Lance Armstrong : The Truth Shall Set You Free

"I don't like that guy. That is a guy who felt he was invincible, was told he was invincible, truly believed he was invincible. That's who that guy was. That guy is still there. I'm not going to lie to you or to the public and say, Oh, I'm in therapy. I feel better. He's still there."

Lance Armstrong on old tapes of him under oath refuting the doping charges

I was so hopeful that the truth behind the allegations against Lance Armstrong would be justified but as I watched Lance Armstong’s admission of guilt on the Oprah show, I have to admit that I was disappointed. I do still feel an amount of compassion for the man who was a hero in many of our lives.  Surviving cancer against all odds and the ability to return to cycling, his passion in life, should have been enough.  But instead he was caught up in a game of drug abuse, the only way he knew how to win the Tour de France.  Getting away with it once became an obsession to continue his lies and cheating – what I call an addiction to power and glory.  But what I think is not important and the abusive accusations of others are not important here.  What is important is why he let his ego get the better of him, resulting in the hurt to family, friends and the world at large.  I decided to look up a couple of psychological evaluations to find some answers.

Cognitive Dissonance

If you've ever told a lie and felt uncomfortable because you see yourself as scrupulously honest, then you've experienced cognitive dissonance. It occurs whenever your view of yourself clashes with your performance in any area—you see yourself as smart but can't believe you made such dumb stock investments. Exactly how we choose to resolve the dissonance, and its discomfort, is a good reflection of our mental health.

I quote from an article in Psychology Today called “Cognitive Dissonance Group Opinion and the Fall of Lance Armstrong: How to cope with a fallen hero”:

“Lance Armstrong generates dissonance. The man who became famous for never giving up is giving up. He is a winner and a loser.  Yesterday he was quoted as saying "I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair." With his unimaginatively weak statement the man who almost single-handedly galvanized attention interest and fascination on the Tour De France and raising consciousness and money and funds for cancer has admitted to being another sports hero impostor. If there would have been truth behind his innocence Lance Armstrong would have fought this, and he did his own cancer, until he was victorious.  But this giving up is as clear an admission of wrongdoing as can be, and also stops the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency from testifying about anything else they might know about him, including10 former teammates ready to testify against him.  Lance Armstrong is a survivor and a liar; an incredibly strong man, and an incredibly weak man; a source of inspiration, and a source of disgrace and embarrassment; a hero and a villain. In short he has become the modern day exemplar of cognitive dissonance.

The theory of cognitive dissonance would predict that people would strive for dissonance reduction by using these three strategies.  In other words groups will form as people use one of three dissonance reduction strategies. They might sound something like this:

1. “He shouldn’t have to keep defending himself against these charges.  He was right to give up.”

2. “It doesn’t matter that they stripped him of his titles because he has already done so much good in the world.”

3. “We don’t need false heroes to raise money for cancer treatment, there are plenty of other good people to do that.”

But these biases nudge us away from reality.  The truth now is that Lance Armstrong is both good and bad; inspiring and despicable; a legend and fake. My hope is that another group forms based on allowing two truths to remain intact.  The struggle is in trying not to make this dissonance even out, take it away, or stop it.  Instead the work is to try and leave the truth as it is: Lance Armstrong is profoundly human.”

The Halo Effect

I quote from another article in Psychology Today called “Zero Worship: Did Surviving Cancer Make Armstrong a Hero”:

“It might be hard to remember after this week’s Oprah interview, but before Armstrong was driven from professional cycling and the Livestrong Foundation he founded, he was a hero to millions.  Although many people weren’t all that surprised that he doped and lied, many others were and have responded with intense anger and sadness. The blogosphere, social media sites, and airwaves are filled with angry condemnations of Armstrong. One tweet reads, “Lance Armstrong. pathetic. liar, bully, sad role model for bike race enthusiasts.”

Clearly there’s some truth to that statement. Armstrong doped. Armstrong lied. And he made untold millions doing it. Our opinion is that there should be consequences for his wrongdoings. But lots of people behave in equally unethical ways, and we don’t find ourselves getting nearly as upset about it.  What was it about Armstrong?  Why were we so willing to put him up on a pedestal?  Why did he have so far to fall before hitting earth?

