Drug Information and Facts About the Side Effects of Drugs :
1).
2).
What is the drug classification system?
3).
Top 10 Drugs and their Effects: http://listverse.com/2007/09/27/top-10-drugs-and-their-effects/
Image
links : http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts.html
THE DRUG FACTS
The Truth About Drugs is a series of thirteen illustrated drug information booklets containing facts about the most commonly abused drugs.
This website contains the full text
of these booklets, which were specifically written for young people, but
contain facts adults need to know as well.
Written in plain language, easy to
understand, and available in 22 languages, this information explains the
physical and mental effects of drugs on
a person. It tells true stories of people who have used drugs and became
addicted to them.
If someone is trying to push a drug on you, or if you are considering using a drug or are already
using it, or if you know someone using drugs, check out this site so you have
all the information you need to make an informed decision.
The first segment, entitled The Truth About Drugs, gives a
factual and concise overview of exactly what drugs are, how they work and what
they do. It gives the street names as well as the long- and short-term side
effects of the most common substances. As a booklet, it is the recommended
general handout for distribution in any community and to share with friends,
family and others.
Each individual drug has its own
section with a lot more facts and stories of users. You can select which drug you want to read about.
The booklets and this site are
resources for anyone—kids, parents, teachers, counselors, law enforcement
officers, youth workers, drug prevention and rehabilitation specialists and health
professionals.
To read the booklets, just click on
one of the covers above.
The thirteen drug information booklets are also free and can be ordered as a set, or each one of them can
be ordered separately in any quantity. Click here to request The Truth About
Drugs booklets.
OUR
DRUG CULTURE
Drugs have been part of our culture
since the middle of the last century. Popularized in the 1960s by music and
mass media, they invade all aspects of society.
An estimated 208 million people
internationally consume illegal drugs. In the United States, results from the
2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that 19.9 million Americans (or 8% of the
population aged 12 or older) used illegal drugs in the month prior to the
survey.
You probably know someone who has
been affected by drugs, directly or indirectly.
The most commonly used—and
abused—drug in the US is alcohol. Alcohol-related motor accidents are
the second leading cause of teen death in the United States.
The most commonly used illegal drug
is marijuana. According to the United Nations 2008 World Drug Report, about
3.9% of the world’s population between the ages of 15 and 64 abuse marijuana.
Young people today are exposed
earlier than ever to drugs. Based on a survey by the Centers for Disease
Control in 2007, 45% of high school students nationwide drank alcohol and
19.7% smoked pot during a one-month period.
In Europe, recent studies among 15-
and 16-year-olds suggest that use of marijuana varies from under 10% to over 40%, with the highest
rates reported by teens in the Czech Republic (44%), followed by Ireland (39%),
the UK (38%) and France (38%). In Spain and the United Kingdom, cocaine use
among 15- to 16-year-olds is 4% to 6%. Cocaine use among young people has risen in Denmark, Italy,
Spain, UK, Norway and France.
WHY
DO PEOPLE TAKE DRUGS?
People take drugs because they want
to change something about their lives.
Here are some of the reasons young
people have given for taking drugs:
- To fit in
- To escape or relax
- To relieve boredom
- To seem grown up
- To rebel
- To experiment
They think drugs are a solution. But
eventually, the drugs become the problem.
Difficult as it may be to face one’s
problems, the consequences of drug use are always worse than the problem one is
trying to solve with them. The real answer is to get the facts and not to take
drugs in the first place.
How
Do Drugs Work?
Drugs are essentially poisons. The
amount taken determines the effect.
A small amount acts as a stimulant
(speeds you up). A greater amount acts as a sedative (slows you down). An even
larger amount poisons and can kill.
This is true of any drug. Only the
amount needed to achieve the effect differs.
But many drugs have another
liability: they directly affect the mind. They can distort the user’s
perception of what is happening around him or her. As a result, the person’s
actions may be odd, irrational, inappropriate and even destructive.
Drugs block off all sensations, the
desirable ones with the unwanted. So, while providing short-term help in the
relief of pain, they also wipe out ability and alertness and muddy one’s
thinking.
Medicines are drugs that are
intended to speed up or slow down or change something about the way your body
is working, to try to make it work better. Sometimes they are necessary. But
they are still drugs: they act as stimulants or sedatives, and too much can
kill you. So if you do not use medicines as they are supposed to be used, they
can be as dangerous as illegal drugs.
