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Friday/Monday is an information and support service from Terrence Higgins Trust for gay and bisexual men concerned about issues around alcohol and drug use and sex.

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When it was first used clinically in the 1960s, the central nervous system depressant GHB seemed to hold promise as a fast-acting anesthetic agent. Unfortunately, the addictive drug lacked any pain-killing properties and also tended to trigger seizures. The medical community quickly abandoned interest in its clinical use.

Side Effects

Decreased Inhibitions, Disorientation, Impaired Memory, Loss of Coordination, Decreased Heart Rate, Loss of Consciousness

By the 1980s, GHB emerged as a popular over-the-counter sleep aid, weight loss supplement and workout enhancer. But the Food and Drug Administration pulled the drug from the market in 1990 following at least 100 reports of GHB-related poisonings.

A few drops of GHB can knock a person unconscious within 30 to 40 minutes.

Despite the crackdown, GHB found its way into the club scene as a recreational drug. GHB usually comes as a liquid or a white powder that is dissolved in beverages and consumed by the capful. It's sometimes called liquid ecstasy because of its relaxing and touchy-feely effects, and it's particularly popular in the gay community.

Sexual predators also discovered a nefarious use for the powerful sedative. In higher doses, GHB can cause loss of consciousness and blackouts. By the mid-1990s, troubling reports emerged of young people being sexually assaulted after consuming drinks laced with GHB.

How Addictive Is GHB?

Many people mistakenly believe that GHB is relatively harmless and not addictive. But the drug is a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse. Frequent use of GHB can result in physical dependence and addiction.

In his early twenties, former World Wrestling Entertainment star Ryan Reeves, who wrestles under the ring name Ryback, used GHB on a daily basis.

At the height of his GHB addiction, Reeves would fill the cap of a water bottle with GHB after practice, consume the drug and take a nap. When he awoke, he'd eat and take another capful before heading to the gym.

After a three-hour workout, he would head home, consume even more GHB and eventually pass out. Many nights, he'd wake up and take another capful to fall back asleep.

Eventually I would do [GHB] every day, and it became a very regular part of my life. It was kind of the first thing I ever really, truly got addicted to.

- Former WWE star Ryan Reeves

Sometimes, the drug would cause Reeves to sleepwalk and do things he couldn't remember. One morning, he recalls waking up feeling horrible and finding that he'd vomited and defecated all over his bedroom and urinated on the walls.

He quit GHB for good not long after. "How I didn't die, I don't know," Reeves said on his podcast, Conversation with the Big Guy, in 2016.

The Effects of GHB

While GHB has gained notoriety as a date rape drug, most GHB use is intentional.

Clubgoers typically take GHB for its euphoric and libido-boosting effects, which kick in about 15 to 20 minutes after taking the drug.

Fans of GHB say it produces an alcohol-like buzz without the calories or next-day hangover. But the drug can also cause a host of unwanted and dangerous effects, such as nausea and vomiting, dizziness, confusion and impaired coordination.

The drug can cause people to turn violent, hallucinate or slip into a coma. Because GHB also causes amnesia, victims of GHB-related sexual assault often have no memory of what happened to them, making it difficult to report the crime.

The typical GHB high lasts for between three and six hours, and the drug exits the body quickly. Traces of GHB will stay in a person's system GHB will stay in a person's system usually for about 12 hours or less.

GHB Drug Overdose

GHB overdose is common and frequently requires medical treatment. Patients may exhibit various degrees of consciousness depending on the dose taken and the time that has passed since GHB was last consumed.

Dizziness and lightheadedness

Blurred vision

Confusion

Overwhelming sleepiness

Stumbling

Disorientation

Nausea and vomiting

Muscle spasms

Breathing difficulties

Sweating

Seizure

Coma

Unlike an opioid overdose, which can often be successfully reversed by administering the medication naloxone, GHB overdose has no antidote.

Seeking help for GHB addiction?

We have programs designed specifically for you.

GHB Drug Dependence and Withdrawal

Long-term, frequent use of GHB causes changes to the brain's neurochemistry much in the same way that alcohol and benzodiazepines do. While GHB slows brain activity, the brain becomes accustomed to the drug over time and compensates for its effects.

If GHB use is stopped suddenly after long-term use, individuals can experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.

Sweating

Anxiety

Tremors

Insomnia

Increased heart rate

Increased blood pressure

Some people going through GHB withdrawal experience psychotic thinking characterized by profound disorientation, paranoia, hallucinations and delirium. In some cases, GHB withdrawal has proved deadly.

To avoid excruciating withdrawal symptoms, individuals who are addicted to GHB will consume it around-the-clock, putting them at an increased risk for an overdose.

According to a 2016 study published in Neuropsychobiology, repeatedly taking GHB three to six times per day can lead to tolerance and dependency.

Treatment and Recovery

Overcoming a GHB addiction can be as difficult as kicking a heroin addiction, according to a recent study by researchers in the Netherlands.

One of the reasons for this, study coordinator Harmen Beurmanjer told a Dutch newspaper, is that GHB users "only see the positive effects of the drugs." He also said they often find living without GHB unbearable.

More than half of those addicted to GHB relapse within three months of treatment, according to Beurmanjer.

Because GHB withdrawal can trigger life-threatening seizures and a multitude of unpleasant symptoms, those who are addicted to GHB often require inpatient treatment when quitting the drug.

To successfully overcome GHB addiction, an individual should engage in a long-term treatment plan after detox is complete. Effective programs will help people understand the underlying factors that led them to abuse the drug and teach them tools and strategies to avoid relapse.

While individuals who enter treatment for abuse of club drugs such as GHB tend to have more severe addictions than people who use alcohol and other drugs, research shows that they often respond well to treatment. They are typically more likely than other drug users to complete treatment.

Medical Disclaimer: DrugRehab.com aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.

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When it was first used clinically in the 1960s, the central nervous system depressant GHB seemed to hold promise as a fast-acting anesthetic agent. Unfortunately, the addictive drug lacked any pain-killing properties and also tended to trigger seizures. The medical community quickly abandoned interest in its clinical use.

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If you believe someone has overdosed on GHB, call 911 immediately. If the person is unconscious, turn them on their side and stay with them until help arrives.
It's easy to overdose on GHB. The difference between a mellow high and GHB coma is sometimes as little as a few drops of the potent drug.

Overdosing on GHB is so common, in fact, that people who use the drug recreationally sometimes write "GHB" or "G" on their hand or wrist with a marker as a precaution in case they lose consciousness.

A survey of 76 Australians who used GHB recreationally found that more than half had overdosed on the drug, according to a report in the February 2003 issue of the journal Addiction.