A good part of the answer may be his status as a cancer survivor. Armstrong’s story is nothing short of amazing: In 1996, after years of professional cycling, he was diagnosed with a testicular cancer that had already spread to his lungs and brain. The prognosis looked bad. But, after surgery (including an operation on his brain) and extensive chemotherapy, he recovered, rejoined the world of professional cycling in 1998, and won the Tour de France many times over.

When survivors experience amazing recoveries, we are often quick to label them “inspirations." And not just in an “it’s-amazing-you-survived” kind of way. Many of us are quick to assume they’re amazing and inspirational in other ways, as well.  In short, we assume they must also be good people. Psychologists have a term for this—the halo effect.

The halo effect is a kind of cognitive bias in which our evaluation of someone’s character is unduly influenced by our overall impression of him or her.  Because someone’s survival story is inspirational, we jump to the unwarranted conclusion that he or she, as a person, must also be inspirational in other ways, even those not connected to his or her ordeal. So we tend to accord survivors role model status more broadly, even though we may have no real evidence they deserve it.

We seem to do the same for survivors. Because someone’s survival story is inspirational, we jump to the unwarranted conclusion that he or she, as a person, must also be inspirational in other ways, even those not connected to his or her ordeal. So we tend to accord survivors role model status more broadly, even though we may have no real evidence they deserve it. It’s important to note that this often is not an enjoyable experience for many survivors. Quite the contrary, it can place terrible pressure on them at precisely the time they may be trying to return to life as usual.”

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they're superior to others and have little regard for other people's feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism. Narcissistic personality disorder is one of several types of personality disorders. Personality disorders are conditions in which people have traits that cause them to feel and behave in socially distressing ways, limiting their ability to function in relationships and in other areas of their life, such as work or school.

I quote from an article in Dark Psychology called “A brief snapshot of a highly successful athlete admitting steroid usage”:

“Given the recent national news of Lance Armstrong disclosing he has previously used anabolic steroids, the nation seems to be split in accusing him of being a pathological liar and narcissist or an athlete who made a mistake and should be forgiven being a cancer survivor. What has been frequently discussed, by those following his story, is his multitude of television and media appearances over the years where he convincingly and calmly stated he had never used anabolic steroids. For those who look at Mr. Armstrong as a hypocrite & pathetic liar, his calm demeanor during his past press conferences are the examples they use to illustrate he is a nefarious character. 

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) has been defined as a chronic pattern of grandiosity, a lack of empathy and an obsessive need for recognition. People with NPD perceive they are extremely important to everyone within their social spheres. People with NPD are often described as being pretentious, cocky, arrogant, patronizing, disdainful and pompous. In laypeople terms, someone with this disorder may be described simply as a “narcissist” or as someone with “narcissism.” Both of these terms generally refer to someone with narcissistic personality disorder. Based on the severity of NPD, the dysfunction to the sufferer’s life and associates can range from minimal negative impact to devastating and highly destructive.

Not having evaluated Lance Armstrong and knowing very little about his childhood, family dynamics, past self-destructive behaviors, past harmful behaviors towards others, this writer does not have an opinion. Not having any demographic or psychological information to formulate a diagnostic impression, this writer can only conclude, by observing his deceptive talents, that he has practiced the art of deception for many years to be as talented as he presents on media.”

The future? 

Whatever the prognosis, has Lance Armstong hit rock bottom yet?  I am sure there is more to come with pending court cases and harsh public abuse.  The only way he can bring justice to himself and the world is to change his attitude and make his amends.  He has made the first step of acceptance by admitting his guilt but he has a long road ahead of truth and reconciliation. As his ex-wife Kristen said: “The truth shall set you free”.

Did you watch the interview and what are your thoughts on his admission of guilt?

“Armstrong's fall from grace is so huge. It means a lot that he has finally come clean. But he also needs to realize his life is not just about a bike, races or a big mistake. Everybody has the ability within them to rise again. What really matters in the world is what kind of human being he chooses to be."

