From: ahawks@nyx.cs.du.edu (eyeballs eyeballs eyeballs)
Subject: Re: Acid consumption
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Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 22:36:58 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.184740.24033@bnr.ca> saumure@bnr.ca (Roch
Saumure) writes: 
|
|I know a FOAF who has taken appr. 60 LSD tablets in a period
|of 3 years. I'd like to tap the wisdom of this newsgroup and 
|ask the following:
|
|(1) In comparaison with other LSD users, is this FOAF drug usage
|    above normal? Can we say he is abusing the drug? What is the 
|    average acid consumption for a user from your experience?

I don't think one could really put a blanket over or draw a line
between "normal" usage and/or "abnormal" usage.  Ask your FOAF this:
how does the FOAF feel about their usage of the drug?  How do loved
ones/friends/family feel about your FOAF's usage of the drug?  Why
does the FOAF use the drug:  escapism, philosohpical reasons, explore
the [un/pre]conscious, creativity, avoidance, etc.?  Does the FOAF or
close friends or any psychological professionals coinsider the FOAF
psychologically addicted?  

On a more concrete comparison, on the one end I can point out friends
who are 17 years old who have tripped every few days for the past 5
years or so and are still in touch with reality and don't seem to
abuse it (by their own standards of abuse- when/where/why/frequency of
use), and then on the opposite extreme you could have a person who's
only experimented but has abused the drug.

I consider abuse to be when it affects you or those close to you in a
negative way, whether consciously or unconsciously.  LSD can be
another form of self-destructive behaviour, but it can also be the
exact opposite and greatly enhance your life.  If you and others are
content about it, then I guess that's all that mAtters.

|(2) His peak consumption dates to about 5 years ago. Since then,
|    he only took a couple (5 or so). He did not experience any 
|    flashbacks at all. Should he expect secondary effects (flashbacks,
|    schizophrenia,...) in the years to come due to past LSD usage?


Since I have no medical experience (still in high school!) I can't
answer this, but normal residual effects semm to be trails (tracers),
floaters, and stuff like that.  Flashbacks would only occur, as I
understand it, if something traumatic happens to you during the
experience.  LSD, to the best of my knowledge, does not in itself
cause flashbacks, it's just what happens during usage that might
contribute to a flashback.  

More common, probably, would be finding yourself (or placing yourself)
in "trip mode".  Ie:  you could be stressed out in a board meeting and
find that your trails are more noticeable today, and then all of a
sudden the walls or table starts to breathe.  Or you could be staring
at a piece of paper and notice a large number of little "protoplasms"
(blood cells, in actuality supposedly) squirming around the paper.  

From what I can gather, these things occur from LSD's destroying
(maybe altering is a better word) your pre-conscious and/or
conscious.  You're just not blocking things out like you used to.  

Excessive LSD use definitely has an effect on the pre-conscious, but
this can happen after only one dose.  The preconscious is the doorway
between your conscious mind and your unconscious that acts as a
waiting room for thoughts/memories/expriences, so that's why people
might feel that they remember more/less after using LSD or notice that
they have less Freudian slips or whatever else.

Remember, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.  Nor do I play
with doctors on TV.  Nor do I play doctor near my TV.  I'm pretty
sure my doctor has a TV, but I don't think she's on it.  

|-- 
|
| Signed,                 "You must never sleep, never daydream,    
|   Roch Saumure.             never be without a vital thought and     
|                                never have an open mind, then you shall  
|                                   be protected from the forces of Magic."   
|
|DISCLAIMER: All opinions expressed are my own.
DISMEMBER:  Ball pinions best mar my bone.    (Just say no).

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