What are hallucinogen drugs?
Hallucinogens, or hallucinogenic drugs, are substances that produce intense psychological effects we would normally associate with dreaming, religious visions or schizophrenia. The user’s senses are affected, distorting reality or causing the perception that he/she is seeing, hearing or touching things that do not exist. LSD, mescaline, PCP and psylocibin (“magic mushrooms”) are the most common hallucinogenic drugs.
What effect do hallucinogen drugs have on the user?
When under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs, the user experiences a break with reality, and light, space, colors, the passage of time and the sense of self may be altered. The user may also see, hear and experience things that don’t actually exist.
These experiences, commonly referred to as “trips”, can be extremely pleasant for the user or deeply disturbing. There’s no way to determine prior to ingesting hallucinogenic drugs whether the user will have a positive or negative experience.
What are the symptoms of someone under the influence of hallucinogens?
Users under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs will often appear to not have a firm grasp on reality. They may speak to people who aren’t there or reference things only they can see. Their speech will likely be impaired and their pupils may be dilated.
What are the potential dangers of using hallucinogen drugs?
Many users report “bad trips” – extremely negative and disturbing experiences while under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. These “bad trips” may include intense paranoia, frightening visions and a complete loss of connection with reality. Users experiencing a bad trip should be considered extremely dangerous and are highly likely to harm themselves or others.
Certain hallucinogenic drugs may also cause “flashbacks” an occurrence hours, days, months or years after using the drug in which the user experiences the effects of the drug without warning.
If you or a loved one is struggling with hallucinogen abuse, treatment might be the answer. At Turning Point Treatment Center, our individualized treatment plans, highly qualified staff and personalized approach to recovery have a proven track record of success. For more information on hallucinogen treatment at Turning Point Treatment Center, please contact us.