Drugs
Affect the Mind
Photo
credit: Alamy
Normally, when a person remembers
something, the mind is very fast and information comes to him quickly. But
drugs blur memory, causing blank spots. When a person tries to get information
through this cloudy mess, he can’t do it. Drugs make a person feel slow or
stupid and cause him to have failures in life. And as he has more failures and
life gets harder, he wants more drugs to help him deal with the problem.
Drugs
Destroy Creativity
One lie told about drugs is that
they help a person become more creative. The truth is quite different.
Someone who is sad might use drugs
to get a feeling of happiness, but it does not work. Drugs can lift a person
into a fake kind of cheerfulness, but when the drug wears off, he or she
crashes even lower than before. And each time, the emotional plunge is lower
and lower. Eventually, drugs will completely destroy all the creativity a
person has.
BASIC
FACTS ABOUT COMMONLY ABUSED DRUGS
The facts about these commonly
abused drugs have been compiled from multiple references.
They are included here to provide
you with the truth about what these drugs are and what they do.
• Alcohol
• Ecstasy
• Heroin
• LSD
MARIJUANA
Marijuana is
usually rolled up in a cigarette called a joint or a nail. It can also be
brewed as a tea or mixed with food, or smoked through a water pipe called a
bong.
Cannabis1 is
number three of the top five substances which account for admissions to drug
treatment facilities in the United States, at 16%. According to a National
Household Survey on Drug Abuse, kids who frequently use marijuana are almost
four times more likely to act violently or damage property. They are five times
more likely to steal than those who do not use the drug.
Marijuana is often more potent today
than it used to be. Growing techniques and selective use of seeds have produced
a more powerful drug. As a result, there has been a sharp increase in the
number of marijuana-related emergency room visits by young pot smokers.
Because a tolerance builds up,
marijuana can lead users to consume stronger drugs to achieve the same high.
When the effects start to wear off, the person may turn to more potent drugs to
rid himself of the unwanted conditions that prompted him to take marijuana in
the first place. Marijuana itself does not lead the person to the other drugs:
people take drugs to get rid of unwanted situations or feelings. The drug
(marijuana) masks the problem for a time (while the user is high). When the
“high” fades, the problem, unwanted condition or situation returns more
intensely than before. The user may then turn to stronger drugs since marijuana
no longer “works.”
Short-term
Effects:
Loss of coordination and distortions
in the sense of time, vision and hearing, sleepiness, reddening of the eyes,
increased appetite and relaxed muscles. Heart rate can speed up. In fact, in
the first hour of smoking marijuana, a user’s risk of a heart attack could
increase fivefold. School performance is reduced through impaired memory and
lessened ability to solve problems.
Long-term
Effects:
Long-term use can cause psychotic
symptoms. It can also damage the lungs and
the heart, worsen the symptoms of bronchitis and cause coughing and
wheezing. It may reduce the body’s ability to fight lung infections and
illness.
ALCOHOL
Alcohol depresses
your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), lowers inhibitions1 and
impairs judgment. Drinking large amounts can lead to a coma and even death.
Mixing alcohol with medications or street drugs is extremely dangerous and can
be fatal. Alcohol influences your brain and leads to a loss of coordination,
slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses and blackouts. Teenage bodies
are still growing and alcohol has a greater impact on young people’s physical
and mental well-being than on older people.
Short-term
Effects:
Photo credit: istockphoto.com/Lisa
Young
Feeling of warmth, flushed skin,
impaired judgment, lack of coordination, slurred speech, memory and
comprehension loss. Heavy drinking usually results in a “hangover,” headache,
nausea, anxiety, weakness, shakiness and sometimes vomiting.
Long-term
Effects:
Tolerance to many of the unpleasant
effects of alcohol and a resulting ability to drink more. This leads to a
deteriorating physical condition that can include liver damage and increases the risk of heart disease. A pregnant
woman may give birth to a baby with defects that affect the baby’s heart, brain
and other major organs. A person can become dependent on alcohol. If someone
suddenly stops drinking, withdrawal symptoms may set in. They range from
jumpiness, sleeplessness, sweating and poor appetite to convulsions and
sometimes death. Alcohol abuse can also lead to violence and conflicts in one’s
personal relationships.
ECSTASY
Ecstasy is usually
taken orally in pill, tablet or capsule form. Taking more than one at a time is
called “bumping.”
Ecstasy is a synthetic (man-made)
drug made in a laboratory. Makers may add anything they choose to the drug,
such as caffeine, amphetamine1 and
even cocaine. Ecstasy is illegal and has effects similar to hallucinogens and
stimulants. The pills are of different colors and are sometimes marked with
cartoon-like images. Mixing Ecstasy with alcohol is extremely dangerous and can
be lethal.
