What are Club Drugs?
Club drugs
(also sometimes called Dance Drugs or Designer Drugs) are drugs
which at one time were found most frequently in night clubs and
at raves, but have since become some of the fastest growing drugs
used by college students. These drugs include MDMA (ecstasy,
E, or X), ketamine
(special K), GHB
, crystal methamphetamine (speed, crank, crystal, tina).
Hallucinogens like LSD, and psilocybin
mushrooms, are frequently used in these environments,
too.
What
is LSD?
LSD or acid (lysergic acid diethylamide) is the most commonly used
hallucinogen (also known as psychedlics). It is considered a typical
hallucinogen causing similar effects to other hallucinogens like
mescaline, psilocybin
(mushrooms), and ibogaine. LSD became popular in the
counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s, but since then its use has
been limited to people in the Rave or club scenes. According to
the College Alcohol study, only 9.4% of Brown students have ever
used LSD.
How
is LSD used?
LSD is usually taken by ingesting small tabs of paper (frequently
placed under the tongue) which have been soaked in the liquid form
of the drug then dried. In rare cases it is taken in a liquid, gelatin,
or tablet form. Sometimes a dose is soaked into a sugarcube. Doses
range from 20 to 100 micrograms now, though in the 1960s they ranged
from 100 to 200 micrograms. Because LSD is produced illegally, it
is difficult to know how strong a dose is. The effects of the drug
begin in about 30 minutes and last up to 12 hours. It can be very
difficult to sleep if LSD has been taken in the last 6 hours.
Why
do people take LSD?
LSD, like other hallucinogens, produces a distortion in the user's
sense of reality, including images, sounds, and sensations that
do not really exist. These hallucinations can be pleasurable and
for some people even intellectually stimulating, but they can also
be disorienting or disturbing and result in a negative emotional
experience (bad trip). It is difficult to determine what kind of
an experience a person will have on LSD because the same person
can have very different experiences each time. As with all drugs,
but especially with LSD, a user's experience is shaped by her previous
drug experience, expectations, setting, as well as the neurological
effects of the drug.
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What are the short-term risks of taking LSD?
The most common dangers of LSD result from bad trips, including
terrifying thoughts and feelings, despair, fear of losing control,
and fear of death. These problems are especially common and severe
in people with underlying mental problems like severe depression,
schizophrenia, or bipolar disease. Some fatal accidents have also
occurred among users who could not perceive the reality of their
situation. They hallucinate safe situations when they are actually
in danger or are unable to judge distances. You should never operate
machinery or drive cars while taking LSD. Problems that might occur
include:
Extreme
changes in behavior and mood; person may sit or recline in a trance-like
state
Are
there long-term consequences to taking LSD?
Hallucinogens can cause extreme, long-lasting adverse neuropsychiatric
effects, like flashbacks (post-hallucination perceptual disorders),
relatively long-lasting psychoses, severe depression or shizophrenia-like
syndromes, especially in heavy or long-term users or in people with
an underlying mental illness. Some of the long-term problems associated
with chronic or heavy LSD use are:
A
person can experience rapidly changing feelings, immediately and
long after use.
Chronic
use may cause persistent problems, depression, violent behavior,
anxiety or a distorted perception of time.
Large
doses may cause convulsions, coma, heart/lung failure or ruptured
blood vessels in the brain.
Is there any way to reduce the risk of
having a bad trip?
LSD experiences are heavily influenced by environment. Here are
some ways to reduce the risk having a bad trip:
Make
sure you take it with someone you know and trust, preferably someone
who knows how strong the effects of a hallucinogen can be.
Make
sure you are somewhere where you feel safe, secure and comfortable.
Avoid
taking LSD if you are upset, feeling low or insecure--this could
lead to a bad trip.
Avoid
taking more. The effects come on stronger after a while, and you
could end up having a much stronger trip than you can handle.
If
you're having a bad time, avoid flashing lights and visuals, and
get a friend to take you to a safe, calm space.
How
do I help a friend who's having a bad trip?
It is important to make your friend feel safe and comfortable, usually
away from other people, visual stimulation, or noises. Speak in
a soothing voice to them and reassure them that their bad emotions,
sensations, and visions are just the effects of the drug and will
wear off in time. If your friend is inconsolable or seems violently
agitated, then seek medical help right away.
Call EMS at 401.863-4111.
Is
LSD addictive?
LSD does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior. Addiction
to hallucinogens is rare, although poly-drug addicts (people who
are addicted to several drugs) frequently abuse hallucinogens as
well. Because LSD users develop extreme tolerance to LSD rapidly,
the drug cannot be abused for more than a few consecutive days,
preventing the kind of physical and psychological dependence associated
with other drugs. This tolerance usually goes away after a week
or so of abstinence from the drug.
DanceSafe promotes health and safety within the rave and nightclub
community. The website has drug information, e-news archives, information
on testing kits and features like Your Brain on Ecstasy.
Provides trends and statistics, research reports and health information
on club drugs.
NCADI provides alcohol and drug facts, research briefs and related
resources.
Disclaimer: Health Education is part of Health Services at Brown University. Health Education maintains this site as a resource for Brown students. This site is not intended to replace consultation with your medical providers. No site can replace real conversation. Health Education offers no endorsement of and assumes no liability for the currency, accuracy, or availability of the information on the sites we link to or the care provided by the resources listed. Health Services staff are available to treat and give medical advice to Brown University students only. If you are not a Brown student, but are in need of medical assistance please call your own health care provider or in case of an emergency, dial 911. Please contact us if you have comments, questions or suggestions.