Overdose was more common among those who used the drug more frequently and for longer periods of time, but GHB poisoning can happen to anyone. A GHB overdose can occur the first time a person uses the drug or in someone with a long-standing GHB addiction.

GHB Overdose Symptoms

GHB is a strong central nervous system depressant that's abused for its alcohol-like effects, but reactions to GHB can be unpredictable. Large doses of GHB can lead to respiratory depression, loss of consciousness, vomiting and death.

Symptoms of a GHB overdose include:

Nausea and vomiting

Dizziness or lightheadedness

Sweating

Irregular breathing

Slow heart rate

Low blood pressure

Unconsciousness or reduced consciousness

Irregular breathing

A suppressed gag reflex

Confusion and agitation

Urinary and fecal incontinence

Low body temperature

Hallucinations

Memory loss/Amnesia

Constricted pupils

Seizures

GHB poisoning can develop rapidly. People can pass out within minutes of taking GHB, and there are often no warning signs.

Unconsciousness or a drop in the level of consciousness were the most common initial overdose symptoms in an examination of more than 1,000 GHB and GBL overdoses in Norway, according to a 2017 report in the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine.

GBL, a chemical cousin that converts to GHB in the body, has the same effects. GBL, gamma-butyrolactone, has been nicknamed "coma in a bottle."

One in 5 people who've used GHB report passing out from drug, according to the Global Drug Survey, the world's largest online survey of legal and illicit drug use.

How Much GHB Is Too Much?

Because GHB comes in a liquid form with variable amounts of the drug, safe dosing is extremely difficult.

Low doses of GHB - in the range of 1 to 2 grams - can trigger a high similar to an alcohol buzz, characterized by increased libido, lowered inhibitions, talkativeness and a mild euphoria. At slightly higher doses, the effects of GHB can make a person appear drunk, with slurred speech, a staggering gait and worse.

1-2 gramsEuphoria, lowered inhibitions, increased libido

1 gram or less

Relaxation similar to an alcohol buzz

2-4 grams

Slurred speech and difficulty moving

4 grams or more

Agitation, confusion, combativeness, loss of coordination, trouble breathing, vomiting, loss of consciousness, death

Recreational doses of GHB typically range from 1 to 5 grams of the drug dissolved in enough liquid to fill a soda bottle cap. But unless a person prepared the drug themselves, they are unlikely to know exactly how much GHB they are consuming.

GHB also impairs memory, so an individual may easily forget how much they've used and accidentally take too much.

Mixing GHB and Alcohol

Mixing GHB with alcohol and other drugs is extremely dangerous and increases the risk of overdose.

GHB has strong sedative effects that are amplified when combined with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol, opioid painkillers, benzodiazepines, or Ketamine. These combined effects may slow or stop a person's breathing or cause them to lapse into a coma.

In 2015, journalist Catherine Townsend wrote about her scary experience of chasing a beer with a capful of GHB at a New Year's Eve party years earlier when she was just 14.

For weeks, Townsend had been using GHB and marveled at the drug's seemingly magical effects. She could party all night, let her guard down romantically and function with just four hours of sleep. But all that changed when she decided to take an extra capful of the drug and drink a beer.

"Four hours later, I woke up in a puddle of my own vomit, and my concerned friends standing over me trying to find a heartbeat," wrote Townsend, who vowed to never touch the drug again.

Jarhett Wagner was not as lucky.

In 2004, the 21-year-old Florida man passed out at a party after drinking and using GHB with a group of friends and his brother. According to a tribute on Project GHB, a nonprofit drug awareness group, Wagner's friends tossed him and his brother on a bed to "sleep it off" - but Wagner never woke up.

His brother found him dead beside him the next day.

Overdose Treatment

A person exhibiting signs or symptoms of a GHB overdose needs emergency medical treatment and should never be left to "sleep off" the effects of the drug.

Unlike a heroin overdose, which can be reversed by administering a drug called naloxone, there is no reversal agent for a GHB overdose, but supportive care and monitoring may prevent death.

Supplemental oxygen is often needed and some individuals require mechanical ventilation. If a person's heart rate is too slow, they may also need IV drugs to prevent their heart from stopping. Intravenous fluids can boost low blood pressure.

Because GHB doesn't stay in the body very long, the effects of a GHB overdose usually wear off quickly. Most people wake up spontaneously and are discharged as soon as their symptoms resolve.

While most people recover completely within three to six hours, a GHB overdose can be a serious wake-up call to the dangers of the drug.

Unfortunately, quitting GHB is not always easy. Regular, chronic use of GHB can lead to addiction and physical dependence on the drug. If you or someone you love is having trouble quitting GHB, learn how GHB treatment works and how rehab can help.

View Sources

Busardò, F. & Jones, A. (2015, January). GHB Pharmacology and Toxicology: Acute Intoxication, Concentrations in Blood and Urine in Forensic Cases and Treatment of the Withdrawal Syndrome. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462042/

Cheves, A. (2018, February 2). We Can't Stop GHB and Meth Use. But We Can Make It Safer. Retrieved from https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2018/2/02/we-cant-stop-ghb-and-meth-use-we-can-make-it-safer

Codrea-Rado, A. (2017, June 15). GHB: An Explainer on the Most Stigmatized Club Drug. Retrieved from https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/xw879j/ghb-explainer-club-drug-harm-reduction

Degenhardt, L., Darke, S. & Dillon, P. (2003, February). The prevalence and correlates of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) overdose among Australian users. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12534425

Dietze, P. et al. (2008, June 16). Patterns and incidence of γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)-related ambulance attendances in Melbourne, Victoria. Retrieved from https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2008/188/12/patterns-and-incidence-g-hydroxybutyrate-ghb-related-ambulance-attendances

Drug Enforcement Administration. (2013, January). GAMMA HYDROXYBUTYRIC ACID (Street Names: GHB, Liquid Ecstasy, Liquid X, Goop, Georgia Home Boy, Easy Lay). Retrieved from https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/ghb.pdf

Le, J. & Richards, J. (2017, May 25). Toxicity, Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB, "G", Liquid X, Liquid E, Juice, Mils, Fantasy, Georgia Home Boy). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430781/

Madah-Amiri, D., Myrmel, L., Brattebø, G. (2017). Intoxication with GHB/GBL: characteristics and trends from ambulance-attended overdoses. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5610436/

Minns, A. (2014). GHB. Retrieved from https://calpoison.org/news/ghb

Moser, M. & Purssell, R. (2000). Gamma-hydroxybutyrate overdose and coma: a case report. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c02c/5df0e66a3a4a436603076d899184a29aedc4.pdf

