Why You SHOULDN'T do LSD

I spend a lot of time talking about why (and how) people should be doing LSD. After all, it has done worlds of good for many people (including myself). However, I do NOT advocate the use of LSD for EVERYONE. Many acid-heads get excited about the creation of an acid utopia inspired by their own psychedelic experiences, but taking LSD is a risk that some people just should not take. If you belong to any of the groups listed, you should think very carefully before you use any psychedelic substance.

• People with a tendency toward mental illness. People with a history of, or a genetic predisposition towards, schizophrenia can be triggered by hallucinogens and may not recover in a timely manner-- or ever. These are the horror stories you hear about "permanent bad trips:" in almost every case the patient has a history of certain kinds of mental illness. Other, more common, mental illnesses, like anxiety and depression, can also be made worse by the use of LSD, as it puts you in a fragile mental state that may exacerbate these conditions. This is not to say that those with anxiety and depression should not EVER use psychedelics; in fact, LSD use often helps me with my own depression. Just be prepared for the possibility.
• People on SSRI antidepressants. SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) and LSD work the same way, by blocking the neurochemical serotonin from getting used and recycled. Unfortunately, having too much serotonin active and bouncing around in your system can cause Serotonin Syndrome, which is potentially life-threatening and has symptoms like headaches, confusion, shivering, sweating, nausea, diarrhea, twitching, tachycardia, and coma. Since another symptom of Serotonin Syndrome is hallucinations, you might not know what is happening to you until it is too late. Please do not take this risk with any hallucinogen.
• People who do not feel comfortable using psychedelics. I'm sure you've heard the old adage for preparation: set and setting. One must make sure that their external "setting" and environment are good for a trip, but they must also make sure that their mindset is positive. If you are much more nervous about tripping than you are excited, then don't rush it. You will always have another opportunity if and when you feel more confident. It's like a roller coaster: it will always be a little scary, but it certainly shouldn't be terrifying.
• People who don't know they're taking a drug. Sometimes people get really enthusiastic about an experience that they have had and want to share it with others who might be wary or even negative about psychedelics, so they decide to make it a "surprise." This is a violation of someone's personal freedom of choice, which I never advocate, and can also very easily cause a bad trip. If someone doesn't know that they've taken a drug, the effects thereof can be really frightening and might make them think they've gone insane. Not good. Or, even worse, some people will attempt to use psychedelics to take advantage of others sexually. This is EXTREMELY wrong, for many obvious reasons, and is not something anyone should do to another human being. Ever.
• People who just don't really want to. If you don't think that psychedelics would be your thing, then whatever. I do not think that everyone should do psychedelics, just that those who do want to should have the freedom to do so. Whatever you choose is the right choice for you.

And of course, Timothy Leary has summed it up best: "Acid is not for every brain .... Only the healthy, happy, wholesome, handsome, hopeful, humorous, high-velocity should seek these experiences. This elitism is totally self-determined. Unless you are self-confident, self-directed, self-selected, please abstain. "

Racism and Marijuana Prohibition: Video Version

I made a video based on my most popular post, Why Pot Supporters Shouldn't Use the Term "Marijuana." It's slightly revised and also shows off my handsomeness and charm. ;) Watch the video and let me know what you think! :)

I'll read your comments when I'm done with my appointment with Lucy: stay tuned for a trip report, and after that an article about meeting Steve Bloom, former High Times editor. Stay stoned, psychonauts!

LSD & Uterine Contractions

This is much more of a public service announcement than I usually do, but I am not the kind of guy who can't admit the flaws in the things that I love. While LSD is largely harmless to the mind and the body, it is synthesized from ergot, a fungus that has been used for centuries to perform abortions. Even the end result, LSD, is still in the same chemical family and has still been proven to cause uterine contractions, which may lead to pregnancy complications. I wouldn't advise using any psychoactive while pregnant, but you should be especially careful about avoiding this one. Menstruating females may also find that it increases their related pain.

Grapefruit Juice and Drug Bioavailability

I was flipping through my collection of drug-related books and articles and I found that quite a few were related to grapefruit juice. Grapefruit juice? That sounds like my experience with mangoes amplifying a trip, which I wrote about here if you're curious. I thought maybe there was some correlation, so I investigated furthur.

