
BBC Horizon - Psychedelic Science - DMT, LSD, Ibogaine - ulvund
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d74ZwkOzXB4
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weeksie
At my studio back in Sydney we had several San Pedro cactuses (they contain
mescaline and are identical to Peyote in effect) growing on the balcony. One
night after taking everyone out for drinks we went back to the studio and got
into them. I was lounging around talking with one of my business partners
about how we didn't think it was really going to kick in. A bit later we
noticed that conversation had drifted to talking about reverse entropy and why
it was impossible to observe time going backward . . . at that point we knew
it was working.

About twelve hours later my girlfriend dropped by (it was the next day) and I
was jumping around the office telling everybody to look at my hooves. It wore
off about four hours later. After a solid hunk of sleep I got up feeling
ridiculously mentally refreshed.

I enjoy infrequent controlled use of hallucinogens, I find it a great mental
recharge and also a pretty good time. I live in New York now and I was quite
happy to see that San Pedros are even easier to get ahold of in the states
than the were in Oz :)

~~~
r0s
If you've never done Peyote, it's a bit different, containing lots of
different alkaloids. The effect is pretty similar though. Always depends on
the person and context.

San Pedro is really easy to grow yourself, and totally legal.

~~~
weeksie
I haven't actually eaten Peyote, that's interesting that there is a different
effect. I wouldn't turn any down if I cam across it but San Pedro is so easy
and cheap to come by and since it's mescaline as well I can't imagine it's too
different. Thanks for the info!

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jaekwon
For people working in high tech, LSD usage increased creativity the following
day.

~~~
acg
I know people who took LSD innocently in the wrong environment and they're
sectioned under mental health. Use with care.

~~~
jamesbressi
Interestingly, I hear these stories all the time of "I heard of someone..."
"know of someone..." "who took acid and is committed to a ward in a mental
health facility." but have yet to ever have anyone verify this.

It makes the permanent "bad trip" seem almost myth (not saying you are part of
this group, just brought this to mind)

~~~
sliverstorm
More important to me; as I understand it the possibility of relapses at a much
later date are not a myth. As such, I feel it's totally reasonable for law
enforcement and similar jobs to immediately reject anyone with a history
containing LSD (and I understand at least some do). So, if you want to work in
law enforcement, you might want to avoid LSD.

(If you think LEO's should be allowed to have a history of LSD, let me ask
you- assuming relapses happen- do you really want a guy with a gun and the
authority to use it tripping on you? It may be million-to-one, but I sure
don't)

~~~
jamesbressi
While I believe your reasoning seems logical, it is flawed if you are singling
out LSD or other "drugs". I'm not saying I do not agree with you.

But, alcohol abuse is estimated to be twice as prevalent in law enforcement
(in the U.S. at least) than in the general population.

Alcohol Dementia is caused by long-term or excessive drinking (I don't believe
it's long-term drinking, instead long-term unmoderated (excessive) drinking)
that causes serious cognitive problems--in fact, 10% of all dementia patients
reportedly have a history of prolonged alcohol abuse.

And if you know about dementia / alcohol dementia, that is just as scary a
thought, and a much more imminent and likely danger compared to someone
"relapsing" from prior LSD use.

Just food for thought.

And, mind you, a person can have a "flash-back" regardless of drug use if it
was traumatic--e.g. post-war.

~~~
sliverstorm
I wasn't singling out LSD. If dementia can cause similar effects, it makes
just as much sense to prevent people with a history of any dementia, or
something that will reliably cause dementia, from becoming LEO's.

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martinp22
Studies have shown that ibogaine treatment reduces craving for opiates,
stimulants (like cocaine or methamphetamine) and even alcohol after a single
dose. What is especially intriguing to scientists is the fact that this effect
can last a long time (anywhere from ten days to a few months), allowing the
person to experience a state of mind they may not have anticipated
experiencing again. Please visit <http://www.ibogaine-treatment.com> for more
information.

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jgg
On a related note, here's a mathematician comparing his experiences with DMT
and LSD: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYDgmpiE-U0>

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RevRal
There's also peyote use in the Native American Church.

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dsc
I wonder if I could link LSD to the jerky movement of a very clever professor
I know...

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acg
To paraphrase one of the people in the video LSD is like a catalyst: it
depends on who you are and where you are.

Against all the benefits that these drugs offer they can also create mental
illness. These drugs definitely need some control as they have just enough
power to ruin as to enlighten. It would be good to advocate personal choice
but widespread use can cause problems with society.

~~~
r0s
_they can also create mental illness._

I'm sorry but this is a a claim frequently made without context. Some evidence
would be refreshing, along with some known causation, neurochemical or
otherwise.

An anecdotal example, a friend of mine developed severe depression brought on
by something inhibiting serotonin production/reception. Since LSD can vastly
increase serotonin temporarily he suspected frequent LSD use could have
something to do with it. This is one case out of hundreds of cases I know with
no negative consequences. Going by my personal experience psychedelics are
less dangerous than alcohol.

But personal experience is inadequate to explain the effects of these
substances.

~~~
Alex3917
There have been hundreds of documented cases tryptamines causing psychosis and
HPPD. If you want evidence just go to Erowid. Or read the book Darkness
Shining Wild. Even at the MAPS conference last week there was a talk by a guy
who developed severe psychosis after doing LSD. He thought he was the
reincarnated Jesus and stayed awake for four days straight writing a new holy
book, and then camped outside a bookstore for a couple months passing out
copies to everyone who walked by. And then when he finally realized what he
was doing a couple months later he tried to kill himself. The talk should be
online in 6 weeks or so.

edit: Check out this YouTube video about a guy developing psychosis--

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7HBCSF9nfs&playnext_from...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7HBCSF9nfs&playnext_from=TL&videos=f7rDYcdB_w4)

Also, listen to Ben Fold's song Not The Same, about his friend who did LSD at
a party and was never the same again:
[http://www.google.com/url?q=http://popup.lala.com/popup/5046...](http://www.google.com/url?q=http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684672132202214&ei=QnjcS4zLHY_StgP065ioBg&sa=X&oi=music_play_track&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=2&ved=0CAkQ0wQoADAA&usg=AFQjCNGllK10UeWm4KbX0tF_f1SJHuttqQ)