National Drug Intelligence Center. (2004, September). Intelligence Bulletin: GHB Trafficking and Abuse. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs10/10331/index.htm

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2004). Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheets. Retrieved from http://www.cjcenter.org/idi/documents/drugsandhumanperformance.pdf

Palamar, J. (2018, January 26). The comeback and dangers of the drug GHB. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-the-comeback-and-dangers-of-the-drug-ghb-90736-20180126-story.html

Project GHB. (n.d.). Jarhett Cody Wagner. Retrieved from http://www.projectghb.org/content/jarhett-cody-wagner

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2002, November). Substance Abuse Treatment/GHB: A Club Drug to Watch. ADVISORY. Retrieved from https://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA03-3766/SMA03-3766.pdf

Thai, D. et al. (2006, October). GHB and Ethanol Effects and Interactions in Humans. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2766839/

Townsend, C. (2015, October 19). The Scary Reason GHB is Making a Comeback. Retrieved from https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-scary-reason-ghb-is-making-a-comeback?ref=author

Utah Poison Control Center. (2000). Utox Update: Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) Toxicity and Treatment. Retrieved from https://poisoncontrol.utah.edu/newsletters/pdfs/toxicology-today-archive/Vol2_No2.pdf

Winstock, A. (2017, November 1). GHB - going over and getting hooked. Retrieved from https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com/ghb-going-over-taking-a-g-nap-g-ing-out-getting-hooked-and-how-to-prevent-them/

Zvosec, D.L., Smith, S.W., Porrata, T., Strobl, A.Q., Dyer, J.E. (2011, March). Case series of 226 γ-hydroxybutyrate-associated deaths: lethal toxicity and trauma. Retrieved from https://www.ajemjournal.com/article/S0735-6757(09)00553-1/abstract

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If you believe someone has overdosed on GHB, call 911 immediately. If the person is unconscious, turn them on their side and stay with them until help arrives. It's easy to overdose on GHB. The difference between a mellow high and GHB coma is sometimes as little as a few drops of the potent drug.

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Take the drinks meter survey, enter your details and get instant information on how you measure up against our community

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How can the Pavilions Drugs and Alcohol service help you

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The Down Your Drink website closed down in 2022 but the spirit of DYD lives on in a new venture from the creators of DYD - Drinkbreak

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Cutting down on alcohol can be a really effective way to improve your health. See our simple tips and practical ideas to help you starting drinking less. Let’s do this!

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Cocaine Leaflet for Pavilions Print 18.07.18 V2

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What should I expect?
"Thanks for reaching out."
Many people are nervous or anxious about contacting a service, especially if it's their first time doing so. Webchat is confidential and anonymous, all of the staff working in our service are highly trained substance misuse and mental health practitioners. We're here to help and support you in a relaxed non-judgemental way.

Webchat allows you to speak to someone you can trust from a location and a setting that suits your needs. Maybe you're really busy or you just don't feel ready to talk to someone face-to-face or even over the phone, that's where we come in to support you online.

Taking the first step can be daunting but it is the best way to improve your situation, whatever that may be, we're happy we can help when someone needs our support.

We can spend some time talking about how you feel alcohol is impacting on your life. This will help give us a clear picture of what ways you would benefit from support. Remember, you can tell us as little or as much as you like - we're not here to push you to disclose anything you're not comfortable telling us.

Learn more about webchat

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What should I expect? "Thanks for reaching out." Many people are nervous or anxious about contacting a service, especially if it's their first time doing so. Webchat is confidential and anonymous, all of the staff working in our service are highly trained substance misuse and mental health practitioners.

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Solvent abuse* - gases, aerosols, nitrous oxide ('laughing gas'), poppers, petrol, glues, solvents and other volatile substances.

We're here to help.

Solvent abuse affects the lives of thousands of people in the UK. If you misuse any of the above products, or if someone you know misuses them, then we're glad you're here.

Founded in 1984, Re-Solv is the expert charity working across the UK to end solvent abuse and support all those whose lives are affected by it.

If you live anywhere in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales and are worried about your solvent abuse or someone else's - we're here to help. Please get in touch.

*A note on terminology: We use the term 'solvent abuse' on our website because this is the term that the public largely uses when searching for help and support around issues with solvents and gases. We want people who need support to be able to find it. However, we understand that the term 'abuse' is no longer used in some settings and we are endeavouring to use appropriate language when discussing this issue. We are currently carrying out a consultation to do so. Please contact us if you would like further information.

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Solvent abuse advice and support - Re-Solv: UK's solvent abuse charity

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Solvent abuse affects the lives of thousands of people in the UK. If you misuse any of the above products, or if someone you know misuses them, then we're glad you're here. Founded in 1984, Re-Solv is the expert charity working across the UK to end solvent abuse and support all those whose lives are affected by it.

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Solvent Abuse, in more recent years Volatile Substance Abuse (VSA), also called Inhalant Abuse, Sniffing, Buzzing, Huffing, Tooting.

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Brown, gear, smack... Whatever it's called, the effects are the same. Get the facts and read the stories of people's experiences with heroin.

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Information on how it works in the body, its effects, risks and addictive potential (and how you can reduce them), and its potential medical uses

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MDMA is not risk-free. If you roll, read RollSafe first.

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MDMA | Drugs and Me | Dosing, Tolerance | Legality | Abuse | Addiction | Ecstacy | XTC | Molly | Grams | How to | How many grams | Risks | Harm reduction | Overdose | Addictive | Gurn | Weight | Sleepy | Thirsty | Sweat | Sick | PTSD | Psychedelics

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There are certain precautions you should take before doing MDMA. The advice below helps you to be physically and mentally prepared before doing it. Furthermore, we want you to be safe, and just in case you have a bad experience or some of the unwanted side effects associated with MDMA, we have also provided information on how to take care of yourself when you are in full swing.

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Ketamine | Drugs and Me | Dosing, Tolerance | Legality | Abuse | Addiction | K | Grams | How to | How many grams | Risks | Harm reduction | Overdose | Before | During | After | Special-K | Addictive | Bladder | Hallucinations | Depression | Psychedelic |

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Ketamine is a hallucinogenic dissociative and anaesthetic that is used in both humans and animals for medical purposes. It was synthesised in 1962, and used in anaesthesia as an alternative to phencyclidine (PCP) which caused powerful, long lasting hallucinations and psychotic symptoms. Today it is often used as an anaesthetic in children or those undergoing minor surgery.