The stimulative effects of drugs
such as Ecstasy enable the user to dance for long periods, and when combined
with the hot, crowded conditions found at raves, can lead to extreme
dehydration and heart or kidney failure.
Short-term
Effects:
Faintness, chills or sweating,
muscle tension, impaired judgment, depression, blurred vision, sleep problems,
false sense of affection, nausea, severe anxiety, drug craving, involuntary
teeth clenching, confusion, paranoia.2
Long-term
Effects:
Prolonged use causes long-lasting
and perhaps permanent damage to the brain, affecting the person’s judgment and thinking ability.
COCAINE
& CRACK COCAINE
Cocaine and crack cocaine
can be taken orally, through the nose (snorted), injected with a syringe or, in
the case of crack, through inhalation of the fumes from heating it.
The terms used to describe ingestion
include chewing, snorting, mainlining (injecting into a large vein) and
smoking.
The word cocaine refers
to the drug in a powder form (cocaine) and a crystal form (crack). It is made
from the coca plant and, next to methamphetamine,1 creates
the greatest psychological dependence of any drug.
Short-term
Effects:
Cocaine causes a short-lived intense
high that is immediately followed by the opposite—intense feelings of
depression and edginess and a craving for more of the drug. People who use it
often don’t eat or sleep properly. They can experience greatly increased heart
rate, muscle spasms and convulsions. The drug can make people feel paranoid,
angry, hostile and anxious, even when they aren’t high.
Long-term Effects:
In addition to those effects already
mentioned, cocaine can cause irritability,
mood disturbances, restlessness, paranoia and auditory (hearing) hallucinations.
Tolerance to the drug develops so that more is needed to produce the same
“high.”
Coming down from the drug causes
severe depression, which becomes deeper and deeper after each use. This can get
so severe that a person will do almost anything to get the drug—even commit murder. And if he or she
can’t get cocaine, the depression can get
so intense it can drive the addict to suicide.
CRYSTAL
METH & METHAMPHETAMINE EFFECTS
Crystal meth and
meth are inhaled, smoked or injected. Low doses are in pill form.
Crystal meth is a form of methamphetamine that
resembles small fragments of glass or
shiny blue-white rocks. On the street, it is known as “ice,” “crystal,” “glass” and other names. It
is a highly powerful and addictive man-made stimulant that causes aggression
and violent or psychotic behavior. Many users report getting hooked (addicted)
from the first time they use it. It is one of the hardest drugs to treat.
Short-term
Effects:
Negative effects can include
disturbed sleep patterns, hyperactivity, nausea, delusions of power, increased
aggressiveness and irritability. Can cause decreased hunger and bring on weight
loss. In higher doses has a greater “rush,” followed by increased agitation and
sometimes violence. Other effects can include insomnia, confusion,
hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia. Can cause convulsions leading to death.
Long-term
Effects:
Increased heart
rate and blood pressure, damage to blood vessels in the brain, leading to strokes or
irregular heart beat and cardiovascular (involving the heart and blood vessels)
collapse or death. Can cause liver,
kidney and lung damage. Users may suffer brain damage, including memory
impairment and an increasing inability to grasp abstract thoughts. Those who
recover are usually subject to memory gaps and extreme mood swings.
INHALANTS
Inhalants include
chemicals found in such household products as aerosol sprays, cleaning fluids,
glue, paint, paint thinner, nail polish remover, amyl nitrite1 and lighter fuel. They are sniffed or “huffed” (act of
inhaling vapors).
Inhalants affect the brain. When
substances or fumes are inhaled through the nose or mouth, they can cause
permanent physical and mental damage. They starve the body of oxygen and force
the heart to beat irregularly and more rapidly. People who use inhalants can
lose their sense of smell, suffer nausea and nosebleeds and may develop liver,
lung and kidney problems. Continued use can lead to reduced muscle mass, tone
and strength. Inhalants can make people unable to walk, talk and think
normally. Much of the damage is caused to the brain tissue when the toxic fumes
are sniffed straight into the sinus.2
Short-term
Effects:
In addition to the above, inhalants
can kill a person by heart attack or suffocation as the inhaled fumes take the
place of oxygen in the lungs and central nervous system. Someone on inhalants
may also suddenly react with extreme violence.
Long-term
Effects:
Can lead to muscle wasting and
reduced muscle tone and strength. Can permanently
damage the body and brain.