Drug bioavailability is the percentage of a drug that you ingest that actually makes it to its biological target. When you take a drug orally, whether it's LSD or aspirin, some of it is metabolized (digested & taken apart) before it can reach your bloodstream. If you inject a drug, its bioavailability is 100%. Grapefruit juice will increase the bioavailability of certain drugs by interfering with the metabolizing process, and therefore increase their effectiveness and potency.

Scientists first discovered this when they were experimenting with the effects of mixing alcohol and another drug, felodipine. With their test subjects, they used grapefruit juice to mask the flavor of the alcohol mix as they drank it, and it ended up increasing the bioavailability of the felodipine. Even a single glass of grapefruit juice, taken within 24 hours of the administered dose, will create these effects.

Other scientists found that cytochrome, which occurs naturally in the small intestine and is responsible for the metabolizing of certain molecules, is what the grapefruit juice inhibits. Though it's not known exactly what chemical in the juice causes it, they have narrowed it down to a few theories: naringin (which doesn't occur in other fruit juices and is known to limit metabolism), quercetin, kaempferol, furanocoumarians, and bergamottin. In case you were curious.

What does this mean for recreational drug use? Well, unfortunately, not much. Though it increases bioavailability in a variety of substances, it doesn't do so for all of them. One chemical it does affect is setraline, also known as Zoloft. It is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, or SSRI, meaning that it prevents your body from reabsorbing and metabolizing serotonin, a neurological chemical that plays a part in keeping you happy. By keeping more serotonin active in your body, your mood stabilizes. By increasing the bioavailability of SSRIs, grapefruit juice makes them more potent. LSD also functions by serotonin-- it blocks serotonin's receptors because of its similar shape. Therefore, grapefruit juice shouldn't have an effect on LSD and related hallucinogens, unless you're taking an SSRI already, and then it will make the LSD even less effective.

Of course, I am not a biologist or a chemist; just a careful reader and researcher. If I drew an incorrect conclusion or you know something more on the matter, please tell me in the comments and I will edit the post.

tl;dr: To the best of my knowledge, grapefruit juice will not make hallucinogens any more potent, and will actually decrease potency furthur if one is already taking an SSRI.

Source:

Food-drug interaction: grapefruit juice augments drug bioavailability-- mechanism, extent and relevance

by A. Dahan and H. Altman

The Responsible Drug User's Oath

This has apparently been floating around the internet for a while, but I didn't encounter it until recently. I think it's a pretty good system for maintaining responsible drug use, although you might want to edit it for your needs, or add some rules of your own.

I don't know who originally wrote it, so instead of making a link, I'll just reproduce the text here. If you happen to know, tell me so I can give proper credit.

I swear or affirm that:

1. I will understand the effects of all recreational drugs I take prior to ingestion, to the best of my ability. I shall research all relevant neurochemical, psychological, physiological, and spiritual effects, the legal issues surrounding the drug and its use, along with other relevant information.

2. When taking a drug I am inexperienced with, I shall begin with a reasonably low dose suggested to be psychoactive by the aforementioned research before progressing to higher dosages. I will measure the drug carefully, with an accurate scale, when possible and applicable.

3. If it is possible that the drug may contain harmful adulterants or in fact be a different drug altogether, I shall have the drug chemically analyzed for purity and content. If this is not possible, I will use caution and/or follow the appropriate course of action.

4. I will learn the overdose limits for my own body weight and adjust them for any possible synergistic effects due to diet, prescription or other drugs. I will also adjust for dangerous side effects and my own health condition. I will also learn of any possible drug interactions and make sure I am not at risk.

5. While under the effects of a drug, I shall not take physical risks such as driving, climbing, swimming, or any other physical activity in which my actions may cause harm to myself or others.

6. When first using a drug I am inexperienced with, I shall take it in the company of an experienced user, also known as a sitter. The sitter will remain sober during this experience, and will also have fully researched the drug. If this is not possible I will make sure there is a responsible way/backup plan to deal with any haphazards which may occur during my experience.