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Cannabis | Drugs and Me | Dosing, Tolerance | Legality | Abuse | Addiction | Weed | Grams | How to | How many grams | Risks | Harm reduction | Overdose | Before | During | After | Marihuana | Marijuana | High |

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Cannabis is known for its pain-relieving and mind-altering properties. There are many different strains (species) of the cannabis plant, and all of them have different chemical compositions and effects. Scientists are still identifying new varieties, each with a different chemical make-up, while also making new discoveries about cannabis' therapeutic potential.

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Information on how it works in the body, its effects, risks and addictive potential (and how you can reduce them), and its potential medical uses

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Information on how it works in the body, its effects, risks and addictive potential (and how you can reduce them), and its potential medical uses

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The Complete Guide to LSD, by TripSafe

Overview

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a common recreational drug. It is also commonly known as acid. LSD is usually consumed on small pieces of paper called blotter.

LSD has been taken by about 25 million Americans at least once, and 1.5 million Americans in the past year, based on 2015 numbers.

We do not endorse the acquisition and use of illegal drugs. If you make the choice to use psychedelic drugs, please do your research.

What is a psychedelic?

Psychedelics are drugs that can induce an altered state, perhaps best described as a dreamlike state, for some number of minutes or hours, depending on the specific psychedelic.

Psychedelics have been used by indigenous people for thousands of years.

Intelligent and creative researchers discovered this indigenous use in the 1950s and 1960s and introduced psychedelics to a tight community of psychotherapists and psychiatrists who found that these tools were very useful.

Psychedelics then entered the popular culture, and were made illegal.

Psychedelic research is now approaching a renaissance.

Are psychedelics good?

If used with care and expertise, there's a solid argument that psychedelics can do the world a lot of good.

Now Rick had an opportunity to work within the system, by the system's rules, to find, or force, common ground around what he believed to be an incontrovertible truth: psychedelics, used with care and expertise, could do people and the world a lot of good.

Is acid the same as LSD?

Sort of. Acid is a street name for LSD, and LSD is a chemical compound. Unfortunately, not all substances sold as "acid" or "LSD" contain just the pure LSD compound. Pure acid would contain 100% LSD. We will try to use the term LSD in this guide, instead of acid.

See more at: LSD vs acid.

Is LSD (acid) safe?

LSD is relatively safe if it pure LSD, and if you have a trusted and experienced guide who can prevent any risk of harming yourself or others due to intoxication.

"Hallucinogens generally possess relatively low physiological toxicity, and have not been shown to result in organ damage or neuropsychological deficits (Strassman, 1984; Gable, 1993, 2004; Halpern and Pope, 1999; Hasler, et al., 2004; Nichols, 2004; Halpern, et al., 2005)."

LSD has been taken by about 25 million Americans at least once, and 1.5 million Americans in the past year, based on 2015 numbers. This 2008 paper noted that "there have been no documented human deaths from an LSD overdose."

"Since the early 1990s, approximately 2000 doses of psilocybin (ranging from low to high doses) have been safely administered to humans in the United States and Europe, in carefully controlled scientific settings, with no reports of any medical or psychiatric serious AEs, including no reported cases of prolonged psychosis or HPPD (Studerus et al., 2011)." Psilocybin is not the same as LSD, though we should expect an extremely similar dosage dependent safety profile.

"This finding is consistent with a US population (2001-2004 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health) based study that found no associations between lifetime use of any of the serotoninergic psychedelics (including psilocybin) and increased rates of mental illness (Krebs and Johansen, 2013)."

"The incidence of risky behavior or enduring psychological distress is extremely low when psilocybin is given in laboratory studies to screened, prepared, and supported participants."

"There is no evidence of such potential neurotoxic effects with the prototypical classical hallucinogens (i.e. LSD, mescaline and psilocybin)."

"Cohen (1960) reported that only a single case of a psychotic reaction lasting more than 48 hours occurred in 1200 experimental (non-patient) research participants (a rate of 0.8 per 1000). Notably, the individual was an identical twin of a schizophrenic patient and thus would have been excluded under the proposed guidelines." The key methods to minimize this risk are the medical condition guidlines below.

Acid was ranked as the third safest drug by Nutt et al. All drugs can still be harmful under certain circumstances.

How can LSD be most beneficial?

What had been clear to Hofmann almost immediately had by this time been observed independently by Osmond and a host of others: for LSD to have the greatest positive effect, subjects needed to take it in a safe, supportive, and aesthetically pleasing environment with a clear idea of what to expect. When difficult issues arose-as they often did-the safe setting and supportive presence of a therapist would allow the subject to process this emotional dynamite, defuse it, and transcend it.

Psychedelic usage was associated with improved mental health indicators

"Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with a significantly reduced odds of past month psychological distress (weighted odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (0.72-0.91)), past year suicidal thinking (weighted OR=0.86 (0.78-0.94)), past year suicidal planning (weighted OR=0.71 (0.54-0.94)), and past year suicide attempt (weighted OR=0.64 (0.46-0.89))"

The two biggest risks of LSD

Fake acid: Ingesting what you believe to be pure acid (pure LSD), but is actually something else, particularly NBOMe which has been involved in a few deaths in the last few years

Doing something unsafe during the ~10 hours of being in a decently altered mindstate on the drug. "If someone experiences high anxiety, fear, or paranoia during a psilocybin session, itʼs not hard to imagine them behaving in ways harmful to themselves or others."

What are the effects of LSD (acid)?

This assumes pure acid, i.e. 100% LSD.

Acid feels like "seeing the world for the first time," with stimulated and profound seeming thoughts, and sort of a dreamlike feeling. Hallucinations also exist, though it would be more accurate to think of them as visual distortions - i.e. seeing extra patterns in the grass, a photo of a waterfall might look like the water is moving when it's actually not - but don't think of it as you'll be seeing green leprechauns that will talk to you.

See the first few images on this page for an accurate depiction of low to moderate acid dosage visual effects.

Read more on the effects of LSD here.
How long does LSD last?
LSD generally lasts ~8-13 hours, though it's wise to plan for ~16-18 hours.

During and after use
Side effects during use
Possible side effects during use include: anxiety, paranoid thinking, discomfort, temporary moderate increases in blood pressure.
Side effects after use
"Cohen (1960) reported that only a single case of a psychotic reaction lasting more than 48 hours occurred in 1200 experimental (non-patient) research participants (a rate of 0.8 per 1000). Notably, the individual was an identical twin of a schizophrenic patient and thus would have been excluded under the proposed guidelines."

If you have close schizophrenic relatives, you should not take LSD. This will be discussed futher in the safety section below.