Oprah Winfrey

The Effects Of Alcohol

"Be wary of strong drink.  It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss"

Robert Heinlein

People drink to socialize, celebrate, and relax.  Alcohol often has a strong effect on people – and throughout history, we’ve struggled to understand and manage alcohol’s power.  Why does alcohol cause us to act and feel differently?  How much is too much? Why do some people become addicted while others do not?

Alcohol’s effects vary from person to person, depending on a variety of factors, including:

• How much you drink
• How often you drink
• Your age
• Your health status
• Your family history

Consequences of drinking too much

Alcohol enters your bloodstream as soon as you take your first sip. Alcohol’s immediate effects can appear within about 10 minutes. As you drink, you increase your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level, which is the amount of alcohol present in your bloodstream.  The higher your BAC, the more impaired you become by alcohol’s effects.  These effects can include:

• Reduced inhibitions
• Slurred speech
• Motor impairment
• Confusion
• Memory problems
• Concentration problems
• Coma
• Breathing problems
• Death

Other risks of drinking can include:

• Car crashes and other accidents
• Risky behaviour
• Violent behaviour
• Suicide and homicide

People who drink too much over a long period of time may experience alcohol’s longer-term effects, which can include:

·         Alcohol dependence

·         Health problems

·         Increased risk for certain cancers

Alcohol effects on the body

Drinking too much – on a single occasion or over time – can take a serious toll on your health.  Here’s how alcohol can affect your body:

Brain
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behaviour, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.  

Heart
Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:

• Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle
• Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat
• Stroke
• High blood pressure  

Research also shows that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may protect healthy adults from developing coronary heart disease.

Liver
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including:

• Steatosis, or fatty liver
• Alcoholic hepatitis
• Fibrosis
• Cirrhosis

Pancreas
Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion. 

Cancer
Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of developing certain cancers, including cancers of the:

• Mouth
• Esophagus
• Throat
• Liver
• Breast

Immune System
Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease.  Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much.  Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.

The startling reality of drinking and driving:

“Drinking makes such fools of people, and people are such fools to begin with, that it's compounding a felony”

Robert Benchley

Should Cannabis Be Legalised?

“I used to smoke marijuana. But I'll tell you something:

I would only smoke it in the late evening.

Oh, occasionally the early evening, but usually the late evening - or the mid-evening.

Just the early evening, midevening and late evening.

Occasionally, early afternoon, early midafternoon, or perhaps the late-midafternoon.

Oh, sometimes the early-mid-late-early morning. . . . But never at dusk.”

Steve Martin

LOL

Cannabis is a derivative of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa.  Cannabis contains a chemical called THC (Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol).  THC is a mind-altering drug.  People usually take it for the effects it has on their mood and their feelings.  THC is also a depressant drug, that is, it slows the brain down, particularly if taken in high doses.  It can give people hallucinations, make them feel sedated or sleepy or it can act as a stimulant.

Marijuana is the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant.  It may range in colour from green to grey or brown. It may be fine like dried tea, or leafy.  Marijuana is usually smoked as a rolled cigarette, but it can be eaten if combined with food, most commonly cookies.  Other names for marijuana include dope, pot, grass, spliff, dak, buds, ganga, hooch, zol and weed.

Hashish, commonly referred to as hash, is made from the resin of the cannabis plant.  Hashish is often sold in hard cubes and may be brown to black in colour.  It is usually smoked with tobacco (rolled into a cigarette) but can be eaten as well.  Hashish is more potent or powerful in its effects than marijuana.

Hashish oil is a concentrated form of hashish.  It is very potent and small amounts can produce marked effects.  Marijuana, hashish and hashish oil are often taken through a pipe or bong which cools the smoke through water.  Sometimes hashish oil is taken by a process called spotting.  Spotting involves heating implements to combine with hashish to produce smoke - often cutlery knives are used on a stove.  Burnt tips of knives are usually a sign they have been used for this purpose.

How cannabis works

When smoked, cannabis is rapidly absorbed through the lungs into the blood, its level peaking in the blood about 30 minutes after being taken. However, cannabis is highly lipid soluble - that means it is attracted to fat cells. It is quickly taken from the blood and stored in fat cells. The THC is then released very slowly, and unevenly, back into the blood.