7. I shall not attempt to sway, force, trick, or otherwise coerce another person or animal to take any drug; rather, I shall discuss previous drug experiences and research frankly and honestly, allowing all people to make their own personal decisions about drug use.

8. I shall defend the rights of others to make educated, responsible decisions about drug use. I shall not support any person or movement that attempts to remove or abridge said rights.

9. I shall not allow my drug use to overshadow or disrupt the other important aspects of my life, including social interaction, employment or even other personal pursuits.

10. I will also take responsibility for the drug use of friends and relatives, if their drug use becomes dangerous to their health or personal relationships.

11. I will take drugs only in my free time, when I am not answerable to an employer or responsible for another person's health and well-being.

12. As a drug consumer, I will embrace responsible drug production and distribution methods, such as growing or pharming your own, and shun suppliers who use violence when not necessary for their self-defense.

I swear this with the hope of creating a society in which safe, responsible drug use is a personal decision, not a criminal offense.

An Issue of Liberty

This is a guest post by Eva from Into the Infinite. She's a wonderful writer-- check out her stuff!

There are many good reasons to legalize drugs. There is the fact that most hallucinogens are non-toxic and non-addictive, that drug addicts should be treated like patients and not like criminals (granted that they didn't commit any violent offenses), and that the "War on Drugs" puts billions of dollars directly into the pockets of organized crime. Each of these reasons on their own should be enough to make anyone change their mind about the legal status of drugs. In this post I want to talk about the issue of liberty and of freedom over your own consciousness. Taken with all the other points, it should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that there is something seriously wrong with drug prohibition.

You should have the right to decide if you want to change the state of your own consciousness. You should be allowed to explore your inner self and the amazing worlds and ideas that can be opened up through the use of hallucinogens. And even though I prefer to use such substances for more spiritually inclined purposes and have certain ideas about the best set and setting for their use, you should have the final choice in taking them how and where you want to take them, even if you just want to simply have fun.

Are people going to make mistakes? Are they going to use drugs and have bad experiences, or maybe take them when they are not in a proper mindset? Yes, the truth is that they will. But just because people make mistakes and don't always make the right choices, doesn't mean that those choices should be stripped from them and that the government should have the final say on what is and isn't right for you.

Are there going to be addicts and drug abusers? Yes, just like they exist, and are never going to go away in the current system. And the crazy thing is that while we treat alcoholics as patients and not like criminals, victimless drug addicts can expect to face the same, or worse punishments as convicted rapists. (And not only drug addicts, cannabis smokers and dealers can find themselves in the same boat).

Another thing to consider is that if the drug laws were to change, everyone won't suddenly run off to do heroin just because it is legal, as Ron Paul says here:

The idea that the government should get out of people's personal lives is one that I can not stress enough.

It needs to stay out of people's bedrooms, out of their personal choices, and out of their consciousness. You, as a smart, rational, thinking person are much more qualified to decide what sort of substances you are going to put in your body than some elected official who knows nothing about you and believes the propaganda of the War on Drugs.

Now, is everybody a smart, rational, thinking human being? No, of course not. It doesn't take much looking around to realize that. But do we take away people's freedoms and control their mind just because they aren't very intelligent? Do we take away the freedom of everyone else who happens to know how to use drugs responsibly?

People can also be stupid with alcohol, and with a whole host of everyday things from forks to baseball bats. I could smack someone over the head with my laptop. I probably fry my brain more staring at my laptop screen more than I ever do by using cannabis or taking LSD.

For people to have let their liberty and control over their own consciousness be taken away like this is astounding, and I am convinced that they would never have let it happen were it not for the propaganda surrounding drug prohibition. It is quite telling that the people who started the War on Drugs never actually told the truth, because if they did, they knew they wouldn't get away with it. They painted cannabis as this super dangerous drug that made you go insane. When the sad truth is that the history of cannabis criminalization is riddled with racism.

And while I do like to think that the war on drugs would have never started if people knew the truth, I get this sense when I look around now that the sheep-like people wouldn't care even if they did. They would just keep eating up new lies told to them by those in power, who would just scramble to find new reasons to continue the War on Drugs and keep big pharma happy. In this following video, while not completely about drugs, Ron Paul does a good job at outlining how complacent people are while they lose their liberty.

