Hallucinogens Addiction: Types, Effects and Treatment Options

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to lose touch with reality?

The feeling of seeing, hearing, or feeling something that is not actually present in the physical reality can be very disorienting. This is just part of the effect that hallucinogens also known as ‘psychedelics’ can have on your mind.

The fascination with its effect is what attracts people towards using it. While it's attractive to chase a different reality than your own, its risks far outweigh the appeal.

Hallucinogens when not used carefully, can cause significant damage to the physical as well as mental health of an individual.

What are Hallucinogens?

Hallucinogens are dissociatives or deliriants that have a direct impact on brain functioning. All these terms explain the impact of these substances on the mind. Psychedelic substances are known to change the brain’s chemical structure which can cause a dramatic change in reality.

Hallucinatory substances have a history of being used in a variety of ways other than recreational usage. They have a history of being used in medical practices as well as religious purposes.

Hallucinogens can make an individual see, hear, and feel things not present in the physical reality. It has also been linked to making individuals prone to developing mental disorders.

Types of Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens are known to be found in naturally occurring compounds found in plants or can be produced synthetically in labs. Hallucinogens can be distributed in two major categories: Classic Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs. Both impact the brain's functioning differently, leading to different changes in reality.

Common Hallucinogens:

Common Hallucinogens include some of the most known psychedelics that impact the brain’s serotonin receptors. These are neurotransmitters responsible for regulating mood, thought processes, and understanding of reality in a person.

Some of these are:

LSD:

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide or LSD causes severe visual and auditory delusions along with time distortions. It makes a person lose sense of where they are and act in a way that is a deviation from their usual self. It makes you rapidly fluctuate between different mind states one minute making you feel extreme happiness and heightened panic in the other.

Magic Mushrooms:

Magic Mushrooms also known as Psilocybin have similar effects and negatively impact the reality of the individual making them face a false reality. Shrooms make you lose track of time and push you into a trance-like state. Although it has minimal risk of overdosing on mushrooms, it can cause severe long-term damage.

DMT:

Dimethyltryptamine or DMT induces a psychedelic state with a heightened state of emotions that can cause psychological distress. DMT causes sensory overload making it difficult to recognize the physical reality of the individual, people who have partaken in DMT describe it as being a spiritual or dream-like experience.

Ecstasy:

Ecstasy or MDMA is also a hallucinogen that creates a heightened state of excitement, happiness, or euphoria. It's very popular with young adults due to its impact on sexuality and how it alters the mind to break free from a sense of morality. It also intensifies the feeling of being close to someone.

Marijuana:

Marijuana otherwise known as Cannabis is the most common and most accessible hallucinogen which makes it prone to substance abuse. It leads to a distorted perception of the real world. It makes an individual lose control of their body movements and balance among other effects like illusions and fluctuations in mood states.

Common Dissociative Hallucinogens:

Common Dissociative Hallucinogens can be characterized by their symptoms of causing an out-of-body experience. It creates a dream-like visual experience for the individual that makes them lose their sense of reality.

Some of these are:

Ketamine:

Ketamine pushes an individual away from one's body and into an almost dream-like state. It feels like an out-of-body experience with intense visual illusions and can be very dangerous if taken in high doses.

Phencyclidine:

Phencyclidine or PCP has overlapping similarities in its effect to ketamine, which pushes the person into a state of dissociation from reality with a loss of control of their body and emotions.

Salvia:

Salvia divinorum, or magic mint is consumed by chewing fresh leaves, consuming their juices, or smoking or vaporizing dry leaves. It can produce strong hallucinations and feelings of being disconnected from oneself.

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The Bases of Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens can be derived from various natural or synthetic sources. These bases influence the effects, potency, and how long the hallucinogenic experiences last.

Natural Hallucinogens: (Composed of plants, fungi, or other natural compounds)

• Psilocybin Mushrooms
• Peyote and Mescaline
• Ayahuasca

Synthetic Hallucinogens: (Produced in a lab to recreate the effect of the naturally occurring hallucinogens)

• LSD
• MDMA (Ecstasy)

What Are the Effects of Hallucinogens?

