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 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?
The user experiences a break with reality. His or her perceptions of their surroundings are altered, as light, space, colors, the passage of time and other details metamorphose in the user's senses. A user may recall speaking to someone, hearing music, eating food or smelling things-none of which actually happened.
These "trips" (using experiences) may be extremely pleasant for the user, or deeply disturbing. Given that whatever he or she is experiencing is only happening in the user's mind, literally anything can happen.
What are the symptoms of someone under the influence of hallucinogens?
The most telling symptom is usually the user's behavior: their eyes may be glazed over or closed, and their speech slowed. It is evident that the user isn't in the "here and now." He or she may be talking to someone who isn't there, or describing their surroundings of sensations in bizarre terms.
Many hallucinogenic substances occur naturally in plants or animals, and have been used in various tribal rituals and religious ceremonies for thousands of years. The effects of most hallucinogens last for a few hours to several days.
What are the potential dangers of using hallucinogen drugs?
Many users report "bad trips"-experiences filled with paranoid thoughts, populated by monsters and other frightening images. In some cases, users have died, either by suicide or as the result of an accident while under the influence.
It is also possible for hallucinogens to cause "flashbacks": an unexpected reoccurrence of the effects, sometimes months or years after using.
The opportunity to escape reality so totally through the use of hallucinogens creates strong cravings (the primary characteristic of addiction) among users.
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