You don't have to agree with everything he says, but I think no one can argue that people nowadays seem too complacent and uncaring about what is done with their rights. The fact that there is not mass outrage over the War on Drugs illustrates this perfectly, and taking back the rights over our consciousness would be a great first step in affirming our rights and liberty.

"There can be no more intimate and elemental part of the individual than his or her own consciousness. At the deepest level, our consciousness is what we are - to the extent that if we are not sovereign over our own consciousness then we cannot in any meaningful sense be sovereign over anything else either. So it is highly significant that, far from encouraging freedom of consciousness, our societies in fact violently deny our right to sovereignty in this intensely personal area, and have effectively outlawed all states of consciousness other than those on a very narrowly defined and officially approved list. The "War on Drugs" has thus unexpectedly succeeded in engineering a stark reversal of the true direction of Western history by empowering faceless bureaucratic authorities to send armed agents to break into our homes, arrest us, throw us into prison, and deprive us of our income and reputations simply because we with to explore the sometimes radical, though always temporary, alterations in our own consciousness that drugs facilitate."- Graham Hancock

You may not agree with the legalization of all drugs, and several nuances and arguments may surround the issue. I for one would have no qualms about taking certain deadly pharmaceuticals off the shelves. We can get into discussions about which drugs should be legalized verses which should just be decriminalized, but the bottom line should be one of liberty and the fact that you should have sovereignty over your own consciousness. If you are not hurting others, then you should not be treated as a criminal because of your personal choice to ingest a substance and change your state of consciousness.

Time Flies... or Jumps, or Skips, or....

Trouble and confusion regarding the passage of time is a really common characteristic of hallucinogenic experiences. Some people find it pleasant when time slows down or seems to behave strangely, and others will become baffled and anxious. This is sometimes exacerbated by the need to keep track of time for worldly engagements, or by paying too much attention to where you are in relation to your peak. Time perception is a really intricate brain process, involving many different pieces working together, and is by no means regular or infalliable.

There are many things that can affect your time perception even while sober. For example, the efforts of your eyes to maintain a clear picture can affect time perception. The eye actually makes many more jerky motions than we notice, and therefore has processes in place to give us the movie that we're used to. If you move your eyes very quickly to a clock with a second hand, you'll see that that one second seems to last longer than it should. The visual parts of the brain extend that image backwards in time so you perceive a smoother transition between your last focus and this new one.

I am by no means an expert on this matter, but from what I do know of perception and hallucinogens, these drugs affect the way your brain integrates the information that comes to it. I assume that that is why you sometimes see multiples-- your brain loses the ability to mesh the images from each of your eyes together. The kaleidoscope or fractal effect seems to me to be a result of the doubling of the edges of complex or irregular shapes, like clouds. Therefore, it's not a stretch that maybe the parts of your brain involved in time misfire similarly. LSD (I'm not so sure about other hallucinogens) results in sleeplessness and a loss of appetite, which may affect the Circadian Rhythm, which is the body process that tells you when it's time to eat and sleep. And experiencing novel things makes time seem to slow, and with hallucinogens novel is the name of the game.

My first trip was really interesting in this regard, and I didn't take it very well. I was reminded of this by both my friend's trip the other day and because I found my graphical representation of my time perception during that trip while I was cleaning out my drawer. :)

My ex-boyfriend took me out to the nearby park for my first peak. I figured I would feel very comfortable there because we hung out there a lot, but it was an unseasonably nice day so it was very crowded. It began to remind me strongly of a day that I had spent there with him a year earlier, and as that idea began to grow in my mind I became very confused. It seemed that the year had formed a loop, and that it was up to me to figure out the secret of breaking the loop so we didn't endlessly relive that year. Obviously, I had no idea how to go about this. I asked him if we could go back to his house, and he agreed. I sat down on his bed and asked for a piece of paper so I could try to explain my problem in a drawing. "I'm confused," I repeatedly whined. I felt that something important had happened on the journey home (probably just my peak) but I couldn't remember it.