Read the full page on LSD's side effects.
Desirable effects during use
Possible desirable effects during use: joy/intense happiness and peace/harmony.
Desirable long-term benefits
Users following a specific guided trip protocol experienced a variety of benefits including increased purpose, more energy for work, more initiative, getting more work done, increased self-confidence, marriage satisfaction, and more friends at and outside work.

Read the rest at the page on LSD's effects, including positive effects.

"Bad" trips

What is the probability of having a bad trip on LSD?

This depends heavily on the dosage, your mindstate going into the trip, and the environment where you take LSD.

We can approximate from a psilocybin mushroom study:

At a dosage of 200 micrograms of LSD in a therapeutic clinical environment, we might expect 86% of people to experience some extreme fear, for an LSD-adjusted (increase time to account for longer trip with LSD vs psilocybin) average of around ~22 minutes of strong anxiety, and we might expect around ~65% to report a persisting positive increase in mood from this dosage assuming they had first tried 35 micrograms, then 67, then 133, then 200

At a dosage of 133 micrograms in a therapeutic clinical environment, we might expect 14% of people to experience some extreme fear, for an LSD-adjusted average of around ~4 minutes of strong anxiety , and we might expect around ~60% to report a persisting positive increase in mood from this dosage assuming they had first tried 35 micrograms, then 67, then 133

At a dosage of 67 micrograms in a therapeutic clinical environment, we might expect 0% of people to experience some extreme fear, for an LSD-adjusted average of around ~2 minutes of strong anxiety, and we might expect around ~45% to report a persisting positive increase in mood from this dosage assuming they had first tried 35 micrograms, then 67

Bad trips can increase long-term well-being, so call them "challenging trips" instead

Challenging or "bad" acid trips can be most beneficial if they are short, but difficult.

"Multiple regression analysis showed degree of difficulty was positively associated, and duration was negatively associated, with enduring increases in well-being."

Are you currently having a bad trip?

Please visit tripsit chat if you need immediate assistance.

"Say hi, tell us your substance and dose, and describe your issue.

If no one responds within 30 seconds, say ~tripsit and someone will be with you immediately."

Also, see these two calming videos for if you are having a "bad" trip:

Medical benefits

"For example, a recent meta-analysis of six randomized clinical trials of treatment for alcoholism conducted between 1966-1970 found that a single dose of LSD [acid] reduced the probability of alcohol misuse almost two-fold relative to comparison conditions (Krebs and Johansen, 2012)."

There is less medical research into LSD (acid) vs psilocybin (shrooms), because psilocybin is less stigmatized, and psilocybin also has a shorter duration, which is easier for researchers as with psilocybin they can spend more like 8 hours with a participant instead of having to spend ~16 hours with the participant.

Researchers are also interested in studying LSD microdosing, which involves taking around 10 micrograms of LSD, often with the goal of boosting mood or boosting productivity / entering a flow state. See this article for more.

With psilocybin (we would expect similar results for LSD) for cancer-related emotional distress, "83 percent said it [psilocybin + psychotherapy] increased their well-being or life satisfaction moderately or very much, and 89 percent said it lead to moderate, strong, or extreme improvements in their behaviors. Of the 90 total sessions conducted during the study, none were rated as having decreased well-being or life satisfaction."

Watch this video, this video, or this video to get a sense for the therapeutic uses of LSD - these videos are using psilocybin, but they should be useful to anyone evaluating LSD, too.

Psychedelic retreats

While not LSD, magic mushrooms are decently similar in effects and therapeutic potential to LSD.

It is our understanding that magic truffles are legal in the Netherlands, and in Jamaica magic mushrooms are either outright legal or the laws don't seem to be enforced.

Retreats for therapeutic use of psilocybin:

How to take LSD (Acid) the TripSafe way 👽
Thank you to Matthew Johnson, Bill Richards, and Roland Griffiths, for all of their work, and particularly their safety research.
These guidelines are designed to maximize the chance of lasting positive benefits, and to minimize the chance of any offputting experience.

Many LSD users are instead seeking to optimize fun instead of lasting positive benefits and safety, in which case some of these guidelines may not apply. For example, if optimizing more for fun and less for safety, a user may prefer not to use a blindfold and headphones, and may choose to drop acid at a festival or in nature instead of in a safe home environment.

We believe the most important tips that should be followed by everyone regardless of their purpose for using acid are:

1. Avoid with LSD-dangerous health conditions

2. Avoid drugs that interact with LSD

3. Have a trusted, sober guide who is experienced in supporting psychedelic sessions

4. Respect psychedelics

5. Test your LSD

🙋 Safe use is important to avoid adverse reactions

These safe use guidelines are based off research into the clinical and research use of psychedelics.
"Persisting adverse reactions are rare when research is conducted along these guidelines. Incautious research may jeopardize participant safety and future research."
☑️ Safer and more enjoyable usage checklist

Many LSD users are instead seeking to optimize fun instead of lasting positive benefits and safety, in which case some of these guidelines may not apply. For example, if optimizing more for fun and less for safety, a user may prefer not to use a blindfold and headphones, and may choose to drop acid at a festival or in nature instead of in a safe home environment.

We believe the most important tips that should be followed by everyone regardless of their purpose for taking LSD are:

1. Avoid with certain health conditions

2. Avoid drugs that interact with LSD

3. Have a trusted, sober guide who is experienced in supporting psychedelic sessions

4. Respect psychedelics

5. Test your LSD

🚫 Risks to avoid
Serious risks:

1. Death or injurity due to ingesting fake LSD (i.e. not pure LSD).

2. Doing something unsafe while on the drug. Users may not have their regular common sense about them, and may cause minor or serious harm to themselves or others.

3. Psychotic episodes if you have a pre-disposition to mental illness

These risks can be reduced to near zero with proper precautions.

It's also preferrable and possible to reduce the risk of having a bad trip.

