Hallucinogens Q&A

For a drug to be addictive it has to activate the pleasure system of the brain. LSD, peyote (mescaline) and psilocybin seen in "magic mushrooms" magnify anything and everything that is going on the brain and around the user. If the drugs are used in pleasurable situations, the pleasure is magnified. However, if something bad or upsetting is going on around users of psychedelic drugs, the bad feelings are very much magnified making for a bad trip. Addicting drugs overstimulate the pleasure part of the brain, but psychedelic drugs magnify what is going in and around the user.

The ability of some mushrooms to make user high was probably discovered by accident. Mushrooms have been used for many hundreds of years, especially as part of religious and spiritual experiences.

Lysergic acid, a product of mold that grows on rye wheat.

LSD is not an addictive drug; it works by turning off the natural filters in the brain that limit the amount of stimulation reaching consciousness. It isn’t a good recreational drug because it is very strong and hard to control the high. It may well have a role in treating mental illness, like depression and PTSD.

No. Even after tripping, including a bad trip, the negative effects dissipate. There are no lasting effects. There are some people who appear to be headed in the direction of a psychotic disorder (schizophrenia, Bipolar disease) who become psychotic after acid, and the consensus is that the acid trip brought out symptoms of an impending disorder.

No. Even after tripping, including a bad trip, the negative effects dissipate. There are no lasting effects. There are some people who appear to be headed in the direction of a psychotic disorder (schizophrenia, Bipolar disease) who become psychotic after acid, and the consensus is that the acid trip brought out symptoms of an impending disorder.