TRANSCRIPTION:

I was trying to explain to you how time kept getting reset every 20 seconds. Minutes feel like hours. I feel like... who knows. I should just let it do its thing. I can't wrap my head around time. Like, the leaves could have been spring or autumn and then it was the day we met, it was a funeral was a wedding everything kept getting reset. What the hell was up with the pinecones? It seems tragic that I could have made that much of a fool of myself. I should stop fighting.

Time just got too much for me to handle. I should let myself float. I shouldn't be this confused.

All I can see are the leaves on the ground-- registers as orange. Orange? Could that be right? What? What day is it? Suddenly this matter o time is of utmost importance

I am glad that I saved this because I find it hilarious. :)

SOURCES

First Science

Wikipedia

LSD & Autism

My brother and I have always been exact opposites. He likes sports; I like books. I love to go out with friends; he would rather stay home and play on the computer. He likes math class; I like English. However, our most obvious difference is that he was diagnosed with Autism at age three. 

I was only five years old at the time, but since then the lives of each of our family members have been impacted irrevocably, mostly in a positive way. My mother encouraged my early love of books and writing by giving me a unique "homework assignment." I wrote and illustrated a shoe-tying manual when my brother was having trouble grasping the concept. He was an early reader as well, and would delightedly flip through each of the pages and laugh at my goofy stick-figure drawings. My mother would hold him on her lap and guide him through the process, until he finally understood well enough to do it himself. I would sit next to them and beam with pride that something I had created could have a positive effect on someone else. From then on, the only thing I have wanted to do with my life is write. I hope to use my skill with and enthusiasm for language to influence the world and the individuals in it. 

As time went on, I developed skills to match those he lacked. He often speaks in a cryptic, seemingly illogical way, but since we grew up together I was the only one who could translate what he meant to my parents and the other adults who dealt with him, further improving my own language and people skills and helping him to be understood and accepted. I helped him make friends by inviting him along with me on outings, and encouraging him to join clubs he might be interested in. I enjoy seeing him succeed in a realm where he has had such difficulties, and love doing whatever I can to help. 

Most importantly, I learned from my brother that each individual really is just that, and cannot be judged by his or her differences. In the diverse world we live in, we must learn to accept everyone, regardless of any label or diagnosis you can attach to them. My brother's presence in my life has reminded me how important the individual is to the whole world, and what a difference one person can make.

Yes, I just subjected you to my entire college admissions essay (names excised). Yes, it's a little cheesy and self-serving, but it's all true. I think it's important to help you understand not only my relationship with LSD, but my relationship with Autism as well.

Autism is often misunderstood, due to its spectrum of symptoms that differ per individual, and its convoluted history. I have lived with my Autistic brother for 17 of my 18 years, and even so, it's much easier to explain my brother and his unique behavior than it is to explain Autism as a whole. I can assure you that the barely-stifled rumors of Autism being created by unloving mothers isn't true: Autism is thought to be caused by a variety of factors in conjunction, including genetics (not one gene; the rights ones must be "in alignment"), disease during pregnancy (like Rubella), exposure to certain chemicals in the womb, and/or immune system deficits. There is no test for Autism, and maybe there never will be, but symptoms are noticeable by age three, and include:

• Impairment of nonverbal social behaviors (like eye contact)
• Trouble with peer relationships
• Lack of social reciprocity (trouble holding conversation, or truly sharing in shared experiences)
• Delay in spoken language and other forms of communication, like gesticulation
• Inappropriate use of language (not the swearing that is a stereotype of Tourette's, but problems with pronouns and prepositions, or repetition of other people's words or sentences, etc.)
• Restricted and obsessive interests (for example, my brother can't really hold a conversation about anything besides sports statistics)
• Adherence to rituals and schedules, and a resultant anxiety if they are changed or something unexpected occurs
• Repetitive mannerisms (hand-flapping is the stereotype; my brother never does anything halfway, and instead gallops around the yard or house with his hand a few inches from his face, and makes ticky-sounding computer noises to his hand, which I'm sure terrifies the neighbors)
• Sensitivity to sensory stimulation (one boy I know keeps his fingers in his ears all the time; my brother is phobic of fire alarms and dogs, and has to cut the itchy tags off of all of his clothing)

These traits persist through adulthood-- an Autistic child, without extensive therapy and special education, will probably never be socially "normal." Therefore, Autism isn't just a disorder, it's an important part of what makes an Autistic individual him- or herself. (If you're interested in reading more about Autism, its history, and its impact on families, I recommend Richard Grinker's Unstrange Minds. I'm only about halfway through it right now, but it's very interesting and informative and matches up closely with my experience with this disorder.)