Extra info

Myths

LSD is probably one of the most mythologized and demonised drugs, and its history is full of episodes which are as outlandish as the stories, such as the illegal experiments with the drug carried out by American and British intelligence agencies. Countless urban myths exist about bizarre and frightening things people did whilst tripping.
"Bad Acid"
People have believed in batches of so-called "bad acid" which are blamed for horrible effects and bad trips. Doses of different batches can be very variable and 'bad' experiences with LSD can usually be related to unwanted high doses, irresponsibility or unpreparedness and/or the ingestion of a different substance. There are no different types of LSD.
LSD stays in your spinal fluid, causing flashbacks years later
LSD does not stay in your body for long. Flashbacks and HPPD are poorly understood, but the symptoms occur in the absence of LSD.
Orange Juice/ Vitamin C can be used as an antidote to stop a bad trip
This is not true, there are no easy home remedies to end a trip, although doctors use benzodiazepines to ease agitation. However, people are very suggestible when tripping and this can contribute to the perception of such effects.
You can be declared legally insane if you take LSD more than seven times
There is an old rumour that taking LSD more than seven times means that you can be declared legally insane. This is not true and there are plenty of people who have taken LSD more than seven times and are not insane.
People going blind staring at the sun
The rumour about people going blind from taking LSD and staring at the sun was created by a TV show in the 1960s. However, there have been a few case reports of people partially damaging their eyes from staring at the sun whilst on LSD. People do strange things whilst on LSD and LSD dilates your pupils which exposes your eyes to more light than usual.
People think they can fly and jump out of a window
People have fallen out of windows and off cliffs whilst on LSD, but these were probably accidents due to impaired judgement, or suicides, rather than thinking they could fly.

Source: Professor David Nutt and others at DrugScience.org.uk

Alternatives to LSD

Shrooms

DMT (substantially shorter duration)

Ayahuasca

Mescaline

2C-B. Shulgin, a well respected chemist who synthesized thousands of drugs, said 2C-B was "one of his favorite drugs".

Other means of reaching altered states of consciousness: holotropic breathwork, chanting/drumming, sweat lodges, meditation, yoga, float/isolation tanks

Actively recruiting LSD clinical studies
View the studies here.
Email [email protected] to advertise your study here for free.

Actively recruiting LSD surveys

What are your motives for using LSD or other drugs?

Take this questionnaire from Maastricht University about the motives of your drug use: Survey

"Imperial College has set up a new study to investigate the psychological effects of psychedelics. Everyone who has planned to take a psychedelic in the near future can sign up!

You will receive a survey on different time-points, before and after your psychedelic experience. See the website for more information: www.psychedelicsurvey.com

Share your experience and contribute to science!"

Have you overcome alcohol or drug addiction after using psychedelics?

Take this anonymous online survey from Johns Hopkins
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AddictionFree
Disclaimer

Do not consume any drugs without consulting a medical professional. This is for informational purposes only.
Full Disclaimer
Organizations we recommend supporting

Heffter
Donate to Heffter to make psilocybin a medicine
Do you contribute to any Patreon campaigns? If so, please contact Heffter and say that you'd love to contribute to them on Patreon.

Other organizations

Other recommended guides
😍 RollSafe.org, guides on MDMA❤️ Datewell.org, a romantic relationship guide🔥 )'( BurnerList.org, a more useful version of the burning man shopping checklist
Things to learn next
What you need to know about Shrooms About the research into psilocybin (active ingredient from magic mushrooms)How to help someone having a bad trip What the effects of LSD are How to take LSD Drug Harm Reduction: A List of What You Should Know If You're Considering Using Other Drugs, like Salvia, Tobacco, Alcohol, etc.
References

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Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a common recreational drug. It is also commonly known as acid. LSD is usually consumed on small pieces of paper called blotter. LSD has been taken by about 25 million Americans at least once, and 1.5 million Americans in the past year, based on 2015 numbers.

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Quick info

Safe in lab studies?

Yes, safe in lab studies

Chemical names

Psilocybin, psilocin

Street names

Shrooms, magic mushrooms, psychedelic mushrooms, mushies, liberties

Risks

1. ~8 hour stressful bad trip
2. Doing something unsafe due to impaired perception
3. Psychotic reaction particularly in individuals with schizophrenic relatives
4. Visual changes that in extremely rare cases can last for weeks or years

Temporary desirable effects (~6 hours)

Joy/intense happiness, peace/harmony

Long term desirable effects

In therapeutic settings: Increased well-being, increased self-confidence, reduced addiction

Temporary side effects (~6 hours)

Anxiety, impaired judgement

Medical potential

In combination with therapy, as treatment for cancer-related emotional distress, general emotional distress, and addictions (e.g. smoking addiction, alcoholism)

1. 🍄 Shrooms are a psychedelic drug, with psychedelic effects

The word shrooms refers to magic mushrooms. Magic mushrooms are a kind of mushroom that contain psilocybin.

Psilocybin is a psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms.

In the US, most people eat them dried. People dry them so that they can maintain their potency when stored.

Dried shrooms look something like this:
What does it mean that Shrooms are psychedelic?
In the case of shrooms, it means that they alter your mindstate for around ~6 hours. Users in psilocybin research often describe the state as being dreamlike, or as if the world is not real.

Psilocybin can make you feel both positive mood, and negative moood. Moods can change rapidly.

"People describe being in touch with awe-inspiring elements, with something sacred. They describe a sense of infinite love, a sense of peace, humility, being transported back into their lives," said Ross, an associate professor in the NYU Department of Psychiatry. "They described a sense of internal and external oneness."

Psilocybin has also been shown to produce mystical or peak experiences, which may be involved in the medical uses.

"To my utter amazement," he would later recall. "I soon discovered in my visual field the emergence of an exquisitely beautiful, multidimensional network of intricate, neon-like geometric patterns ... I recognized life within the undulating designs and began to feel as though I somehow could enter into the energy flowing between them ... My awareness was flooded with love, beauty, and peace beyond anything I ever had known or wildly imagined to be possible."

2. The safety profile of shrooms might surprise you

"Since the early 1990s, approximately 2000 doses of psilocybin (ranging from low to high doses) have been safely administered to humans in the United States and Europe, in carefully controlled scientific settings, with no reports of any medical or psychiatric serious AEs, including no reported cases of prolonged psychosis or HPPD (Studerus et al., 2011)."

"Hallucinogens generally possess relatively low physiological toxicity, and have not been shown to result in organ damage or neuropsychological deficits (Strassman, 1984; Gable, 1993, 2004; Halpern and Pope, 1999; Hasler, et al., 2004; Nichols, 2004; Halpern, et al., 2005)."

"This finding is consistent with a US population (2001-2004 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health) based study that found no associations between lifetime use of any of the serotoninergic psychedelics (including psilocybin) and increased rates of mental illness (Krebs and Johansen, 2013)."

"There is no evidence of such potential neurotoxic effects with the prototypical classical hallucinogens (i.e. LSD, mescaline and psilocybin)."

"Cohen (1960) reported that only a single case of a psychotic reaction lasting more than 48 hours occurred in 1200 experimental (non-patient) research participants (a rate of 0.8 per 1000). Notably, the individual was an identical twin of a schizophrenic patient and thus would have been excluded under the proposed guidelines." The key methods to minimize this risk are the medical condition guidlines below. It is not a good idea to take any psychedelics, including mushrooms, if you or any of your first or second-degree relatives have a current or past history of psychotic disorders including schizophrenia, Bipolar I or II disorder.

