How to Spot Someone Using Hallucinogens
There are some specific phenomenon that can be looked out for when trying to spot someone using hallucinogens. If you’re concerned about someone you know using hallucinogens it is best to inform yourself of these signs and hallucinogens in general as thoroughly as you can. Determining that this person has a drug problem is important for their health in many aspects and for your relationship to this person. Once you’re able to spot that they’re in fact abusing hallucinogens then you can go ahead and set up an intervention in order to help them and prevent them from further drug use. Drug addiction is a hard thing to face alone and a lot of the time this person who is addicted is going to require some type of confrontation and support following this. Emotional support is really important and necessary when helping someone deal with and recover from an addiction to drugs. Hallucinogens are intense and mind altering which can make them an intensely addictive type of substance to deal with.
Signs Of Abusing Hallucinogens
Some signs of abusing hallucinogens are:
- Irrational or strange behavior
- Euphoria
- Dilated pupils
- Paranoia
- Anxiety
- A distorted sense of sight, hearing and/or touch
- Faintness
- Loss of appetite
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
- Sleeplessness
- Sweating
- Flushing
- Numbness
- Weakness
- Tremors
- Increased blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature
- Impulsiveness
- Rapid emotional shifts which can range from euphoria to fear
- Mood swings
It really depends on which hallucinogen is being ingested, but these are the general and garden-variety signs linked to taking hallucinogens. It also depends on how the user reacts and responds to the drug as well as how much was taken of the drug. More specifically, while on LSD for example, a lot of users will have a blended sensory experience (this means they might hear colors or see music, or similar blended sensations like that). Also, LSD usually leads to strong hallucinations of things which don’t exist in reality. So the user is usually in a different reality and experience than everyone else.
Hallucinogens and The Brain
The brain can become affected by hallucinogens because hallucinogens will release large amounts of serotonin and dopamine to create the majority of their mental effects on the user. This might cause the user to act strangely or just not act in an appropriate way that the immediate situation calls for. Serotonin and dopamine have to do with things like mood, perception, stress, cognition, appetite, etc. They are neurotransmitters which are responsible for a lot of general functions in the body. You can see why a drug type which would put a dent on these could create quite a large effect upon the person. The users personality can seem to change if not permanently, then for the short term, while on a hallucinogen. Keep your eye out for any strange behavior when suspecting that somebody is on hallucinogens. If you keep yourself observant you might notice things you need to determine what is going on with the person.
A bad trip can lead somebody to get into a very paranoid state or state of terror. It can even make the person act or go insane. This is a dangerous state to be in, as the person ordinarily feels trapped inside the trip and hallucinations. The hallucinations during a bad trip are normally of a nightmarish nature. Watch out for this as well because it can be a telltale sign someone is using.
It’s possible that hallucinogens can cause someone to act suspiciously, mentally confused or disoriented. PCP, for instance, can cause paranoid delusions and have even been so strong as to cause users to end up in the emergency room due to this psychological effect (this is also true of LSD use).
Hallucinogens can mess with the user’s self-control. It can cause them to confuse their speech, lose control of their muscles or make movements that are random and potentially dangerous. The effects of hallucinogens, as already explained above, include a long range of things.
Additionally hallucinogens can cause flashbacks. This means that the effects of the drugs can re-occur even years after use. This re-occurrence can be so intense as to include full-blown hallucinations. This risk is a big reason behind why hallucinogens are known as a harmful drug.
Are Hallucinogens Addictive?
Hallucinogens aren’t necessarily addictive. In other words they aren’t known to be addictive on a physical level. However, a psychological addiction has been known to develop plenty of times with users. This is a common situation the user comes across. The user will revel in the high said hallucinogen has to offer and then want or need more and more of the drug. Over time, this will lead to a full blown addiction eventually. It depends on the individual whether or not this can escalate over a short or longer period of time. Aside from this psychological aspect, tolerance builds up rapidly with hallucinogens. So if somebody becomes addicted, they’re going to require more and more of the drug in order to feel the effects they want to feel or expect to feel from it. Some negative side effects from hallucinogens include:
- An inability to feel pain (also known as analgesia)
- Hyperthermia
- Hypothermia
- Loss of memory
- Blurred vision
- Respiratory failure
- Dilated pupils
- Speech impairment or illogical speech
- Rapid breathing
- Seizures
- Impaired motor skills
- Sensory distortions
- Coma
- Stroke
- Death
- Suicidal tendencies
- Confusion
- Paranoia
- Panic attacks
- Severe depression
- Schizophrenia
- Amnesia
- Anxiety
- Psychosis
- Feelings of detachment
- Violence
- Mood swings
- Withdrawn
Recovering From An Addiction To Hallucinogens
If you’ve spotted that someone you know is using or addicted to hallucinogens it is vital that you confront them as soon as you can and preferably while they aren’t high. Being high on hallucinogens can be an intense experience and they might not even be aware at that moment. There are tons of facilities that treat people hooked on hallucinogens. If this person is already dependent on using hallucinogens then get in good communication with them and make a plan to get them some help. Be sure to provide emotional support as they will need it. Confronting that they have a problem, getting out of denial and admitting it, is the first step they can take to regaining responsibility of the situation. They will thank you in the long run, if they don’t right away, for taking the time and effort to really help them and see that they get sober. If using is abruptly stopped after using hallucinogens over a long stretch of time the person may experience diarrhea and chills. The severity of these withdrawal symptoms really depends on the person and their addiction.
The bottom line is that hallucinogens are potent and powerful drugs that can be very dangerous as well as distort the reality of the person who is using them. This is not a way to live and enjoy life and the more informed the person can become of the drug they are using, the better. Educating them on what these drugs do and why, their effects on the brain and what they are doing to the mind, can really help the user want to get help and regain sobriety.
