I've always wanted to try LSD because I've always loved the idea of seeing hallucinations, but I've heard a lot about negative side effects, bad trips, and other cery nasty sounding stuff. What's it really like? Also, I'm not entirely sure if Acid and LSD are both the same thing, or whether they're two different drugs?
This ask has been sitting in my inbox for a good few months now as I tried to find the time to post a nice long response, so firstly I’m sorry about the wait. Considering I just did some again a few days ago, the trip is still fresh in my mind, so let me break down some stuff about LSD.
1. Yes, LSD is the same drug as acid. LSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide, and it is an artifical substance created from the ergot fungus, which typically grows on rye. Street names besides acid include Lucy (as in, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, the Beatles’ song), tabs, blotters, and microdots.
2. Physical side effects- here are some of the physical effects, usually experienced thirty to ninety minutes after ingestion. Often, the pupils become dilated. The body temperature can become higher or lower, while the blood pressure and heart rate either increase or decrease. Sweating or chills are not uncommon. It also causes a loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth and tremors. There is also sometimes teeth grinding, lockjaw, and lower back pain, as LSD effects dopamine levels, which are thought to be connected to muscle movements. Often I experience a type of body euphoria, and exercise becomes painless. Hugs and touching feel especially pleasant, but I’ve never been able to feel particularly sexual on LSD. Some people say sex is awesome tripping but I’ll take their word for it.
3. Psychological side effects- Now, it is very difficult for me to explain this part to people who have never experienced a psychedelic, but I will do my best. When you have hallucinations on acid, you’re not going to see a dragon or unicorn or something materialize out of nowhere. You will see the world around you and mostly be able to tell what it is, but you will hallucinate ON those objects, if that makes any sense. For example, when I look at clouds on acid, I know they’re clouds. But they can change shape and form, such as looking like animals, bones, bits of machinery, or even letters and words. They morph and change.
There is no sense of time. Time ceases to exist. It is instead marked by changes in setting. Your setting for the trip is extremely important. Any emotion you feel before you take the LSD will become amplified and expansive, which is what will determine a “good” or “bad” trip. Bad trips stem from taking a really high dose you’re not used to, being frightened of the hallucinations and distortions, going into the trip with a bad mood or anxiety, or tripping when you’re going through a very tough or emotional part of your life, such as bereavement, loss of a job, a breakup, etc. It is always recommended to trip somewhere you feel extremely safe and comfortable doing so, such as your or a close friend’s home.
There are several “stages” of an acid trip- the come up, the peak, the stabilization, the enlightenment, and the comedown. Some people only comeup, peak, and come down though.
The come up- usually is only marked by the physical feelings I mentioned above. You might feel a little shaky or tense, get some chills up your spine. Colors and light will seem brighter and more vivid. You may hear sounds as louder because your brain is going to stop filtering out as much information. This part is where you wanna be comfortable with some music on or something equally relaxing. It gradually gets more and more intense and then things will start to move. The walls may appear to breathe, the pattern of paint on your ceiling may swirl around. The grain on wooden surfaces look especially nice. You may see patterns in your carpet, blanket, or clothing. Wave your hand in front of your face, it will leave a rainbow trail of hands behind it. You’ll feel euphoric and excited.
The peak- if you got your hands on some strong acid, this is the most intense part of your trip. This can happen within the first 2 hours, or may take longer. It is a good idea to stay in your safe space for the peak. If you ever feel overwhelmed by how trippy everything looks or how scrambled your brain feels, it always helps me to just remind myself it’s temporary and will pass. You may laugh at things that normally wouldn’t seem so funny. I remember looking at my boyfriend’s face while I was peaking, feeling lots of love and affection for him, when suddenly his nose appeared to shrink very small on his face and I started laughing so hard there were tears. This is when visual hallucinations are strongest. I recommend looking at psychedelic artwork, watching an animated movie, trying to draw art, listen to music, or just stare at the room around you as it moves and does some crazy stuff. Sometimes I like to pretend that the hallucinations I see are performances that are just for my eyes only.
The stabilization- At some point the peak will be way less intense and you’ll feel more in control of your brain. I call this the stabilization. Do a body check- do you need to pee? Drink water? Usually around this time I feel the urge to go out and explore and look at the world while I’m tripping. I no longer feel the need to be protected, although I definitely wouldn’t want to talk to anyone not tripping, or anyone who wouldn’t be okay with me tripping, like a parent or family member. That’s one of the reasons I like to trip at night- less people, less anxiety, also the brightness of the sun kinda hurts when you’re tripping.
The enlightenment- This doesn’t always happen for me, and I notice it usually only happens if I time my dosage so that I am outdoors looking at something beautiful after the stabilization. This is a time where I reflect on my life, on society, on the people I love. I think very deeply about these things and come to certain conclusions and accept things and realize things I was blind to before. I am able to recognize my flaws, other flaws, and either accept them as they are, or configure a method of solving them. But sometimes if I’m just tripping with friends we just watch dumb internet stuff and laugh and this bit never happens.
I admit to having done LSD a good 25-30 times in the last year or so. The negatives, for me, are far outweighed by the positives. Good trips I had have snapped me out of depression for weeks, made me appreciate the world I live in to such an extent that my suicidality decreased dramatically, made my relationships with friends and significant others stronger, and boosted creativity and energy. However, sometimes, even when the trip is good, the comedown can be pretty rough.
The comedown- this is when you notice the effects are starting to wear off. The first few times I did acid I was always hit with a wave of sadness that the hallucinations were winding down and that I was gonna have to go back to the real world soon. Often I felt very very tired, as LSD unfortunately makes your brain work really hard for a few hours and causes insomnia. There have been times I was awake for a day or two straight due to this, but sometimes I’m tired enough I knock out before my visuals even stop all the way. You may be irritable, cranky, uncomfortable, and achy. I tend to have some pretty bad muscular back pain, but after some experience I learned to relax myself occasionally during a trip, as you can tense up and hold an uncomfortable position for hours without realizing it because your pain sensors are all scrambled and blocked during the trip.
All in all, your acid trip being negative or positive depends on a variety of influences, such as:
-The purity and reliability of the substance
- The dosage of the substance
- Your mindset going into dosing
-Your location and company during the trip
I’m sorry it took so long to reply to this, but I hope this answer is informative!!
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