A research paper ranked psilocybin mushrooms as the third safest drug (Nutt et al). All drugs can still be harmful under certain circumstances. A separate study also found that magic mushrooms were the drug with the lowest rate of emergency room visits after use, lower than alcohol, and even marijuana.

3. If you're going to take shrooms, you need to read this guide

Follow the steps on TripSafe to be as safe as possible, and have the best, most rewarding mushroom experience. Remember, no drug use is perfectly safe. But you can take shrooms in a safer manner.

We do not endorse the acquisition and use of illegal drugs. If you make the choice to use psychedelic drugs, please do your research.

A risk of mushrooms is doing something unsafe to yourself or someone else while you're under the influence. The risk of this is reduceable to near zero by only taking shrooms ("tripping") with a trusted and sober guide who has experience supporting psychedelic sessions.

4. Bad trips do happen, though research suggests they can be substantially minimized or avoided

The rates of fear and anxiety ("bad" trips) in research are surprisingly low at certain dosages. This indicates that by following certain guidelines for who should take mushrooms and how they take them, we can significantly reduce the incidence of bad trips.

At a dosage of 1.6 grams in a therapeutic clinical environment, we might expect 0% of people to experience some extreme fear, for an average of around 1 minute of strong anxiety, and we might expect around ~45% to report a persisting positive increase in mood from this dosage

At a dosage of ~3.2 grams in a therapeutic clinical environment, we might expect 14% of people to experience some extreme fear, for an average of around ~2 minutes of strong anxiety

At a dosage of ~4.8 grams of mushrooms in a therapeutic clinical environment, we might expect 86% of people to experience some extreme fear, for an average of around ~11 minutes of strong anxiety

From the page on how to take shrooms.

5. Shrooms are being researched medically to help people with emotional distress from cancer

Read the article in the New York Times: A Dose of a Hallucinogen From a 'Magic Mushroom,' and Then Lasting Peace

Read the research:
Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized controlled trial. Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial
6. Shrooms and LSD are decently similar in effects

This redditor puts it well: "LSD is electric, mushrooms are spiritual. Both are trippy. Your mood and mindset is more stable on LSD, but you are able to wade into greater emotional depths with shrooms."

Note that:

Dosage has a much greater impact on effects than substance does - 100 micrograms of LSD is roughly equivalent to 2.4g of shrooms, and 100 micrograms of LSD will feel more similar to 2.4g of shrooms than it would feel to 300 micrograms of LSD.

LSD lasts longer, typically around 10-14 hours. The effects of shrooms tends to last for 4-6 hours. On the graph, magic mushrooms = psilocybin.

7. If you have specific medical conditions, you might be able to enroll in government-supported research using magic mushrooms

See active psilocybin studies here.

There may be studies for smoking addiction, alcohol addiction, cocaine addiction, and anxiety.

8. Shrooms are really popular

According to US government statistics, magic mushrooms have been used by 22.8 million Americans at least once.

😮

9. Mushroom usage was associated with improved mental health, contrary to any myths

"Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with a significantly reduced odds of past month psychological distress (weighted odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (0.72-0.91)), past year suicidal thinking (weighted OR=0.86 (0.78-0.94)), past year suicidal planning (weighted OR=0.71 (0.54-0.94)), and past year suicide attempt (weighted OR=0.64 (0.46-0.89))"

10. Mushrooms can have powerful long-term benefits

The sophisticated psychological assessments Griffiths conducted at two and fourteen months following the psilocybin sessions backed up the claims. In an article in Scientific American Griffiths coauthored with his fellow Heffter board member, Grob, he reported that "the data showed that participants experienced increased self-confidence, a greater sense of inner contentment, a better ability to tolerate frustration, decreased nervousness and an increase in overall well-being. Ratings of their behavior by friends, family members and work colleagues uninformed about the drug experience were consistent with the participants' self-ratings.

More than 70 percent of the participants self-rated the experience as one of the five most important in their lives. Perhaps even more astoundingly, nearly a third rated it the single most important experience.

11. Shrooms may help treat addiction

"In addiction medicine, the name of the game has been to somehow block the addictive drug's effects at the brain's receptor sites by substituting or antagonizing at the receptor-to reduce specific cravings for one drug. So you have a medication that seems to work for this drug or that drug."

"What's really exciting about psychedelics is that we are talking about addiction-rather than just alcohol addiction or nicotine addiction. It's not about a particular drug."

12. Psilocybin is legal in some countries, and companies offer paid retreats for therapeutic psychedelic sessions

It is our understanding that magic truffles are legal in the Netherlands, and in Jamaica magic mushrooms are either outright legal or the laws don't seem to be enforced.

Retreats for therapeutic use of psilocybin:

Read next
Drug Harm Reduction: A List of What You Should Know If You're Considering Using Other Drugs, like Salvia, Tobacco, Alcohol, etc.
References

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Safe in lab studies? Yes, safe in lab studies Chemical names Psilocybin, psilocin Street names Shrooms, magic mushrooms, psychedelic mushrooms, mushies, liberties Risks 1. ~8 hour stressful bad trip 2. Doing something unsafe due to impaired perception 3. Psychotic reaction particularly in individuals with schizophrenic relatives 4.

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👨‍🌾 Guide for preparation as a trip sitter
Recommended trip sitter preparation material The trip sitter and the participant should prepare together to minimize the risk of fear or anxiety
"To develop rapport and trust, which we believe helps minimize the risk of fear or anxiety reactions during the hallucinogen session."
How long does it take to prepare?
In the Johns Hopkins studies, there are at least 8 contact hours over at least 4 meetings, usually over a 1-month period. At least one of these meetings should be done in the session room to familiarize the participant.
What should we talk about to prepare?
Discuss meaningful aspects of the participant's life. Typically their childhood, romantic life, current relationships with family and friends, and their philosophical and/or spiritual beliefs.

The interaction should convey that all aspects of the person are welcome, from the petty to the noble, from embarrassments to achievements and from sorrow to joy. By the time of the hallucinogen session day, the volunteer will ideally feel completely comfortable with the monitors, reducing the likelihood of paranoia (e.g. feeling that the monitors are trying to control her or his mind, or have deceived the volunteer about the nature of the study). Second, related personal material may 'emerge' under the effects of the hallucinogen. That is, the volunteer may experience intense thoughts, feelings and visions related to his or her personal history or world-view. Knowing about the volunteer's life will allow the monitors to better understand her or his session experience and help the monitors in providing interpersonal support should strong emotions arise. If it is felt that sufficient rapport and trust have not developed during these monitor meetings, then either additional contact hours should be provided, or the volunteer's participation should be cancelled.

