Harmful LSD Side Effects

LSD is like any other drug: while taking it the high may be fun but long term use and abuse of the drug could cause irreversable side effects, especially when you factor in the hallucinations (and what they might lead you to do). While the drug was first used to help people in the beginning, the counterculture days of the 1960′s brought a stigma to LSD that is attatched to it to this very day. No matter how you look at it, long term use of LSD will cause risks to your health that may be far beyond your control.  While the drug may not damage your body directly, it may certainly cause you to engage in risky behaviors.

Before looking at the negative effects of LSD, first look at its scientific makeup and its history. LSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. It was first synthesized by the Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman back in 1938 but it was not until 1943 that the psychedelic properties were discovered. It was first meant to be used as a repiratory and circulatory stimulant. By accident Hoffman got some of the liquid on his fingers and then described the ‘trip’ that he expierienced. It was during this time that it was discovered how powerful and strong that LSD could be.

After that day in 1943 when Hoffman discovered LSD, three days later he tested it while going on a bike ride. He wrote down the experience in which he described what is now known as the first LSD trip. Since then LSD has been a drug that has been used and abused by millions upon millions of people all over the world. Its ability to enlighten the senses and expand the mind has been the muse and catalyst for writers, musicians, and actors.

One of the most obvious harmful side effects of LSD is depression and schizophrenia. This should be self explanatory: the person has tripped so much that they are in a constant haze and ‘trip’ state. They have lost all sense of reality.

Another harmful effect of taking a drug like this is what it can do to a person emotionally.  What happens during a typical trip is that you are shown the truth about your life and about your life situation.  Everything that used to be grey and fuzzy in your mind is suddenly black and white.  Moral judgments seem to form more easily and you can automatically label things in your life as “good” and “bad” without even giving it much thought.  This is the power of the drug emotionally and depending on how much chaos and problems you have in your life, it can make for quite an experience.

The drug basically amplifies what is going on in your life currently from an emotional standpoint.  If you are depressed and upset due to recent events in your life, you may very well have a “bad trip” when you take this drug.  Of course, anyone who becomes stressed from an emotional standpoint may in turn start making bad decisions or do things that they might regret.  It is not that this drug makes you crazy, it is only that it allows you to clearly see the truth.  It strips away the defenses that we normally put up to shield ourselves from the truth.  It strips away the lies that we tell ourselves so that we can feel better about our lives.  If you take this drug, you will see your life and yourself as it really is.  You will see the truth.  And that can obviously have serious consequences for certain people.

Irreversable brain damage is another harmful result of extreme LSD use. Basically what happens is that the person is constantly ‘tripping’. It is these people that are usually admitted to psychiatric facilities and thus must be put on medication. Basically they have thrown their lives away. While there are people who live productive lives and some who still take LSD, there are those who suffer those harmful effects and it is these people who must be taken care of when it comes to LSD abuse and its bad effects.

Recommended Reading

• Overcoming Addiction
• Holistic Addiction Treatment Center