Different figures are sometimes quoted about how long THC can remain in the body's fat stores. The general answer is that it stays in the body for a very long period compared with other drugs, potentially for several months.

Effects of cannabis use

It is not possible to accurately summarise or predict the immediate effects of using cannabis because each person may experience individual and different effects.

These effects will depend on:

·         how much cannabis is taken, the way it is taken and the form in which it is taken

·         how strong it is

·         how experienced the user is

·         the general physical health of the user

·         the mental health of the user

·         the user's mood when they start taking the drug

·         the setting in which they take the drug

·         whether other drugs are taken as well.

Short-term effects

Although cannabis is a depressant or brain-slowing drug, people often say that being intoxicated (stoned, wasted, out of it) is a very stimulating experience.  The user feels very happy or high, loose or uninhibited.

Some people find that using cannabis is a negative experience.  They may feel anxious, self-conscious or have paranoid thoughts.  Some experience acute anxiety and panic.

People who are intoxicated on cannabis usually feel more sensitive to things around them and sensations can seem different. For example, time can seem to slow down, colours seem brighter and richer and new details and meanings can be seen in things.  People concentrate less well, often talk and laugh more than usual and can have problems with their balance.

If large doses of cannabis are taken, the resulting toxicity can cause symptoms of confusion, paranoia, panic attacks, hallucinations and feelings of unreality.  New users may also experience acute paranoid experiences which usually stop after intoxication wears off.

Cannabis also often impairs short-term memory and attention and makes it harder to complete complex tasks, especially tasks which involve doing several things at once.

Longer-term and chronic effects

A number of longer-term effects have been seen in people who use cannabis heavily. Some New Zealand researchers define heavy use as using 10 times or more in a 30-day period.   Heavy cannabis use effects can include the following.

·         An increased risk of developing cancer of the respiratory tract.  These risks are more likely to do with smoking as the method of taking cannabis, rather than the properties of the drug itself.

·         An adverse effect on people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, since cannabis use significantly raises the heart rate.

·         A risk of developing chronic bronchitis, possibly irreversible obstructive lung disease, possibly lung cancer and cancers of the aero-digestive tract.

·         Heavy use of cannabis is sometimes associated with a reduction in energy and drive.  This has been referred to as "amotivation".  This problem is more likely to be an acute effect which will go away if cannabis use stops.  There is poor evidence of this syndrome existing even among heavy, long-term cannabis users.

·         Heavy cannabis use affects the ability to learn.  This is related to decreased concentration levels, reduced short-term memory and difficulties with thinking.  These problems go away if cannabis use stops.

·         Chronic, heavy cannabis use can reduce sex drive in some people.  It can lower sperm count in males and lead to irregular periods in females.  This problem goes away if cannabis use stops.

·         People can become dependent on cannabis.

·         Many people with mental health problems also use cannabis.  Generally, it is not a good drug for such people to use.  People with mental health problems need to try to keep their brain level or stable.  Cannabis excites and then slows the brain down.  In particular, it can make anyone who has ever been paranoid, more paranoid.

Signs and Symptoms of Cannabis or Marijuana Use:

If someone is intoxicated by Cannabis:

·         They may have balance problems and have trouble walking.

·         Their eyes may appear red and bloodshot and dilated pupils are common.

·         They may exhibit memory difficulties.  

·         The user can become hungry  -often referred to as getting the munchies

·         When the effects start to wear off they may become sleepy.

Getting hooked

As with other drugs, dependence on cannabis is influenced by a number of factors, including how long you’ve been using it, how much you use and whether you are more prone to becoming dependent. 

Compared to other widely used drugs like alcohol, tobacco and opiates, a smaller percentage of cannabis users become dependent.  Dependency is also less severe compared to many other legal and illegal drugs.  Adolescents are much more susceptible to marijuana dependence and to problems related to marijuana abuse than adults.  Researchers found that pot has a 9% addiction rate, which is low when compared with the legal substance of nicotine, which has a 32 % rate of addiction.  Heroin's addiction rate is 23 %, but the study found that about 10 % of pot smokers become daily users.