HEROIN
Heroin is usually
injected, snorted or smoked. It is highly addictive. Heroin enters the brain
rapidly but makes people think and react slowly, impairing their
decision-making ability. It causes difficulty in remembering things.
Injecting the drug can create a risk
of AIDS, hepatitis (liver disease) and other diseases caused by infected
needles. Heroin is one of the three drugs most frequently involved in drug
abuse deaths. Violence and crime are linked to its use.
Short-term
Effects:
Abusers experience clouded mental
functioning, nausea and vomiting. Awareness of pain may be suppressed. Pregnant
women can suffer spontaneous abortion. Cardiac (heart) functions slow down and
breathing is severely slowed, sometimes to the point of death.
Long-term
Effects:
Scarred and/or
collapsed veins, bacterial infections of the blood vessels, heart valves,
abscesses and other soft-tissue infections, and liver or kidney disease. Lung
complications may result. Sharing of needles or fluids may result in hepatitis,
AIDS and other blood-borne virus diseases.
LSD
LSD is sold in
tablets, capsules or in liquid form. It is commonly added to absorbent paper
and divided into small decorated squares. Each square is a dose.
LSD is still one of the most potent
mood-changing chemicals and is derived from the extremely poisonous ergot
fungus, a mold which grows on rye and other grains. Its effects are
unpredictable. A tiny amount can produce 12 hours or more of effects.
Short-term
Effects:
Dilated pupils, higher body
temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of
appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth and tremors. People can experience severe,
terrifying thoughts and feelings, fear of losing control, fear of insanity and
death and feelings of despair while using LSD.
Long-term
Effects:
Flashbacks, or
recurrences, of an LSD “trip” can be experienced long after the drug is taken
and its effect has apparently worn off.
The “trip” itself usually begins to clear up after about 12 hours, but some
users manifest long-lasting psychoses.
PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE
Abuse of
prescription drugs has become a more serious problem than most street drugs.
Painkillers, tranquilizers, antidepressants, sleeping pills and stimulants may
appear “safe” due to being prescribed by doctors,
but they can be just as addictive and potent as the heroin or cocaine sold
on the street. The painkiller OxyContin, for example, is as powerful as heroin
and affects the body in the same way. Continued use of painkillers, depressants
(“downers”), stimulants (“uppers”) or antidepressants can lead to addiction—and
painful withdrawal symptoms for those who try to quit.
Just a few of the effects of these
drugs are given here.
Painkillers: OxyContin, Fentanyl, morphine, Percodan, Demerol are a few of a long list of painkillers. Effects can
include slowed breathing, nausea and unconsciousness. Abuse can lead to
addiction.
Depressants: These drugs, which
slow down your brain and nervous system functions, include Xanax, Zyprexa, Amytal, Seconal, Valium and many others. Effects can include heart problems,
weight gain, fatigue1 and slurred speech. Continued
use can lead to addiction.
Stimulants: These drugs speed
up your heart rate and breathing, similar to “speed” or cocaine. They
include Ritalin,
Adderall, Concerta and drugs known as “bennies.” Effects include increased
blood pressure and heartbeat, hostility and paranoia.
Antidepressants: Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Celexa are some of the commonly used antidepressants. Effects
can include irregular heartbeat, paranoid reactions, violent or suicidal
thoughts and hallucinations. Long-term use can lead to addiction.
Painkillers, depressants and antidepressants are
responsible for more overdose deaths in the United States than cocaine,
heroin, methamphetamine and amphetamines combined.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2).
What
is the drug classification system?
Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, illegal
drugs are placed into one of 3 classes - A, B or C. This is broadly based on
the harms they cause either to the user or to society when they are misused.
The class into which a drug is
placed affects the maximum penalty for an offence involving the drug. For
example, Class A drugs attract the most severe penalty as they are considered
likely to cause the most serious harm. Drugs controlled under the Misuse of
Drugs Act are illegal to have, produce, give away or sell.
• Class
A drugs include: heroin (diamorphine), cocaine (including crack), methadone, ecstasy (MDMA), LSD, and magic mushrooms.
• Class
B includes: amphetamines,
barbiturates, codeine, cannabis, cathinones (including mephedrone)
and synthetic cannabinoids.
• Class
C includes: benzodiazepines (tranquilisers), GHB/GBL, ketamine, anabolic steroids and benzylpiperazines (BZP).
Not all drugs are illegal, but that
doesn’t mean they aren’t harmful. For example, tobacco and alcohol can seriously damage your
health. And recently new 'legal highs' have
been developed to mimic the effects of illegal drugs like cocaine and ecstasy
but are structurally different enough to avoid being classified as illegal
substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act. However, they can still have
dangerous side effects.