Before LSD was hijacked by the hippies and the radicals, it belonged to the psychiatrists. They used it to treat a variety of emotional and psychological problems, including alcoholism and schizophrenia. In the early sixties, Autism was just changing from a symptom meaning extreme introversion, to a unique diagnosis separate from childhood schizophrenia (which is actually extremely rare). However, psychiatry at that time was not as organized as it is today, and therefore childhood schizophrenia was still a frequent diagnosis.

LSD and schizophrenia were connected in the minds of the experimenters because it was first used to simulate psychotic episodes for the researchers themselves, to better understand their patients. Though it is now believed by most that organic schizophrenia and this induced state are very different, the connection remained and LSD began to be explored as a treatment for schizophrenia. In a field dominated by Freud's psychoanalysis, psychologists thought that the same anxiety that induced psychosis in some test subjects would release repressed material in others, helping them to deal with the roots of their problems. Patients on LSD experienced either an intensification of their symptoms, no change at all, or a strange mix of intensification and normalization of behaviors. Mute patients would often laugh-- or cry-- hysterically for hours on end, sometimes bouncing between the two at the mercy of strong mood swings. However, most schizophrenic patients seemed relatively immune to the effects of LSD, and therefore it was an ineffective treatment. A few researchers were inspired by these studies decided to try their luck with LSD therapy for the "childhood schizophrenics." They believed that the disinhibition may make Autistic children more "present" and better able to assimilate social understanding.

Freedman conducted a study on twelve moderate-to-severe cases, ages five to eleven. The observed effects, which were were either physical and measurable or inferred through body language because of the patients' lack of speech capabilities to describe their experience, included flushing of the face, pupil dilation, catatonia, lack of coordination, lack of appetite, exploration of new bodily sensations, increased desire for physical contact, mood swings, hallucinations, panic, relaxation, freer use of language (an increase in quantity of communication but not quality; no new words or phrases were used), and (my favorite!) "dizziness due to whirling." The researchers had a problem with continuing the treatment because tolerance built up so quickly, but the research was promising. One eight-year-old girl responded very well to treatments over a year's worth of weekly sessions; the severe behavior problems were cured in a young boy; and another ten-year-old girl improved after only three months.

Another study found a greater rate of success by administering half-doses twice daily. It raised the social maturity rating of the younger children but was less beneficial to the older children. Children who were not Autistic, but actually had schizophrenia, showed much more improvement with LSD therapy than did adult schizophrenics.

Though LSD has worked for Autistic children in the past, I wouldn't say that I recommend it for everyone with Autism. My brother, for example, is too high-functioning, anxious, and self-aware to end up with anything besides unpleasant confusion and/or a bad trip-- pot brownies might suit him better. However, I know kids with more severe symptoms, who would be more likely to benefit from LSD therapy. Those who are further removed from the everyday reality of the rest of us may be better equipped to deal with LSD therapy as just another new experience in a world that barely makes sense to them as it is. This is another promising field of psychiatric research that has been entirely stemmed by the insane War on Drugs, which is not only punishing recreational users, but alcoholics, PTSD-sufferers, AIDS patients, and Autistic children.

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder is when visual characteristics of a trip last for much longer than the trip itself, until after the chemical has been removed from your system. Contrary to flashbacks, it's always present and relatively permanent. It is most commonly related to LSD use, but that may just be because acid is the most commonly used hallucinogen. Those that are genetically predisposed to HPPD can begin experiencing it very early on in their drug use, but in others it sets in much later in the game, and therefore seems to be unrelated to the frequency or number of trips one takes.