You may find you have difficulty stopping regular use, and you may experience psychological and physical withdrawal symptoms when you do stop.  Withdrawal symptoms can include cravings for cannabis, irritability, mood changes, appetite disturbance, weight loss, difficulty sleeping and, in some people, sweating, shaking and diarrhoea.

If you've only been using for a short while there should be no problem stopping, but after continued regular use of cannabis, stopping can become more difficult.  You’re also at risk of getting addicted to nicotine if you roll your spliffs with tobacco.

The active ingredient of cannabis, THC, is detectable in urine for typically 14 to 28 days for frequent use of the drug or around 5 days for a one-off use, at a cut-off level of 50 ng/ml.  The reason for this long retention time is that THC binds with the body's fat reserves - and leaches out over a number of days.  You will also undoubtedly have patients who claim that they are positive due to passive smoking.  Let us assure you that this is not the case.  The cut-off level of the test is set at a level much too high for passive smoking to affect the test results.

Check this world map for legal areas of cannabis use.

“Federal and state laws (should) be changed to no longer make it a crime

to possess marijuana for private use.”

Richard Nixon

What do you think?

5 Visionaries Who Experimented With Drugs

“Whether you sniff it smoke it eat it or shove it up your ass,

the result is the same: addiction.”

William S. Burroughs

Is intelligence related to an increased likelihood of recreational drug use?  It's an interesting hypothesis, and one that's been gaining momentum in recent years.  If a definitive link between intellectual capacity and drug use does exist, it will likely be some time before anyone establishes one.  Having said that, this much is for certain: history has more than its fair share of experimenting experimentalists.

Let's meet 5 of history's most influential scientific and technological visionaries, along with their drugs of choice - namely Cocaine and LSD:

1. Sigmund Freud — Cocaine

“Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes”

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was a physiologist, medical doctor, psychologist and influential thinker of the early twentieth century.  He articulated and refined the concepts of the unconscious, infantile sexuality and repression, and he proposed a tripartite account of the mind’s structure—all as part of a radically new conceptual and therapeutic frame of reference for the understanding of human psychological development and the treatment of abnormal mental conditions. Notwithstanding the multiple manifestations of psychoanalysis as it exists today, it can in almost all fundamental respects be traced directly back to Freud’s original work.

To Freud, cocaine was more than a personal indulgence; he regarded it as a veritable wonder drug, and for many years was a huge proponent of its use in a wide array of applications.  In a letter written to his fiancé, Martha, Freud wrote:  "If all goes well, I will write an essay (on cocaine) and I expect it will win its place in therapeutics by the side of morphine and superior to it... I take very small doses of it regularly against depression and against indigestion and with the most brilliant of success."

Freud published such a review, titled "Uber Coca" in 1884.  Interestingly, Freud's paper was one of the first to propose drug substitution as a therapeutic treatment for addiction.  While replacing morphine with cocaine is something we now know to be counterproductive to recovery, the concept of substitution therapies persists to this day.  

2. Thomas Edison — Cocaine

“If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves”

Thomas Edison held a world record of 1093 patents for inventions such as the light bulb and phonograph, the transmitter for the telephone speaker, and key elements of motion-picture apparatus, as well as other bright inventions. He also created the world's first industrial research laboratory.

In 1863, French chemist Angelo Mariani invented "Vin Mariani," a Bordeaux wine treated with coca leaves, the active ingredient of which is none other than cocaine.  The ethanol content in the Bordeax could extract cocaine from the coca leaves in concentrations exceeding 7mg per fluid ounce of wine.  Thomas Edison, the prolific American inventor and notorious insomniac, was one of many people of the period known to regularly consume the cocaine-laced elixir.

3. John C. Lilly — LSD

“You don't have to suffer continual chaos in order to grow.”

John C. Lilly was a physician and psychoanalyst. He made contributions in the fields of biophysics, neurophysiology, electronics, computer science, and neuroanatomy.  His eclectic career began as a conventional scientist doing research for universities and government. However, he gradually began researching unconventional topics. He published several books and had two Hollywood movies based partly on his work.

Lilly was a pioneer in the field of electronic brain stimulation.  He was the first person to map pain and pleasure pathways in the brain; founded an entire branch of science exploring interspecies communication between humans, dolphins, and whales; invented the world's first sensory deprivation chamber; and conducted extensive personal experimentation with mind-altering drugs like LSD and ketamine.