Some drugs do have a legitimate use,
as a medicine, in research or in industry. To use, import or produce these
drugs you need to obtain a licence from
the Home Office.
3).
Top 10 Drugs and their Effects &
Images: http://listverse.com/2007/09/27/top-10-drugs-and-their-effects/
Heroin
Heroin
is an opiate processed directly from the extracts of the opium poppy. It was
originally created to help cure people of addiction to morphine. Upon crossing
the blood-brain barrier, which occurs soon after introduction of the drug into
the bloodstream, heroin is converted into morphine, which mimics the action of
endorphins, creating a sense of well-being; the characteristic euphoria has
been described as an “orgasm” centered in the gut. One of the most common
methods of heroin use is via intravenous injection.
For
the last 4 months, my partner and I have been recreationally using heroin. H
became our weekend ritual. Lighting candles, playing music, brie and wine and
grapes, reading tarot and finally fucking… for hours on end, the most intense
beautiful technicolor sex. Each time we did it we got closer to each other. And
each time we did it, we wanted to do it again, and again. We tried saying we’d
only do it once every two weeks, but that lasted 6 days. We have rules about
how much we do in one night, how late we stay up and so on. So far the rules
have kept us safe from addiction. Unless you consider the nagging
i-don’t-wanna-go-a-weekend-or-have-sex-without-it feelings. We’ve never run
out, although, once we were down to our last little bit and I left the vial
open on the night stand. I was reaching for the lube when I heard the most
sickening sound, the vial falling over. Turns out, I was mistaken, I had
remembered to put the cap back on. But in those few seconds of uncertainty, my
girl and I shot each other a look we had never seen before.. Fear.
9
Cocaine
Cocaine
is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca
plant. It is both a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite
suppressant, giving rise to what has been described as a euphoric sense of
happiness and increased energy. It is most often used recreationally for this
effect. Cocaine is a potent central nervous system stimulant. Its effects can
last from 20 minutes to several hours, depending upon the dosage of cocaine
taken, purity, and method of administration. The initial signs of stimulation
are hyperactivity, restlessness, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate
and euphoria. The euphoria is sometimes followed by feelings of discomfort and
depression and a craving to experience the drug again. Sexual interest and
pleasure can be amplified. Side effects can include twitching, paranoia, and
impotence, which usually increases with frequent usage.
The
cocaine arrived and we agreed to use it at a time that translated to three and
a half hours after I arrived. It cost $60 for what I was told was an eighth of
a gram. This seemed rather expensive, but I was assured that it was ‘high
quality product.’ I took the line up my left nostril. After about ninety
seconds, I felt my heartbeat increase. It was definitely kicking in. I began to
worry a bit, as I could feel my heart pounding and my pulse increasing. I
finally felt as if it had reached a plateau. My heartbeat became level, albeit
still very high. Many people say that one feels euphoria – being invincible
and/or the desire to clean the house. I did not feel either of these (and I did
remember to think about these things). For me, the positive effects of cocaine
came directly from knowing that I had reached a plateau and I was going to be
fine. I felt invigorated, yet also very comfortable.
One
of the best treatment
for drug addiction is
to consult with cocaine rehab centers for recovery.
8
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamime,
popularly shortened to meth or ice, is a psychostimulant and sympathomimetic
drug. Methamphetamine enters the brain and triggers a cascading release of
norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. Since it stimulates the mesolimbic
reward pathway, causing euphoria and excitement, it is prone to abuse and
addiction. Users may become obsessed or perform repetitive tasks such as
cleaning, hand-washing, or assembling and disassembling objects. Withdrawal is
characterized by excessive sleeping, eating and depression-like symptoms, often
accompanied by anxiety and drug-craving.
We
first smoked meth on New Year’s Eve because we heard it was great for sex. I
had to work the next day and so saved some to smoke before work in the morning.
