What's the deal with LSD?

Factual Questions
21

Way back in my high schol and early college days I did quite a bit of LSD. 50 times is probably a conservative estimate. The visual and emotional effects were quite stunning, and enjoyable. Like some others have stated, the hallucinations were enhancements, if that is the correct word, to existing objects; I don’t believe I ever saw things which weren’t physically there.

Am I glad I tried it? Obviously, or I wouldn’t have repeated it many times. Would I do it again. Definitely not, I think I’m glad I grew out of it. As I have grown out of using all other drugs, except alcohol.

As a side note, I recall being able to drink an incredible number of beers while using LSD. Additionally, I remember the mushroom buzz being a bit more mellow than acid.

“A zebra does not change its spots.”
~Al Gore, 1992~

22

As someone who still trips ritually, I must reinforce the notion that the effects of hallucinagins depend upon the personality and mood of the user. Dosage and purity have something to do with it for sure, but not much compared to the person taking the drug.

A couple of tips:

  1. Never take candy from strangers. Only friends.
  2. Don’t compound drugs. If you decide to drop acid, stay away from cocaine, meth, alcohol, heroin, hash, etc.
  3. Stay in a controlled, friendly environment. If you go outside (a necessity) ensure that your location is secluded and peaceful. You’ll probably end up in a hospital or cell before long, otherwise (trust me).
  4. Be at peace with yourself - sounds kind of hippy, but I just mean you should stay away from LCD if you have big issues in your life (recent death of family member/friend, traumatic separation, recent surgery, suicidal thoughts, etc.).

If you’ve never taken mind-altering drugs before, start with psilocybin mushrooms (they grow wild out here by the coast - just grab a basket and pick!). Nice earthy spiritual awareness. Everything connected. Lights and images are not restrained by reality/actuality but are rather pure manifestations of the optic nerve. Enjoy your personal reality and the opening of your body to the planet. The trees are as hands to you and the rocks are your feet.

LCD is not to be triffled with. It is perhaps the most mind-blowing drug in existence. Take a large, pure dose and it will overpower you and create lasting impressions on you mind. I have seen friends reduced to gelatenous mounds of weeping flesh and others jump in front of moving vehicles (no deaths). The warnings of many are to be heeded. No matter how strong you are - it is stronger!

My last trip was magnificent. Six hits of rainbow acid (double strength, set in aurally after 10 min, visually after only 15!). I saw myself as the alpha, the first man on earth, millions of years ago - just landed from a distant star, alien to the earth. I wandered the planet (heavily wooded area with river and streams) discovering the lush wonder everywhere around me. Every single thing surprised me and made me gasp with total pleasure. The discovery of liquid water was the climax of the journey. What a fabulous substance you have here on your planet! I sat on a riverbank for ages, letting the water run over my hands and feet. I finally climbed a volcanic boulder and jumped in. There was orgasmic delight the very moment I hit the supple water. I swam and swam and discussed metaphysical uncertainty with indifferent salmon, lazy frogs and one very sagacious, gregarious beaver. They taught me much.

Perhaps you can tell my fondness for lysergic acid - it’s my drug of choice, but I have yet to try heroin (surprising given my current residence in Portland - the heroin mecca) due to the overdoses of two acquaintences not so long ago. Heroin fucks both your mind & body up, LSD just goes after mind like a hypnotized bitbull on crack!

To Shpaiers in the OP:

Causation? Dramatic alteration of the delicate balance of brain chemistry needed to rationally function. We don’t know much more than that - it would be wise to continue our research.

Controlled? No.

Long term effects? The drug does imprint your mind somehow. The closest similarity I can think of is the way you might suddenly experience a past lover when your current girlfriend replicates her behavior somehow - sort of a triggered memory. It’s always a pleasant, rare experience for me.

Age? Any if you follow my above advice. Teenagers are prone to more feelings of insecurity and depression, so I might well refrain from drug experimentation until your mind is more stable and growth has slowed.

All that being said, have self-control and don’t abuse the wonders of any drug.

Hell is Other People.

23

Thank you, puffington, OpalCat, Athena for presenting the accurate facts along with personal anecdotes. I have taken LSD probably 300 times(70’s, 80’s, and 90’s) and only had one “bad trip” which occurred because I was being chased by both cops and hoodlums at the same time (for something I didn’t do)…I really can’t blame the unpleasant experience on the drug itself.

I think that to some degree one will get whatever one expects from the drug. Yes, I’ve had some “mind-expanding” trips with incredible insights into my psyche. Also had some very serious and uplifting spiritual experiences. Also had some plain ol’ silly good times. Its reliability and purity were at least as good or better than that of other illicit drugs. Haven’t done it in years, but I’d certainly do it again if the timing was right.

I neither advocate nor discourage the use of LSD or any other drug, but get the facts straight before you take it or talk to others about taking it.

24

P.S. Well put, Sake Samurai. Sounds like you trip the way I used to. I envy the ready availability of shrooms. Kinda rare here in TN, but I hear they grow wild down in AL and MS… maybe a “road trip” is in order come spring. :slight_smile:

25

Well said, Sake. I particularly agree that LSD is not the sort of thing you want to be playing with if you are in a sorry mental state.