It bears mentioning that Lilly's experiments with interspecies communication, personal psychedelic use, and sensory deprivation often overlapped.

4. Steve Jobs — LSD

 “That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains”

Steve Jobs was the co-founder and CEO of Apple and formerly Pixar.  LSD was a big deal for Steve Jobs.   Evidently, Jobs believed that experimenting with LSD in the 1960s was "one of the two or three most important things he had done in his life."   What's more, he felt that there were parts of him that the people he knew and worked with could not understand, simply because they hadn't had a go at psychedelics.   This latter sentiment also comes through in his recently-published biography, wherein Jobs goes so far as to associate what he interpreted as Bill Gates' dearth of imagination with a lack of psychedelic experimentation:

"Bill is basically unimaginative and has never invented anything, which is why I think he's more comfortable now in philanthropy than technology. He just shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas."

"He'd be a broader guy," Jobs says about Gates, "if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger."

5.  Bill Gates — LSD

“If geek means you're willing to study things, and if you think science and engineering matter, I plead guilty. If your culture doesn't like geeks, you are in real trouble”

Bill Gates is an American business magnate and philanthropist. Gates is the former chief executive and current chairman of Microsoft, the world’s largest personal-computer software company, which he co-founded with Paul Allen. He is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people and was the wealthiest overall from 1995 to 2009, excluding 2008, when he was ranked third; in 2011 he was the wealthiest American and the second wealthiest person. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of CEO and chief software architect, and remains the largest individual shareholder, with 6.4% of the common stock. He has also authored or co-authored several books.

Strangely enough, Bill Gates totally did experiment with LSD, though an excerpt from a 1994 interview with Playboy reveals he was much less open about it than Jobs:

PLAYBOY: Ever take LSD?

GATES: My errant youth ended a long time ago.

PLAYBOY: What does that mean?

GATES: That means there were things I did under the age of 25 that I ended up not doing subsequently.

PLAYBOY: One LSD story involved you staring at a table and thinking the corner was going to plunge into your eye.

GATES: [Smiles]

PLAYBOY: Ah, a glimmer of recognition.

GATES: That was on the other side of that boundary.  The young mind can deal with certain kinds of gooping around that I don't think at this age I could.  I don't think you're as capable of handling lack of sleep or whatever challenges you throw at your body as you get older. However, I never missed a day of work.

Now if you feel intellectually challenged, please do not go out there and experiment with drugs – it is not the answer to life’s challenges!

Were you surprised by these results or did you expect it?


(Source references include an article "10 Scientific and Technological Visionaries Who Experimented With Drugs" by Robert T. Gonzalez at io9.com)

The Effects and Symptoms of LSD

“In the 1960s, people took acid to make the world weird.

Now the world is weird, and people take Prozac to make it normal.”

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, commonly known as LSD, is a semi-synthetic drug made of lysergic acid.  Also known as Lysergide or LSD-25, it is a colourless, tasteless, odourless, crystalline substance which is soluble in water or alcohol.  It is a chemical that alters a user's mood, thoughts or perceptions.  For this reason, LSD is grouped into a class of drugs known as hallucinogens or psychedelics.  These drugs can cause auditory, visual or somatosensory hallucinations, paranoia or dream-like states.

LSD is a very powerful drug - a dose as small as a single grain of salt (about 0.010 mg) can produce some effects.  Psychedelic effects are produced at higher doses of about 0.050-0.100 mg.

LSD was first synthesized from a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.   In 1938, Albert Hofmann working in the Swiss pharmaceutical company called Sandoz, produced LSD for the first time.  He was hoping that this new drug could be used to stimulate circulation and respiration.  However, the tests he conducted were all failures and he forgot about LSD for 5 years.  In 1943, Hofmann accidentally ingested (or somehow absorbed) a bit of LSD and experienced some of the psychedelic effects of this chemical: dizziness, visual distortions and restlessness.  A few days later he prepared 0.25 mg of LSD in water and drank it.  He again experienced the mood and thought altering effects of LSD.  This he documented in his book “LSD – My Problem Child”.  He died on April 29, 2008.  He was 102 years old.