When I got home another g was waiting for me and I smoked every day but one until
I finally quit three months later. For three weeks we smoked meth with little
consequence, then my skin became fragile and in addition to breaking out,
started to swell. I was really worried because I was constantly thirsty and
drinking water, but I rarely urinated. Then my kidneys started hurting. I had
lost twenty pounds in two months and my husband had lost thirty, and we’d read
somewhere that rapid weight loss can cause kidney failure. I slept every three
or four days for an hour or so and woke feeling rested. I was an hour late for
work everyday. My husband wrecked the truck three times. One day I forgot to
feed my son. Everything was either the highest of highs or the lowest of lows,
no in between existed anymore. We were banned from the sauna at our apartment
complex because no one else could use it. Our sweat smelled so strongly of
ammonia it burned the eyes, it was caustic, and it burned our skin too. My
husband and I haven’t done any drugs at all for four weeks, and things are
slowly going back to normal. But I still want it. I can’t sleep tonight because
I want it. I wrote this in all honesty mostly to help myself, to remind myself
why I don’t want it. And still I want it.
7
Crack
Cocaine
Crack
cocaine, often nicknamed “crack”, is believed to have been created and made
popular during the early 1980s . Because of the dangers for manufacturers of
using ether to produce pure freebase cocaine, producers began to omit the step
of removing the freebase precipitate from the ammonia mixture. Typically,
filtration processes are also omitted. Baking soda is now most often used as a
base rather than ammonia for reasons of lowered odor and toxicity; however, any
weak base can be used to make crack cocaine. When commonly “cooked” the ratio
is 1:1 to 2:3 parts cocaine/bicarbonate.
As
I held the smoke in for a ten count and exhaled, I thought I felt nothing
except a little excitement that was neither bad nor pleasurable. The complete
rush some writers have called a ‘whole-body orgasm’ hit me shortly after and I
distinctly remember demanding ‘more’ as soon as the realization of
heaven-on-earth came. Some people say that the effects of smoking crack lasts
10-15 minutes. For me, it was just a shortest instant of gratification.
Everything afterwards was just a great increase in energy and confidence geared
towards obtaining more of the drug.
6
LSD
Lysergic
acid diethylamide, LSD, LSD-25, or acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of
the tryptamine family. Arguably the most regarded of all psychedelics, it is
considered mainly as a recreational drug, an entheogen, and a tool in use to
supplement various types of exercises for transcendence including in
meditation, psychonautics, and illegal psychedelic psychotherapy whether self
administered or not. LSD’s psychological effects (colloquially called a “trip”)
vary greatly from person to person, depending on factors such as previous
experiences, state of mind and environment, as well as dose strength. They also
vary from one trip to another, and even as time passes during a single trip. An
LSD trip can have long term psychoemotional effects; some users cite the LSD
experience as causing significant changes in their personality and life
perspective. Widely different effects emerge based on what Leary called set and
setting; the “set” being the general mindset of the user, and the “setting”
being the physical and social environment in which the drug’s effects are
experienced.
About
ten years ago I bought my third trip from a guy in my home town Norwich (UK) It
was a ‘Strawberry’ and I was told it had been double dipped. The guy had a
reputation for selling good acid so I happily gave him my cash. I took the
single LSD tab in the late morning in a positive state of mind with no worries
or anxieties. I began to come up on the acid towards the lunch time. It was to
be the first and last time I’d ever trip alone. Outside it was a glorious sunny
day but I was happy enough in my temporary sanctuary to even think about going
outside. The LSD rush started blazing up my spine and racing through my guts, I
felt a little uneasy with it but had enough mind to allow myself to just go
with it and wait until the rush plateaued. I was having a wonderful time,
watching floral Escher type patterns breathing over my skin. I vaguely recall
deciding to go downstairs again for some reason then the next thing I recall
was awakening on the floor of the dining room alone. The first thing I noticed
was that there were blowflies buzzing around a bowl of catfood on the kitchen
floor. I remember feeling perplexed as to why both flies had two bright neon
after images in red and blue. Somehow I navigated myself through Norwich during
the busy lunchtime shoppers and begun to head in the direction of the city’s
central park ‘Chapelfield gardens’. If you could imagine for a moment being
surrounded by people in a busy place where their heads had been removed and
replaced by Squids and Octopus you might begin to accurately picture the scene
confronting me in the park. Everyone had tentacles smothering their faces and
dangling down their necks like fleshy snake beards, even the women and children
were not exempt from this disfiguration. In retrospect, it was the worst day of
my entire life, It was the closest I can imagine to having full blown
psychosis.
5
Ecstasy
Ecstasy
(MDMA) is a semisynthetic psychedelic entactogen of the phenethylamine family
that is much less visual with more stimulant like effects than most all other
common “trip” producing psychedelics. It is considered mainly a recreational
drug that’s often used with sex and associated with club drugs, as an
entheogen, and a tool in use to supplement various types of practices for
transcendence including in meditation, psychonautics, and illicit psychedelic
psychotherapy whether self administered or not. The primary effects of MDMA
include an increased awareness of the senses, feelings of openness, euphoria,
empathy, love,happiness, heightened self-awareness, feeling of mental clarity
and an increased appreciation of music and movement. Tactile sensations are
enhanced for some users, making physical contact with others more pleasurable.