I also have to agree that I have had my instructive moments with LSD. Those who have not done it will probably find this laughable, but dosing is all about discipline and self-control.

As far as the similarities between psilocybin mushrooms and LSD, Dennis Hopper once said, “I tried mushrooms for the first time and it was like eating a flower. Then I took LSD and that was like eating an IBM machine.”

26

Thanks for all your responses.

So the main gist of it is that LSD is not as bodily and mentally harmful of a drug as heroin, cocaine, etc., if consumed in moderation. And that the best thing that one can do to prevent physical and mental harm is to take it in a peaceful serene environment when the brain is not developing any longer. Oh yeah, and making sure to eat and drink. Right?

This is all really interesting…this message board is more educational than a day at school sometimes.

By the way, Sake Samurai, it’s nice to see someone so close…“Tony” and I live in Portland too.

Shpaiers

27

Tenn, great things grow out here - it’s a rainforest, after all. Fortunately, it’s perfectly legal to take a shroomin’ stroll with a basket under your arm. It’s only illegal if you place them in a sealed container or bag (intent to sell).

I’m currently planning a trip out to crater lake in southern Oregon. I was there last year and without the enhancement of any drugs was struck so hard by the raw spirituality of the lake that (without actually crying) tears poured down my face. I plan to bring a conservative amount of acid and reserve a room for the weekend in the beautiful lodge and spend my days wandering around the lake and working on my poetry. It’s up at 10,000 feet so it’s snowed in right now, but come spring. . .

Sofa: It shouldn’t be laughable to anyone. Speaking of Hopper, if anyone wants an example of a bad trip, go rent hopper’s Easy Rider. It’s a classic and the scene in the New Orleans cemetary is powerfully chaotic.

Shpaiers, glad to meet you here - we Portlanders are a rare bunch on this board. Out of 3,600+ members there are only about 5 of us. Did you see the moon last night? It was finally a crystal clear night on the solstace with the most full moon I’ve ever seen. Sunrise & sunset were pink and orange and when I finally saw the moon, my chin dropped to the grass. It you missed it, check it out again tonight.

Hell is Other People.

28

Let’s say for the sake of argument one wanted to try one of these mind-altering drugs: How would one go about procuring same?

“It’s my considered opinion you’re all a bunch of sissies!”–Paul’s Grandfather

29

[shaking head sadly]

Never thought I’d see the day where an electric guitarist has to ask THAT question.

Times sure have changed, by cracky.

Uke

30

I’ve tripped well over a hundred times, about half at Grateful Dead shows. I’ve never had a bad experience (knock, knock, knock), but that has a lot to do with where I was and my mind-set at the time. I have had deep insights into basic existance that I’ve never had on my own. Deep, deep insights. For me, at least, it pushes reality to the very edge, breaking down thought itself. It makes me extremely aware of what I’m thinking and why. It allows me to spiritually look down on myself and merge the mental world inside my head with the physical world around me. I’ve experienced pure, basic existance on LSD. I think it has a very profound and positive impact on who I am and what I believe, and I think I’m a better person because of it.

But I very well may be one of the exceptions. I’ve known lots of people who’ve had very bad trips, and I know many more people who I would go to the ends of the Earth to discourge their using it. It’s a big gamble. I gambled and it payed off very well for me, many times.

I haven’t done it in a couple of years. I prefer to take mushrooms if I want to trip, simply because they don’t last so long and are usually more reliable than a little piece of paper purchased from a stranger (although there are certainly dangers with 'shrooms, too). 12 hours of intense self-analysis on LSD is a little more than I’m willing to do these days.

Basically, it’s a personal choice. I wouldn’t tell you to do it, and I wouldn’t tell you not to do it. You are taking a risk, no doubt about it. Proceed with caution and use your best judgement. If you do decide to try it, have fun. Just be careful.

“Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope.”

31

I took lsd twice,because my husband told me to.The first time,I felt totally peaceful,no bitchiness at all. The second time,I was preganant(a few weeks.I did Not know I was pregnant)It wasn’t so peaceful,but I saw the walls breath! I’d read about it,so i knew that was a common thing,and it didn’t freak me out. Lsd does not harm fetuses by the way.

32

<font size=5>What the Hell do you people need drugs for anyway?!?

If you want to see something that is bizzare & looks like a bad dream; turn on the evening news on your TV.</font>

<BLINK>The above type is normal size. If it does not appear to be normal size, or begins blinking, you are having a flashback</BLINK>

Save The Endangered Jackalope! Send Cash Now! If You Do This, I Will Use The Cash To Save Any Jackalope That I Happen To Find! Send Cash Now! Before It’s Too Late! My Bills, I Mean The Jackalope’s Bills Are Due The 15th Of The Month!
This has been a message from the Illuminated Committee To Save The Jackalope. Fnord.

33

One thing that comes to mind is that I discovered that I loved my mother. After all the pain she had caused me, I thought I hated her. Then I was looking through an old photo album of her and my dad in high school, and I saw her, for the first time, as a person. And I forgave her for the mistakes she made. And I realized that I loved her.