The street names for LSD are Acid, beast, blue cheer, blue heaven, dot, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, cid.    Common illegal forms of LSD include:

·         blotter paper

·         mini tablets (‘microdots’)

·         capsules

·         gelatine sheets

The effects of LSD

The effects of LSD strongly depend on the mental state of the user and the circumstances in which the drug is used. Therefore, the same dose can produce good and bad ‘trips’ in the same person, depending on the circumstances in which the drug is used.

Tolerance to the effects of LSD develops quickly and users must increase their intake of LSD to get the same effects. The exact neural pathways that are affected by LSD are not completely known. LSD has a chemical structure that is very similar to the neurotransmitter called serotonin. It is thought that the effects of LSD are caused by stimulation of serotonin receptors on neurons, perhaps in the brain area called the raphe nuclei. However, it is still not clear what produces all the effects of LSD.

The sought-after effects of LSD are:

·         changes in mood and sensory perception

·         ‘mind expansion’ as a key to quasi-religious transcendental experiences  

·         feelings of empathy and increased sociability.

The possible short-term effects of LSD are:

·         a distorted perception of depth, time, and the size and shape of objects

·         hallucinations  

·         heightened senses of sight, sound and touch

·         psychological or emotional effects such as anxiety, depression, dizziness, disorientation and paranoia

·         physical effects such as dilated pupils, lowered body temperature, nausea, vomiting, profuse sweating, rapid heart rate; and convulsions

Many users experience flashbacks, a recurrence of certain aspects of a person's drug experience without the user having taken the drug again.  

The possible long-term effects of LSD are:

·         a growing tolerance to the drug, which disappears quickly after use of the drug is stopped

·         flashbacks which can occur days or even months after the last dose has been taken, leading to disorientation, anxiety and distress

·         prolonged anxiety and depression after use of the drug is stopped.

The physical dangers of the long-term LSD use are unknown.

Symptoms of LSD use

The severity of symptoms produced by LSD depends on dosage, state of mind at the time of ingestion and environment. The mildest symptoms have been reported as a feeling of well-being, mild hallucinations and perceptual disturbances and heightened sensitivity to pleasant stimuli. Other people have reported extreme terror, fear of death, inability to interact socially and unpleasant tactile hallucinations, such as a crawling sensation on the skin. Impairment generally lasts from four to 12 hours, although symptoms may last longer depending on the dose.

Most aspects of the LSD experience are subjective and difficult to measure.  Physical symptoms associated with LSD mimic the actions of the nervous system, similar to those caused by some stimulants. The most distinguishing symptom of LSD intoxication is the hallucinogenic effect, which does not usually accompany most stimulants. LSD shares many of its effects with other hallucinogens, so a user may have difficulty determining which hallucinogenic drug he took.  Only a laboratory analysis can determine this with certainty.

Someone who has taken LSD may show these symptoms:

·         increased heart rate

·         rapid breathing

·         increased body temperature

·         increased blood pressure

·         increased tear production

·         salivation

·         loss of appetite

·         nausea

·         sweating

·         sleeplessness

·         dilated pupils

·         tremors

·         change in visual perception or visual hallucinations

·         auditory hallucinations

·         synesthesia (combined sensory perception such as hearing colors or tasting sounds)

·         tactile hallucinations or magnification of touch

·         delusions of grandiosity

·         distortion of time

·         terrifying thoughts and feelings

·         despair

·         fear of losing control

·         fear of insanity and death

Legal information

LSD is listed in Part III of Schedule 2 of the South African Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, 1992 (Act No 140 of 1992) as an Undesirable Dependence - Producing Substance.  However, from a pharmacological point-of-view it is not considered as being dependence producing.

LSD is a Schedule I drug in the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.  Schedule I includes drugs with a high potential for abuse and no accepted use in medicine. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 in the USA states that the mandatory penalty for possession of 1 gram of LSD is 5 years in prison.

LSD is a Class A drug under The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in the UK which is intended to prevent the non-medical use of certain drugs.   Maximum penalties under the Misuse of Drugs Act are 7 years plus a fine for possession and Life plus a fine for supply.