While it seems fascinating to indulge yourself in experiences like these, dissociative substances can be very harmful and cause long-term psychological damage. These substances are addictive due to their intense out-of-body experience.

A lot of factors impact the effect of these drugs like the dosage, frequency of use, and mental state of the person taking the drug.

Short-Term Effects of Hallucinogens

The effects of hallucinogens can be categorized into short-term physical, psychological, and sensory. The experience can vary from person to person, but there are general effects, such as:

Physical Effects: 

• Changes in heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Elevated body temperature
• Nausea and vomiting
• Excessive sweating
• Enlarged pupils
• Tremors

Psychological Effects:

• Altered perception of reality
• Mood swings
• Loss of focus
• Impaired memory
• Euphoria
• Anxiety
• Confusion

Sensory Effects:

• Vivid hallucinations
• Seeing, hearing, and feeling things that are not real
• Detachment from one’s own body and thoughts

Long-Term Effects of Hallucinogens

• Hallucinogen-Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) this disorder leads to the individual having continued visual distortions even when the drug is out of the system.
• Deterioration in physical health due to persistent use gives rise to heart, lung, or other physical ailments.
• Inability to retain memory
• Mental Health Issues include worsening psychotic symptoms or triggering underlying mental health issues such as depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.
• Psychological Dependence, people may use these drugs to escape reality and become dependent on them. It may result in them not being able to manage their daily life and create a cycle of substance abuse.

Is it Possible to Get Addicted to Hallucinogens?

Hallucinogens don’t cause addiction through persistent usage in the typical way of other substances. Since its impact is majorly psychological, psychedelics cause something called psychological dependency. This means that, unlike other substance addictions that cause physical withdrawal symptoms to the substance, hallucinogens don't have physical symptoms.

Another major difference between psychological dependence and addiction is that people indulging in hallucinogens do not build tolerance to its effects. This indicates that the individual might not need to increase the dosage to reach the same high.

Signs of Hallucinogen Addiction

If an individual is struggling with hallucinogen addiction, it can manifest in several ways, such as:

Behavioral Indicators: These may include secretive behavior, neglecting responsibilities, isolation or withdrawal from friends and family, and engaging in risky or illegal activities to obtain or use hallucinogens.

Physical Symptoms: While hallucinogens are not typically associated with physical addiction, physical symptoms may still occur, such as enlarged pupils, increased heart rate, sweating, tremors, loss of appetite, or problems sleeping.

Psychological Signs: Psychological signs of hallucinogen addiction can include cravings, preoccupation with obtaining and using the drug, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, paranoia, and impaired judgment or decision-making.

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Treatment for Hallucinogen Use Disorder

Although hallucinogens don’t cause the typical addiction symptoms, the psychological dependence still needs to be addressed in the treatment approach towards hallucinogen use disorder. Some techniques used to manage the symptoms of this disorder are:

Behavioral Therapy:

It helps in addressing the negative behavior patterns that are followed by the people dealing with this disorder. Through these therapeutic techniques, we can help them break the patterns of substance abuse and create positive habits and thought patterns. Some of them are:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Contingency Management
• Motivational Interviewing

Support Groups:

They create a positive environment where people can share their struggles with the disorder and get peer support. Through peer groups, they can learn from each other’s mistakes and push each other to get through this together. Programs like Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and local peer support groups are very helpful.

Mental Health Support:

Getting mental health support and treatment to manage psychological disorders like depression or anxiety that are triggered due to dependence and prolonged use of substances.

Inpatient or Outpatient Rehab:

These facilities provide a structured and safe environment. Inpatient or Outpatient Rehab is flexible for individuals not only to maintain a healthy lifestyle at a slow pace but reduce the stress of rebuilding their new life on their own.

Continued Therapy

Continued therapy will also help in preventing relapse and focusing on building a better future free from dependence on drugs.

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If you or someone you love is struggling with Hallucinogen Use Disorder, don’t hesitate to reach out to us and get started on breaking free from your dependence.