they will respond normally as if they are unwell, drowsy or suffering from a cold or virus. but those who actively use are often told they will experience fun times and alsorts so your imagination will wrongly think the pleasure is because of the drug and not the normal fun experiences around you. avoid associations for a couple of weeks while you recover back to normal before resuming your normal activities. if someone offers just say youve already taken some to get pushers to back off and you will see how much crap youve been lead to believe and how much more you will enjoy your life without them. trust me, after 40 years of religious torture and being poisoned with drugs and allsorts. im healing and i know what im talking about. all neurotic poisons include not just your illegal narcotics but anything that effects the nervous system including pain killers, anti-depressants, alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, energy drinks, tea, and any psychosomatic drug dished out by psychiatrists. the government and drug lords make billions every year out of peoples pain and misery and the destruction of lives. its not worth feeding their greed is it!
Salvia divinorum
Salvia divinorum is one that does not affect the serotonin in the brain and so is different than psylocybin, LSD and the others mentioned in this article. There are many examples like this, where science cannot figure out the exact mode of action on the brain. I believe these experience will always remain mysterious.
Ever since I tried acid I
Ever since I tried acid I black out every time I drink. I wont even be very drunk I just can never remember anything. Could this be related?
I think all you people just
I think all you people just aren't meant for drugs. I think this shit is a blast and I am succeeding in life just fine. Live like there is no tomorrow folks.
Have you not seen the lives
Have you not seen the lives which drugs have destroyed? Tell me are you just dumb or naive, please tell me. Or are you just on a ego trip felling good about yourself after a good night of partying? And if your thinking i'm some saint preaching against something I have never experianced first hand you are wrong, very wrong indead. Heres some advice do your drugs and I will see you with the same mindset as the others on this site.
IDK
IDK
No.
No.
excessive drug use never leads to anything good
I've been smoking weed heavily for about 6 or 7 years now, during that time I've done e, lsd, lots of shrooms and some light weight highs. Now what I'm going to attempt to explain might be better utilized if researched yourself; The brain uses cells known as neurons, these neurons word together to send/ receive and distinguish information. THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) acts upon certain receptors known as cannabinoids receptors, most of which are found in the hippocampus which control inhibition, memory, and interaction with space. So in essence, learning and the ability to take on new information/ some motor functions. The THC attaches itself to these receptors and inhibits them from aiding the others in retrieval, storage, and exchange of information. Just last month (August 2010) I was at work when I was hit with a huuuuge headache that kept up for 2 days. I went to a walk-in clinic and they said if it keeps up go to the emergency room. It persisted so I made my way to the hospital where I had a CT scan done; what they found was, unnerving to say the least. There was a mass at the frontal lobe of my brain. The doctor assessing the results was shocked and told me not to panic, that this was very unusual and could be a number of things. I was admited for observation. I was soon was diagnosed with a condition known as AVM (arteriovenous malformation) which is nothing more than a leak from the blood vessels in my head caused by bad communication via my brain cells which eventually formed into a clot; about a 5 in whatever measurment they use to scale these things. which isn't all that large but when dealing with the brain even a little's a lot. A few weeks later I had an angiogram perfomed on me which is essentially taking a catheter into a main artery in my groin up to my heart and pumping in dye while taking pictures to observe its interaction with the leak. A simple procedure but man was it weird, you see lights, have a warming sensation through the back of your neck as the dye passes through you. It was a trip for lack of a better word. I ran a slight risk during the procedure which had everything to do with how cluttered your arteries are with plaque, if the catheter knocks a big enough piece off it will travel through your body and boom; stroke.
I have strong reason to believe that the copious amount of marijuana I've smoked has contributed to this lack of communication from my neurons to blood vessels. I know there's a lot of naysayers out there but weed is a drug, I don't care what you say but you saying it's not doesn't make it so. Just as much as me saying all this doesn't make it truth. I'm not a medical proffessional and if you want answers I suggest you take it upon yourself to investigate, otherwise it must not be that big of a deal to you and you're wasting your time scoffing at me. Although I can't stress enough what a wonderful and beautiful organ the brain is and damage done to a fully grown and fully formed brain is irreparable, game over pal. So take care of it and calculate the risks because they are present, and you've got no do-overs. I know my brain managed to bring the best damn girl in school into my life, so this little piece of work was my winning lottery ticket, and I almost threw it away. Cherish life guys. Nothing wrong with some drugs (careful who you've purchased them from you're not always getting what you think you're paying for), I can easily admit I wouldn't be the same person if I hadn't gotten high in high school (haha). Just take it easy, too much of anything isn't good for anybody. The swelling in my case has produced no other noticeable symptoms outside of drastic mood swings which are very managable to the extent that I maintain an equilibrium of thought and keep on top of it. However, when I had recently smoked weed I had little if no control over my emotions and even had a slight headache the next morning which I hadn't had for weeks so I'm sorry to say to you daily bowlers (or joints if you prefer, I just find the previous more efficient) that I'm done with the exception of camping and a party or something. But honestly it's just not worth it to me anymore. I'd rather not use it and be fine regardless rather than use it and have something else go wrong, just not worth it. Y'all take care of your health and I thank you for your time. Feel free to comment or challenge my opinion but remember that's all it is, an opinion.
