Overview
While LSD can be a dangerous drug, and one that is mostly abused by young people, it may be an advantage that the signs are LSD abuse are so distinctive, as this makes them easier for parents or loved ones to detect this type of drug abuse. LSD is sold in pills, capsules or in liquid form. The liquid is soaked into specially prepared blotting paper that is often imprinted with cartoon characters and perforated. Each tiny square is one dose of LSD. The blotting paper is held in the user’s mouth until all the drug has been absorbed.
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Within an hour or so of consuming this drug, a person’s perceptions and sense of reality begin to change. This may frighten a person who is going through it for the first time, or someone who is emotionally unstable. But to a person who knows what is coming, this is considered a desirable change. LSD creates sensory perception that is interpreted as an expansion of consciousness, or a religious experience that transcends the normal boundaries of awareness and existence.
A person using LSD may feel relaxed and more sociable. Going through the experience of using LSD is called a “trip.” On the other hand, “bad trips” are quite possible, meaning that the person becomes frightened and panicky. But if the person panics, there is no escape from the altered universe he finds himself in.A person going through an LSD trip usually feels that he or she is gaining some special understanding or insight that was not available while sober. An effort to understand life better or continue these insights may drive a person to repeat the experience.
An LSD trip may last as long as twelve hours. The person on an LSD trip may experience increased body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. They may not feel tired and may not want to eat. Because of the emotional responses evoked by LSD, a person who is tripping may not be particularly concerned about concealing the artificial mellowness and relaxation that often occurs. If a child or young adult is home when they are using LSD, it may be possible for parents to observe some of these signs as there may be no effective attempt to hide them.