Drugs and Alcohol Project

LSD
LSD is one of the most potent, mood-changing chemicals. LSD users call an LSD
experience a trip, typically lasting twelve hours or so. When things go wrong, which
often happens, it is called a bad trip, another name for a living hell. Albert
Hofmann, a chemist working at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, created LSD for the first
time in 1938, in Basel, Switzerland while looking for a blood stimulant. However, its
hallucinogenic effects were not known until 1943 when Hofmann accidentally
consumed some LSD. It was later found that an oral dose of as little as 25
micrograms is capable of producing vivid hallucinations. Because of its similarity to a
chemical present in the brain and its similarity in effects to certain features of
psychosis, LSD was used in experiments by psychiatrists through the 1940s, 50s and
60s. While the researchers failed to discover any medical use for the drug, the free
samples supplied by Sandoz Pharmaceuticals for the experiments were distributed
broadly, leading to wide use of LSD.
LSD is a synthetic crystalline compound, lysergic acid diethylamide. It is
manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in the ergot fungus. Ergot of rye is
produced by a lower fungus that grows parasitically on rye. Once it was dreaded as a
poison, but over the course of time it has become to be viewed as a rich storehouse
of valuable medicines. LSD comes in many forms, the most common being small
squares of paper. Next being diluted with liquid (drops), and pill form. People with
liquid may drop it onto almost anything, like a sugar cube for example. But no matter
what form it comes in, LSD leads the user to the same placea serious disconnection
from reality.
On LSD, which is often taken in tab form, an intense, altered state turns into
disassociation and despair. Often there is no stopping bad trips, which can go on for
up to twelve hours. There are many physical effects and mental effects that can mess
with the mind. A few physical effects are dilated pupils, sweating or chills (goose
bumps), loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth and tremors. Even more so, the
mental effects are horrifying while on the drug. A few mental effects are delusions,
visual hallucinations, a fake sense of euphoria or certainty, falsification of ones sense
of time and identity, severe and terrifying thoughts and feelings, fear of losing
control, panic attacks, flashbacks and severe depression or psychosis. Though there
are no appearance effects, the mental effects are just as horrifying while on the drug.
LSD is not an addictive drug, therefore the treatment for it is a little different
than it is for other drugs. It is mostly an effort to help on a psychological level. There
are three most common types of treatment, behavior modification, counseling, and
psychological treatment. Behavior modification, this type of treatment can be done
locally or through therapeutic treatment facilities. LSD abusers learn to find other
ways to relax, and they replace the time they spent using LSD with other activities. It

requires the person to decide that he or she wants to stop abusing LSD, and
recognizing it as a dangerous drug, rather than an escape. Counseling, in some
cases, experimentation or regular use of LSD is a form of self-medication for
depression. Counseling may be necessary in order to help overcome the depression
and learn to deal with life without the aid of LSD. Psychological treatment, one of the
main features of LSD includes the hallucinogenic effects of the drug. Really, the
hallucinogenic nature of LSD means that it is possible to develop paranoia.
Flashbacks bring the person back to the trip he or she was on. In the case of a bad
trip, this can result in irrational fears and other problems. It may be necessary to
treat an LSD user psychologically in order to help him or her learn to deal with the
results of former LSD use.
Heroin
Heroin is a drug made from opium and morphine. Its a highly addictive,
illegal drug. Heroin is most commonly injected rather than smoking it. It is used by
millions of addicts around the world who are unable to get over the urge to continue
taking this drug every day of their livesknowing that if they stop, they will face the
horror of withdrawal. Heroin was first manufactured in 1898 by the Bayer
pharmaceutical of Germany and promoted as a treatment for tuberculosis also as a
cure for morphine addiction. During the 1850s, opium addiction was a major problem
in the United States. The solution was to provide opium addicts with a less potent
and supposedly non-addictive substitutemorphine. Morphine addiction soon
became a bigger problem than opium addiction. As with opium, the morphine
problem was solved by another non-addictive substituteheroin, which proved to
be even more addictive than morphine. By the late 1990s, the mortality rate of
heroin addicts was estimated to be as high as twenty times greater than the rest of
the population.
The initial effects of heroin include a gush of sensationa rush. This is often
accompanied by a warm feeling of the skin and a dry mouth. Sometimes, the initial
reaction can include vomiting or severe itching. After these initial effects fade, the
user becomes drowsy for several hours. The basic body functions such as breathing
and heartbeat slow down. Within hours after the drug effects have decreased, the
body begins to crave more. If he/she does not get another fix, he/she will begin to
experience withdrawal. Withdrawal includes the extreme physical and mental
symptoms which are experienced if he/she does not take the drug again. Withdrawal
symptoms include restlessness, aches and pains in the bones, diarrhea, vomiting and
severe discomfort. The intense high a user seeks lasts only a few minutes. With
continued use, he needs increasing amounts of the drug just to feel normal.
Constant use of heroin can lead to hypothermia and even coma or death (due to
overdose). Those are just the short term effects. A few long term effects are even
more terrifying. Long term effects include bad teeth, cold sweats, itching, weakening
of the immune system, breathing illness, insomnia, depression, loss of memory, loss
of appetite and even more that can affect many lives in the worst ways.

A number of effective treatments are available for heroin addiction, including

both behavior modification and medications. Both approaches help to restore a step
of normality to brain function and behavior. Methods such as contingency
management and cognitive-behavioral therapy have been presented to successfully
treat heroin addiction. Contingency management uses a voucher-based system in
which patients earn points based on negative drug tests, which they can exchange
for items that encourage healthy living. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is designed to
help change the patients expectations and behaviors related to drug use and to
increase skills in coping with various life stressors. An important job is to match the
best treatment style to meet the specific needs of the patient. Three types of
medications to help one with a heroin addiction are methadone, buprenorphine and
naltrexone. Methadone is taken orally so that it reaches the brain slowly, diminishing
the high that occurs with other routes of direction while preventing withdrawal
symptoms. Methadone has been used since the 1960s to treat heroin addiction and is
still an excellent treatment option, mainly for patients who do not respond well to
other medications. Buprenorphine relieves drug cravings without producing the
high or dangerous side effects of other opioids. This treatment option is more
affordable. Naltrexone is not addictive or sedating, and does not result in physical
requirement; however, patients often have trouble obeying the treatment, and this
has limited its effectiveness.