There was actually a recent
There was actually a recent article in Time Magazine that said weed inhances the chances of gettin cancer, espeacially in the brain. Just a warning. Not to say that I don't smoke.
i agree with you man
I recently took half an eight of shrooms nearly 3 months ago. since then i bealive i have gotten Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I had, had 3 mayor headaches within the last 3 months, and after the second one i realized something was wrong. i simply thought they were migraines, but something deep in my head was telling me it was the shrooms that caused this. So i did some research and luckily found your post. Everything you just said has tied in to me. I have only been dealing with this for about 3 months, but the fact is i know im not myself anymore. I always feel out of place and im on a constant state of mind that somethign bad is going to happen to me. Some days are easy and some days are extremly hard. When i read your post i noticed you saying that you were a heavy smoker for about 6 to 7 years. im guessing heavy meaning you smoked at least a bowl or joint every hour or two. i was like that as well but not for that long, im only 19 and i had only been smoking weed for about 2 years. but just about 6 months ago i was starting to become a real heavy smoker. Just recently i was hit with another major headache which just wore off 2 days ago. i did some thinking on what it could of been that caused me the headache. I bealive it was weed because on the 13th i went to a friends party and they had a bong set up, i had not smoken weed since my last time that i had expirienced my previous major headache. i was off the weed for about a month or so. so i decided hey one hit doesnt hurt anybody. but turns out it caused me to go through hell for an extra 5 days! Guys listen closely, i know you want too have fun and expiriment. but the consequenses of these drugs are immense! you will never feel the same again, you will always feel like you need somebody by your side to get through life, your independence will be shattered unless you are fully commited to get better like i am! i have only been dealing with this for 3 months but i took a quick initiative to get checked out! health is the most important thing in this world guys, dont do anything too jeaopordize it. its seriously not worth it!
you are a TOOL
you had 3 mayor headaches? you headaches can GOVERN TOWNS?!?!?!?. you should stop doing drugs.
Ashawaska
My sister has been studying with shamans for some years now. She has been using a drug I believe is called ashawaska, a plant found in Brazil. I don't know much about it and can't find much information on the internet. She recently ended up in a psych ward; she had taken this drug a week prior. I am just trying to find out more about what she has been doing and also, wondering if you aren't mentally stable to begin with, is this a drug you should be doing?
There's plenty of info
There's plenty of info online, the correct spelling is Ayahuasca. It's definitely not something you would want to mess with if you are unstable to begin with.
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ayahuasca/ayahuasca.shtml
There's some resource for you
i think my sister took a
i think my sister took a drug, and she's acting crazy, how long does it usally last, it's been a week since she last took it, and she hasnt slept in five days...
she probabably smoked meth or
she probabably smoked meth or crack :/ could last up to 15 days if its meth .. or she could have injested some sort of stimulant pill, which also can last for days.
it depends
it depends on what drug. too many people on this board seem to think that every substance does the same thing (kill you, make you insane). some are more harmful than others and they all have different effects on the mind and body!
I've taken shrooms twice and
I've taken shrooms twice and both times were the most enlightening, existential, spiritual, life altering experiences of my life. The fish doesn't know it's in the fish bowl... hallucinogenic drugs are a way to look in from the outside. Your perspective changes.. all presumptuous ideas are erased. You are an alien landed on Earth seeing everything for the first time, as how it truly is. It's much easier to understand someone else's relationship, for you are on the outside, not connected in anyway. Here our way of life and culture is so ingrained in our heads we don't think to question it. We don't think nearly as much as we should. I am so much happier since my 2 experiences. I appreciate the little things more often. I understand things, concepts, people, on a deeper level. I have a much broader perceptive of the universe in relation to myself. I would recommend these to everyone.