
Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943) - Hooke
http://laphamsquarterly.org/intoxication/exploring-alternate-universe
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vonklaus
Being in the throws of a rather intense hallucinogenic event can create
significant stress and disorientation. A contemporary user can certainly
combat these feelings by the comforting information that LSD is a widely used,
and well studied chemical, and the effects are non-lethal and presenting in
their proper manifestations.

For Hofman, this was not the case. It must have been extremely concerning to
be without this information. The complete alteration of the perception of all
of his senses, no information about the duration or magnitude of the event,
and unsure if he had been fatally poisoned.

Given his initial experience, it is amazing that he persisted the way he did.

~~~
colordrops
LSD amplifies beliefs and makes the user highly receptive to external ideas.
Before the concept of a "bad trip" and the idea that LSD is "dangerous" became
common, very negative experiences on LSD were anecdotally not frequent. In
fact, most people do not have a bad first trip for similar reasons, as they
don't know what to expect and aren't familiar with the sensations, and thus do
not try to control them, getting into a pilot induced oscillation, further
amplified by the fear of going into the dreaded bad trip that they've heard so
much about. I suspect that Hofmann's experience was not so bad.

~~~
vonklaus
Hofman describes his furniture as contorting into "grotesque" and terrifying
shapes. He mourns his family and the loss of his research lab as he believes
he is dying. He himself explains at length the curious and terrifying
situation.

Further, there was nothing to prepare him for this. Heroin, largely demonized
by society and a quite potent drug has a "standard" dose of about .1g or
100mg. Obviously, a dose differs based on habit and potency, however this is
certainly enough to feel the effects. Hofman consumed 1/4 of a mg. A dose 400x
smaller than that which was just described. With little known about
hallucinogens (certainly native Americans and Amazonians had discovered
psychoactive plants) at least to Hofman, this feelig was wholly original. It
would be entirely possible, probably plausible given his disposition, that he
was lethally poisoned.

Hofman, did say that as he descended down the bell curve after the peak that
it was an enjoyable experience. He even remarked that psychologists would line
to study it. However, given how intense and terrifying he deacribed the
initial onset, I would not fault him, not call him cowardly, for not wanting
to resume self-experimentation. This likely would have lead to LSD-25 not
being put into widespread circulation, possibly forever.

To your point of the self-perpetuating bad trip. I concede that it is entirely
possible that the meme of a bad trip and the medias portrayal of the drug
could certainly induce one to have a bad trip. However, the knowledge of how
the drug interacts with the body and the now well-known pharmacology can be
leveraged for confort when one is under the influence. The knowledge that one
is safe and it is only a temporary state brought about by a drug. Hofman did
not have this. He could not take comfort in knowing approcimately when the
effects would subside, or even of they ever would. i don't think comparing a
trip where a person jas knowledge of the drug academically, but never
practically (a contemporary persons first trip) can be legitimately compared
to the first ever trip.

It goes to show how amazing and extraordinary the feelings and perception must
have been when Hofman became comfortable. After the fear and heavy effects
wore off, he must have truly marveled at the changed perspective, and been
willing to try amd acheive it again for its benefits accross a host of
disciplines and use cases

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MichaelGG
I read _LSD: My Problem Child_. Interesting, short, book. At one point, Sandoz
was giving out samples to anyone who asked, as they were hoping someone would
find a good commercial use. Timothy Leary went and ordered 10 grams (which is
100,000 x 100ug doses), but apparently Princeton(?) didn't back him up or
there was some importing issue, and by that time Sandoz started getting
suspicious and stopped sending out samples. Oops.

It's probably due to the reckless behaviour of early users that LSD got such a
bad rap and banned so hard. Not that they should have had to been responsible
-- they shouldn't be blamed for stupid government actions -- it's just an
unfortunate thing. And early proponents weren't very rigorous and came up with
fantastical claims, greatly exaggerating LSD's capabilities. It's still great
stuff, just not quite a magical cure-all. Also I'm guessing most ethics
systems would have issues with dosing people without their knowledge/consent.

The book also talks of later trips to Mexico where they did mescaline I
believe. And how the images they saw, the shapes and patterns, looked exactly
like Aztec art.

~~~
hurin
> It's probably due to the reckless behaviour of early users that LSD got such
> a bad rap and banned so hard. Not that they should have had to been
> responsible -- they shouldn't be blamed for stupid government actions --
> it's just an unfortunate thing. And early proponents weren't very rigorous
> and came up with fantastical claims, greatly exaggerating LSD's
> capabilities.

This had very little to do with reckless behaviour of early users. I think
it's generally well known at this point - that the "war-on-drugs" had
primarily political purposes, especially suppressing the counter-culture.

More generally it's a war of ideas; the idea that there was a reality or
conception of the world outside of say contemporary Christianity and material
consumer society - were highly threatening at the time (to the nation's well-
being if you will); and they remain so today (and this has much less to do
with LSD and psychedelics and much more with preserving a power-structure).

And I don't think a few studies of scientific merit would have helped. Just
look at how it went down with
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nutt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nutt).

------
sarreph
"It gave me an inner joy, an open mindedness, a gratefulness, open eyes and an
internal sensitivity for the miracles of creation. [...] I think that in human
evolution it has never been as necessary to have this substance LSD. It is
just a tool to turn us into what we are supposed to be." — _Albert Hoffman on
his 100th birthday._

------
virtualwhys
Hofmann's views on LSD[1] in 1976 interview.

[https://www.erowid.org/culture/characters/hofmann_albert/hof...](https://www.erowid.org/culture/characters/hofmann_albert/hofmann_albert_interview1.shtml)

------
sgt
I'd like to try LSD but I have no idea where to find it. I am not too
concerned with the illegality of it - but I'd like to make sure that I am not
about to ingest some questionable drug that resembles LSD but isn't.

~~~
INTPenis
Media would have me believe that it can be abundant in some places. Never for
me where I live though.

I must say that in my case I didn't find LSD, it found me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you keep a certain type of company
you will increase your chances of running into a good connect for LSD.

So from that perspective, I believe LSD finds many of its users in a very
organic way. Call them hipsters, outsiders, whatever, they are people who
believe in a moral code but not necessarily the code of laws presented by
their government. People with these views tend to congregate together so
sooner or later you find someone who has grown pot, mushrooms or even knows
how to get LSD.

But it's important to point out that this is not always the case. I've also
seen teenagers treat DMT like it was a friday night beer, and young people
using LSD to be more like a fictional character portrayed by Johnny Depp and
Bill Murray.

Those types definitely chase the substance, they're lucky to get it, and
they're even more lucky to keep it or stay out of jail with it.

I was not talking about them, the ones I'm thinking about are the ones who
don't chase the substance, but get it anyway. The substance appears to find
them.

And there's little point in trying to be someone you're not only to fit in
with a group you believe would fit that first description. Then you're just
one of the many people chasing a substance that does not want to be found.

------
Synaesthesia
If you're looking for more information on LSD, may I recommend _Mystic
Chemist: The Life of Albert Hofmann and His Discovery of LSD_

It's a biography of Albert Hoffman but also tells the history of LSD very
thoroughly as well as it's possible uses, a description of all the effects
etc.

