From: Ben Goertzel (ben@goertzel.org)
Date: Mon Sep 09 2002 - 10:13:29 MDT
Hi Justin,
> Having been involved with drugs in my youth, I can say with some
> certainty that there are few if any drugs I did not have the
> privilige to witness or experience the effects, culture, and
> side-effects of.
I'm sure you had a lot of very educational experiences. However, it's well
known that the effects of psychedelics are particularly dependent upon "set
and setting." Experiences with psychedelics vary a lot more than
experiences with, say, cocaine or alcohol.
For example, taking LSD as an adult with a view toward self-discovery may
lead to very different experiences than taking it at a Chili Peppers concert
while stoned & half-drunk...
I don't know what your particular experiences were, I'm just making a
general point...
> The negative side affects of LSD (other than inspiring irrational
> behavior and beliefs, bad-trip nightmares, self-mutilation, and
> dangerous behavior) lie in the fact that it functions both as a
> serotonin re-uptake inhibitor like many drugs, and is
> psychologically addictive.
The "psychological addictiveness" of LSD is definitely a highly individual
matter. Unlike, say, the physical addictiveness of nicotine or heroin.
I never came close to being psychologically addicted to LSD or any other
drug, but then I never had an "addictive personality' generally.
I took LSD a half dozen times over a period of a few years, and stopped
about 13 years ago. There was no "psychological withdrawal", I just felt
I'd had enough of that state of mind. I was pleased to know that kind of
bliss and understanding existed, but was more interested in realizing it via
"real life" than in finding it thru a drug...
>
> This above discussion ignores the fact that most psychoactive
> substances are illegal in many countries, and the available
> streetdrugs are of uncertain composition, and often arbitrary
> dosage. The wisdom of ingesting completely unknown substances
> advertised as psychoactive drugs obtained from people who
> smuggle, steal, murder, and write incoherent poetry occasionally
> is a decision entirely seperate from the inherent toxicity of the
> supposed makeup of said drugs.
I agree with this, and I said as much in my earlier message on the topic....
-- ben g
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