Other side effects, such as jaw clenching and elevated pulse, are common.
Sitting
comfortably in our cosy living room, Café del Mar and similar CDs playing in
the background, we began at 8 pm. I swallowed one white tablet with water. Over
the next hour nothing much happened except that I found myself talking quite
openly and confidently with the others, moving very easily into interesting
conversations. This was a little unusual for me as I am normally quite shy and
overly self-conscious in social situations and it takes me a while to loosen
up. The next thing I experienced was a striking shift in my visual perception.
I don’t mean a hallucination or a distortion, but a wonderful step up in the
aesthetic quality. For a moment it was like being in one of those nostalgic TV
ads where the world looks all gold and sepia. ‘Everything’s gone amber!’ I
blurted. But then I found that my vision was becoming beautifully enhanced. It
made my normal visual experience seem like cheap, fuzzy CCTV footage in
comparison. Now I was seeing the world anew in sharp, lush, top-quality
Technicolor! I also began to move in time to the music. The music! Oh, the
music! Wow! It sounded so good, so organic! The uplifted state stayed with me
and took a long time to fade — at least a couple of weeks. It had unleashed in
me a rush of joy that was still accessible when I focused on it weeks later.
4
Opium
Opium
is a resinous narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating (or
“scoring”) the immature seed pods of opium poppies (Papaver somniferum). It
contains up to 16% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently
processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. Opium has
gradually been superseded by a variety of purified, semi-synthetic, and
synthetic opioids with progressively stronger effect, and by other general
anesthesia. This process began in 1817, when Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Sertürner
reported the isolation of pure morphine from opium after at least thirteen
years of research and a nearly disastrous trial on himself and three boys.
I
remember that what I smoked was much easier to smoke than marijuana. There was
no burning in my throat nor in my lungs. I took a very large, smooth hit.
Smoking it like marijuana, I held it in for about 10 or 15 seconds and let it
out. It didn’t taste like marijuana, I remember the taste being rather faint.
It actually tasted and smelled like incense. I was very surprised to suddenly
find myself on the floor, in the dark, with a crowd of people surrounding me.
Apparently I had fainted and fallen to the ground, but I hadn’t noticed. The
high itself is rather hard to describe. It was much more intense than
marijuana. It felt heavy, like my whole body was being impacted… but it also
felt very clear and refined at the same time. As I made my way towards the
bathroom the drug began to kick in again. My steps kind of faded away and it
felt like I was just floating over to the bathroom. The scary thing was though,
that I was having trouble seeing. My vision was fading. Distinct figures melted
into shadows and everything had a sparkle to it. All of a sudden, everything
felt really good. I couldn’t stop smiling. Everything was profound
in a very positive way, especially the music since it resonated everywhere. It
was a very abstruse experience. I imagine that I was coming down at this point,
an hour had surely past by because the band was building a climax to end their
first set. I went along with the crowd and made my way outside. The fresh air
was wonderful. The cool air seemed to wrap around my body. A slight breeze on
the back of my neck sent chills that rapidly multiplied throughout my body.
3
Marijuana
Cannabis,
known as marijuana in its herbal form, is a psychoactive product of the plant
Cannabis sativa. Humans have been consuming cannabis since prehistory, although
in the 20th century there was a rise in its use for recreational, religious or
spiritual, and medicinal purposes. It is estimated that about four percent of
the world’s adult population use cannabis annually. It has psychoactive and
physiological effects when consumed, usually by smoking or ingestion. The
minimum amount of THC required to have a perceptible psychoactive effect is
about 10 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. The state of intoxication due
to cannabis consumption is colloquially known as a “high”; it is the state
where mental and physical facilities are noticeably altered due to the
consumption of cannabis. Each user experiences a different high, and the nature
of it may vary upon factors such as potency, dose, chemical composition, method
of consumption and set and setting.
