Is LSD Addictive?

Is LSD Addictive?

LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide-25) is the most powerful hallucinogenic known to man after the salvia plant. This ergotamine rye fungus extract was discovered by Dr. Albert Hofmann while working for Sandoz Laboratories in Switzerland in 1938. A dose strong enough to induce an 8 to 12 hour phantasmagoria acid trip could fit on the head of a pin.

This psychedelic drug is known for its vibrant visual hallucinations more than any other psychedelic, which made it so popular during the ’60s up to the ’90s. It is estimated that millions of doses were distributed annually around the country that were produced by just a few labs on the west coast. Due to the potency, millions of doses could quietly be contained in a gallon-sized jug.

It can cause delusions and unpredictable behaviors. Although it is not physically addictive, it can cause psychological intrigue, confusion, and situations of lapsed judgment that can lead to death. The risk of death is heavily increased when it is combined with other drugs such as alcohol and if taken while driving.

Legal Status of LSD

LSD is considered to be a Schedule I narcotic by the FDA that has no medicinal value. It’s high potential for abuse and the power of suggestion that it opens up in the human brain is dangerous to a civilized society. People who are using LSD regularly suffer from depersonalization and may be caught up in the moment by influential speakers, authority figures, or people on whom they are dependent for any reason.

It is well-documented that the followers of the late Charles Manson were hypnotized by LSD and easily manipulated into carrying out the irrational Helter Skelter murders. While experiments were conducted by the government to determine the usefulness of LSD, the risk for abuse outweighed its capacity to invoke creative work in perfect lab conditions.

Due to the dangerousness of LSD to alter moods, consciousness, and to induce dreamlike hallucinations for 8 to 12 hours, dosing someone with LSD is the equivalent of manslaughter in terms of sentencing. Dealing LSD has even more serious consequences and can result in life imprisonment.

Some research has been done to create a variant of LSD that is non-hallucinogenic for patients who suffer from cluster headaches. Cluster headaches are extremely painful and debilitating headaches for which there appears to be no other successful treatments.

How Is LSD Used?

LSD is most commonly found in the form of blotter. Blotter acid is a special type of paper that is very absorbent. Most of the blotter on the market is plain white. However, there is also a cult of manufacturers who produce blotter art with all different types of pop culture themes to inspire an acid trip. These can be anything from pyramids to Beavis and Butthead cartoon animations.

Blotter art is collectible and sold in public, and perfectly legal as long as it does not contain LSD. Blotter hits can also have microdoses of LSD embedded in between the papers and compressed. LSD degrades in heat and must be kept frozen in order to retain its potency. The blotter paper is either perforated or non-perforated.

Perforated blotter paper has doses that are about 1/4-inch squared that contain anywhere from 30 to 100 micrograms. The acid may be called by names like double-dipped or triple-dipped to denote a more concentrated formula and higher potency.

Contrary to popular belief, the blotter paper is not dipped in water. Instead, it is dipped a mixture of LSD crystals of varying purity and pure grain alcohol. The alcohol dries faster than the water and allows the drug to absorb into the blotter paper.

LSD is also available in liquid form and crystals. The liquid form is simply crystals that are diluted with alcohol or water. The liquid can be dropped in your eye, onto your skin, or onto sugar cubes and dried.

Sugar cubes are popular with acid heads because they help to induce a good acid trip by starting it off on a positive note with a sugar high. Orange juice and high doses of Vitamin C are also said to alleviate the negative effects of LSD.

In addition, marijuana is commonly smoked by people who are on LSD even though they receive little or no psychoactive stimulation. This is because it has a calming effect from the CBD and can create a positive atmosphere in general.

LSD is rarely injected although it can be. It cannot be smoked because the heat destroys it. It can be mixed into pills but is rarely available in this form unless it is mixed with ecstasy for a more intense rave experience at dance clubs.

LSD is also available in gelatin tabs called window panes which usually contain anywhere from 50 to 150 micrograms. The manner in which window panes are stored to retain their form may also lend to the potency, whereas blotter paper may be handled more frequently and exposed to heat degradation.

Is LSD Addictive?

LSD is not physically addictive. The acid trip can be mentally exhausting and will cause users to refrain from taking them too often. Is LSD addictive, psychologically speaking? Yes, LSD is psychologically addictive because it expands consciousness and gives people a glimpse into their subconscious minds. Because the productions of the subconscious mind are so familiar, LSD can make people infatuated with another side of them that is like a close friend buried inside of their mind who is hidden.

What Are the Negative Symptoms of LSD?

LSD can cause people to be utterly terrified over nothing. It causes hysteria and profound emotional states. Because LSD use is so connected to the subconscious mind, the simple taste of black licorice in your mouth may make you obsess over black licorice and hallucinate it everywhere. You may even see that your body is made up of black licorice.

LSD can also cause hallucinogenic persisting perception disorder (HPPD). HPPD can lead to visual distortions in people who use LSD for many years, possibly followed by depression. It can also cause flashbacks where the user feels like they have just ingested the drug and are experiencing a short intense episode, especially if they fall on their spines. HPPD is a stress-induced anxiety disorder that mimics many symptoms of LSD in its most intense form. HPPD is distinguishable from schizophrenia because the sufferer knows the pseudo-hallucinations are not real.

LSD also causes distortions of time and space. It causes pupils to dilate and can lead to “bad acid” trips when negative perceptions of the subconscious mind come to the surface. LSD itself does not make people more dangerous under ordinary conditions because it makes them hyper aware and cautious. It is only when mixed with other drugs like alcohol that it can diminish motor skills and lead to bad judgment. It can, however, induce psychosis in individuals who are susceptible and whom may also have a latent mental disorder.

How Do You Recover From LSD Abuse?

Recovering from LSD abuse can be difficult because LSD can magnify the fight-or-flight mechanism in users. They may feel trapped in a clinical setting and feel the need to celebrate the moment by taking other drugs and traveling a lot. Users must be entered into a treatment facility that has a profound understanding of LSD use, in particular, to relate with how an LSD user feels about things.

LSD users can be hyper-situational and require caring staff members who have an upbeat attitude because they are so strongly influenced by any minute of external influence at a conscious or subconscious level. A personalized treatment plan that helps them understand the complex experience that they are going through is the best help.