Common sights of HPPD sufferers include halos or auras around objects, changes in dimension and color, a difficulty in distinguishing between colors, trouble reading because of "misbehaving letters," geometric patterns where there are none, flashes of color, movement in peripheral vision, or TV-like "static" on monochrome surfaces. The symptoms can be made worse by fatigue, drug use, a sudden change in the visual environment (like walking into a brightly-lit room from the dark), or simply paying too much attention to it.

Many people have never heard of HPPD, or if they must seek treatment they are too embarrassed to admit to having used hallucinogens, and therefore the statistics on its prevalence are probably incorrect. This is another good reason that hallucinogen use should be legal or at least socially acceptable: research could be done, and people with disorders of this sort could get the treatment they need. Luckily, many people don't need to get treatment, because HPPD often fades over time of its own accord.

Now, don't be like me and assume that your brain is broken just because the rainbows around lights at night seem suddenly really noticeable. HPPD is only diagnosed when the disturbances are so severe that the patient cannot ignore it. Like other psychiatric syndromes, a requirement for diagnosis is that it impairs normal functioning. To be fair, I had no idea that light halos were a common occurrence until I asked my boyfriend, who verified that he saw them too. :)

HPPD raises some interesting questions about how drugs affect us. One common theory is that hallucinogens permanently affect the nervous system, creating less sensory gating (like Huxley described in The Doors of Perception). This leads us to be more open to receiving sensory signals that have always been there, but are usually filtered out. There was also an interesting study that I read about that showed that those who use hallucinogens have a lowered ability to distinguish between colors, and to distinguish between a very fast strobe and a continually-shining light. I found this to be the opposite of what I've experienced: my drug use has made me appreciate color so much more, and when I'm high I can even see the strobing in cheap fluorescent lights, which is super annoying. Anyone else have a different story?

I was also kind of surprised that HPPD only includes the visual aspect of hallucinogens. It seems to me that other aspects of a trip could last too, but I guess people with that are just called "crazy." :)

Sources:
Wikipedia

Erowid

Flashbacks?

Flashbacks were something that I didn't believe in until a close & trustworthy friend told me about his. He was sitting in Denny's late at night as is his habit, reading and drinking coffee with whiskey from his flask mixed in, when the walls started to undulate. He sat back and let it pass. For him, it wasn't a negative experience, but a transitory curiosity.

Flashbacks are a re-occurrence of the effects of a hallucinogen, usually short and mild. They usually occur within a few days after a trip, and seem to be triggered by alcohol, marijuana, stress, caffeine, fatigue, or a history of mental illness. (Though as far as I recall my friend had not tripped recently when his flashback occurred, but it may have been related to the whiskey.) Most users (70%) never experience one, and for all the fuss that is made about it in anti-drug literature, flashbacks only have a 20-30% chance of occurring (Wikipedia).

Though science hasn't yet presented us with a definitive explanation for this phenomenon, it has been proven that they are not caused by residual chemicals trapped in the spinal cord. LSD dissolves in water very easily, and therefore gets washed out of your system within 24 hours (Shulgin). Edward M. Brecher has a theory, which makes sense to me, that flashbacks occur with any extremely emotional event (whether positive or negative) and so it is of no surprise that LSD use would result in them as well (XS4All).

It's possible that the key to flashbacks will also provide insight into the mystery of HPPD, or Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder. I'll write a more in-depth post on that later, but for now, it's a syndrome that is defined by certain symptoms of a trip lasting a very, very long time (or permanently).

Many people find the threat of flashbacks a reason to avoid LSD, because of the unpredictability of the experience. However, in my opinion, if you're having a flashback you'll understand what's going on and be able to ride it out. If you were okay while tripping (which is likely) you'll most likely be okay during a flashback. If you have a history of mental illness, you shouldn't be doing acid in the first place.

It seems that although flashbacks do occur, they are a purely psychological experience, and don't pose any threat. Therefore, anti-drug literature that treats LSD as an insidious specter that will haunt you for the rest of your life is entirely incorrect. However, he may show up every once in a while to say "hi."