After
taking that first hit, and not feeling the effects within a minute (holding it
in for a minute, and then waiting a little bit after exhaling) I decided, well
I better hit this again, harder if I can. I took just as large of a hit, and
again held it in for longer than a minute. I let my brother know I was really
starting to feel something now and I don’t think I liked it all. It snuck up on
me really bad, and I still had no idea what to expect. I wanted him to be
quiet. Laying down was not helping, so I got back up. I went back to the garage
and tried to explain to everyone ‘I am totally fucked up. This is scary!’ I was
rationalizing everything tremendously, but it was SO intense! And it was only
getting more intense faster! I didn’t know what to expect, I was sinking within
myself, accelerating downward like into the depths of my own oblivion. I was a
novice, I had no idea what to expect, and the world had become out of synch,
the talking of my brothers, his friend, all ridiculous and extremely annoying.
I became amazingly irritable and wanted them to leave me alone or not talk in
my presence. They did not understand or appreciate my fear, and they began to
get loud again. I ran upstairs to my parents bed and laid down with some
wistful hope that I could wait out this storm.
2
Psilocybin
Mushrooms
Psilocybin
mushrooms (also called psilocybian mushrooms) are fungi that contain the
psychedelic substances psilocybin and psilocin, and occasionally other
psychoactive tryptamines. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin
mushrooms, the most common being magic mushrooms or ‘shrooms. When psilocybin
is ingested, it is broken down to produce psilocin, which is responsible for
the hallucinogenic effects. The intoxicating effects of psilocybin-containing
mushrooms typically last anywhere from 3 to 7 hours depending on dosage,
preparation method and personal metabolism. The experience is typically
inwardly oriented, with strong visual and auditory components. Visions and
revelations may be experienced, and the effect can range from exhilarating to
distressing. There can be also a total absence of effects, even with large
doses.
I
had acquired about 8 grams of dried mushrooms and some liquid psilocybin
equivalent to another 5 grams of powdered mushrooms. I swallowed the liquid
first, on an empty stomach of course. I could feel a slight sensation after
about 10-15 minutes. Then I added the powder to some water in a mug and
swallowed that also. I then sat by the camp fire, listening to the wind in the
trees while I contemplated what was about to happen. After about 45-50 minutes
I heard a ‘voice’ calling to me. It wasn’t audible in the normal sense – it
came from inside my own mind! Then I was gone – out of this
world. I escaped into what I perceived to be the outer boundaries of my mind or
my imagination. This placed presented itself as a natural forest with low
light. Here I met the owner of the aforementioned voice – the Mushroom Goddess.
She took the form of a white, strapless, ankle-length dress, standing side-on
from me. For about the next two hours I dialoged with her, becoming totally
bewitched by her charm, her wit, her intelligence, her knowledge, her
unconditional affection for me and her seemingly infinite perspective. I have
come to think of her as my other-worldly girlfriend.
1
PCP
PCP
(Phencyclidine) is a dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent,
exhibiting hallucinogenic and neurotoxic effects. It is commonly known as Angel
Dust, but is also known as Wet, Sherm, Sherman Hemsley, Rocket Fuel, Ashy
Larry, Shermans Tank, Wack, Halk Hogan, Ozone, HannaH, Hog, Manitoba Shlimbo,
and Embalming Fluid, among other names. Although the primary psychoactive
effects of the drug only last hours, total elimination from the body is
prolonged, typically extending over weeks. PCP is consumed in a recreational
manner by drug users, mainly in the United States, where the demand is met by
illegal production. It comes in both powder and liquid forms (PCP base
dissolved most often in ether), but typically it is sprayed onto leafy material
such as marijuana, mint, oregano, parsley or Ginger Leaves, and smoked. PCP has
potent effects on the nervous system altering perceptual functions
(hallucinations, delusional ideas, delirium or confused thinking), motor
functions (unsteady gait, loss of coordination, and disrupted eye movement or
nystagmus), and autonomic nervous system regulation (rapid heart rate, altered
temperature regulation). The drug has been known to alter mood states in an
unpredictable fashion causing some individuals to become detached and others to
become animated.
When
I was taking the drug, I used very small amounts. The effect was incredibly
pleasant and social, so much so that me and my friends all used it instead of
booze for almost a year. I couldn’t dance for shit on the stuff (I’d get
stumbly and actually fell on my ass on the dancefloor once) but the physical
sensations and mental pictures were really fun. It is quite different from any
psychedelic visuals or even Ketamine visuals…more like rolling through old film
footage. To be honest, I liked it more than my experiences on Ketamine. PCP can
make one nearly impervious to pain at high doses. Because of this, PCP can make
things seem like a good idea that otherwise wouldn’t (leading to the stories of
people leaping out of windows, etc.) I experienced very confusing physical
reality when really high on it, like being unable to discern the difference
between walking up stairs and down them, or standing still and walking. This
could lead to very unusual behaviour.
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