You can fight it all you want but I still say, if it isn’t your thing, don’t do it. But don’t judge me if I do it, ok? And don’t try to get all holier-than-thou when I say I’ve learned things from it. I never said it was the only way to learn things, I simply said that I DID learn things. Mostly I did LSD because it was fun, but in addition to that I’ve learned things. Don’t like it? Don’t do it. But leave your preachiness at the door, I don’t need it.

–
Teeming Millions: http://fathom.org/teemingmillions
“Meat flaps, yellow!” - DrainBead, naked co-ed Twister chat
O p a l C a t
www.opalcat.com

34

Hubbo and I used to trip quite frequently until the rugrats came along. I liked it. I would definitely do it again if I had unlimited time, no kids, and zero responsibilities.

I only hallucinated once (or actually, on one trip). Many times I saw inanimate things breathe, move, melt, etc., but only once did I imagine things that clearly did not exist. Incredible, IF one is comfortable in his/her surroundings. I always insisted on doing it at home and only with people I felt completely at ease with.

I have seen people having so-called “bad trips” and it is not pleasant.

I would not recommend that anyone start taking acid (mostly because of the stiff legal penalties) but memories of tripping in my youth are some of the most cherished ones that I have. Maybe I should have joined the Glee Club or something instead, but man, was it intense. Emotions, sights, sounds, sex, everything magnified so much that they are almost too much.

35

Some interesting psychedelic references from the Anarchist’s Cookbook:

Relating to the effects of Peyote
“The white man goes into his church house and talks about Jesus; the indian goes into his teepee and talks to Jesus.”
~ J.S. Syotkin, 1956~

Antonin Artaud (The Artaud Anthology) was able to see and understand ideas and concepts on a different level. He was able to tear apart rationalizations, without regard for contemporary methods of organization, or even contemporary versions of truth. Artaud found, in his own way, his own truth and his own structure of values …they locked him up.

“I died at Rodez under electroshock”
U.S. patent application for:
“The Preparation of Lysergic Acid Amides”
#2,736,728 patented February 28, 1956
… as well as, do-it-your-self methods for extracting natural LSD from wild Morning Glory seeds and Hawaiian Wood Rose seeds.

<font color="#8b008b">"…but the downside is, if you open those doors and don’t like what you find there … you’re just fucked"

~Guthrie~</font>

36

According to this site pure LSD is probably not teratogenic (i.e. causing birth defects) but with street LSD, being mixed with gawd knows what, all bets are off.

Granted, more research needs to be done on the effects of LSD and I’m certainly not casting aspersions on the medical condition of your child, but stating that LSD is harmless to fetuses is an inaccurate and potentially dangerous thing to say.

If I wanted smoke blown up my ass, I’d be at home with a pack of cigarettes and a short length of hose.

37

Wait 'till Phish comes to town, then show up at their concert bleary-eyed with a fat spliff in one hand and a balloon full of nitrous oxide in the other. Walk around aimlessly until approached and asked if you wanna buy some acid.

If you live in a humid location, you can pick 'shrooms. You can also grow psilocybes, bearing in mind that this is highly illegal and I am not endorsing this practice, even though I did do it once several years ago and it was fairly easy.

You could also grow peyote … but it would take about 10 years for it to grow big enough to use.

38

You won’t want to eat anything while on acid, possibly some hard candy or pop rocks or something like that, but nothing heavy. Water was always my drink of choice when tripping. If you smoke cigarettes, be sure to have a lot of them on hand - or none of them … just kinda depends on the intensity of the trip, I guess.

You shouldn’t be mixing your drugs, but it’ll be okay if you smoke some weed or hash with it, especially while coming down. A valium or Xanax is nice when you’re coming down and just wanna go to sleep but can’t.

This is one of those things you just can’t explain unless you’ve experienced it. The way psychedelics tickle your mind is unlike any other sensation you will ever feel in your life. Your brain is working in fast forward, processing a billion operations per second. Thoughts flow like poetry.

Haven’t you ever wanted to peer inside the mind of a madman for oh, 8 to 12 hours (3-6 for shrooms)? It’s really pretty amazing. It can be euphoric and it can be the most hellish emotional anguish you’ve ever felt. If you’re feeling at ALL depressed, don’t take psychedelics!

One more important note : A high dose is more likely to give you a bad trip, especially if you’re not an experienced user. I’ve never had a bad trip on LSD, probably because the dosages are so small these days. I have had a couple of bad trips on high doses of 'shrooms, though. A good dose of p.cubensis for a first-timer is 1.5g (about 1 1/2 teaspoons dried, powdered).

39

I dunno, I’ve craved various foods on acid. Usually salty things like potato chips. Mmmm.

–
Teeming Millions: http://fathom.org/teemingmillions
“Meat flaps, yellow!” - DrainBead, naked co-ed Twister chat
O p a l C a t
www.opalcat.com

40

I ate salami,and it did help.Tho dont ever try to play with dice!