Guides should also demonstrate what they will do if the participant becomes nervous. See steps one and two of "What to do if someone is tripping and becomes anxious."

Preparing for the day
Be ready and willing to sit quietly for a long time
Assume 12-16 hours with LSD. Shrooms would be more like 6-9 hours of sitting.

Sitting quietly likely means preparing food in advance. This will depend on what kind of trip your friend wants to have, of course. If they want to have a quiet trip where they are lying down, then you might want to avoid movement and interaction during their peak. Headphones and eye shades will make this easier.

The sitter should have a decent-sized meal before the tripper begins, so that they don't need to eat for a while.

During the session

Other user reported tips:

Just go with it! Make it clear to the tripper beforehand that if they want you to switch out of "sitter" mode and into playful/friend mode, you're happy to at any point.

If the person plans to think, get writing utensils available to them in any position they are in. While peaking, it will tend to require far too much energy for the tripper to ask for a pen and paper. Seriously - if you ask them "need anything?" they'll probably respond with "nope" because they're trying to work out how to get the energy to tel you that they want paper and pen. At best they might be able to wave their hand around to indicate a pen. It can be hard to understate how difficult it can be for the tripper to communicate to the sitter during the peak period :)

Have a watch to check the time so that you don't need to check your phone

Isolate the tripper from unnecessary problems like phone calls (turn off vibrate) or knocks at the door, but don't be weird or secretive about it. Trippers are pretty good at sensing small details so if you try and hide something they might become concerned

Reassure the tripper before you start that you will take full care of yourself, and that you are happy to wait the entire time (say 16-18 hrs at most with LSD, likely 12-14 depending on dosage, and 6-9 hours with shrooms) with them. This is important so that they don't worry that you're dissatisfied or uncomfortable. Remember, they likely won't be able to communicate and ask you "are you comfortable" so they may just think about it in their head

During their peak, try and sit mostly in one place without moving around much, so have water/sunscreen/a book with you

If it's a place with windows where others can see in, you (the sitter) sitting outside or by the windows can be nice, a tripper would likely think "It's nice that they are by the window so that no-one outside sees me doing crazy things inside and thinks I'm a crazy person and wants to call the police"

Don't dismiss anything they say. This applies when they are coming up too. E.g. If they make a suggestion and you respond with an abrupt-seeming "no" they may well feel the negativity more than normal.

Don't worry if they say strange things. Even if the things they are saying are scary to you or them, know that you'll be in a better spot to discuss it all tomorrow.

What to do if someone is tripping on psychedelics and becomes anxious
See How to help someone having a bad trip on LSD/shrooms.
References

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Psychedelic Trip Sitter Preparation Guide

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recommended trip sitter preparation material The trip sitter and the participant should prepare together to minimize the risk of fear or anxiety "To develop rapport and trust, which we believe helps minimize the risk of fear or anxiety reactions during the hallucinogen session." How long does it take to prepare?

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4 psychoactive drug chemical; stimulant; cocaine coke crack snort blow snow erythroxylon coca; basics facts factsheet summary intro introduction;

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A summary of basic information about Cocaine and its use.

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4 psychoactive plant drug botanical ethnobotanical; entheogens hallucinogens psychedelics; psychoactive mushrooms psilocybin mushrooms psilocybes shrooms magic mushrooms; basics facts factsheet summary intro introduction;

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Erowid Psilocybin Mushroom Vault: Basics

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A summary of basic information about Psilocybin Mushrooms and their use.

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3 psychoactive drug chemical; entheogen hallucinogen psychedelic tryptamine; lsd lysergic acid diethylamide acid blotter; basics facts factsheet summary intro introduction;

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A summary of basic information about LSD and its use.

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4 psychoactive drug chemical; entheogen hallucinogen psychedelic dissociative anaesthetic; ketamine hydrochloride special k vitamin k ketaset ketalar; basics facts factsheet summary intro introduction;

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A summary of basic information about Ketamine and its use.

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3 pharmaceutical drug medicine prescription chemical; analgesic sedative depressant opioid opiate narcotic; codeine tylenol iii tylenol 3; frequently asked questions faq faqs answers;

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Frequently Asked Questions about Codeine

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Volatile Substance Abuse (VSA) is the practice of inhaling common household volatile substances like glues, gases and aerosols in order to get high.

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Read about anabolic steroids, which are prescription-only medicines that are sometimes taken without medical advice to increase muscle mass and improve athletic performance.

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4 psychoactive drug chemical; entheogen hallucinogen psychedelic tryptamine; dmt nn-dmt dimethyltryptamine nn-dimethyltryptamine dimethyl tryptamine; basics facts factsheet summary intro introduction;

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A summary of basic information about DMT and its use.

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4 psychoactive plant drug botanical ethnobotanical; entheogen hallucinogen psychedelic; cannabis marijuana marihuana pot dope smoke; basics facts factsheet summary intro introduction;

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A summary of basic information about Cannabis and its use.

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3 psychoactive drug chemical; entheogen hallucinogen psychedelic phenethylamine amphetamine stimulant empathogen; mdma ecstasy 34-methylenedioxymethamphetamine xtc molly mollies; basics facts factsheet summary intro introduction;

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A summary of basic information about MDMA and its use.

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Our service will offer recovery-focused drug and alcohol support and treatment to people in Brighton and Hove.

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Our service will offer recovery-focused drug and alcohol support and treatment to people in Brighton and Hove.

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We understand that everybody's experience is different. When you come to one of our services, we will personalise your care to help you achieve your goals.

If you're concerned about something and you don't know what steps to take, we have lots of advice and information that can help.

We're here to help with life's challenges, whether it's problems with drinking or drugs, or you're just looking to live a happier and healthier life.

When you come to a service for the first time, a friendly member of the team will greet you. Feel free to bring a friend or family member with you for support.

If someone was nervous to go to a service I'd say 'don't be fearful. Even if you need help for other issues like housing, the workers will do everything they can.'

Danielle works at our Bromley service

Read Danielle's story

Through volunteering, I see something in my future. I know I can still make something out of my life. I can make a difference in someone else's life.

Jose volunteers with us

Read Jose's story

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We're a national health and social care charity. We can help you with challenges including drugs and alcohol, housing, justice, health and wellbeing.

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Popular names 'Ket', 'K', 'Special K'

Ketamine is a strong numbing drug (anaesthetic) with unusual effects on the body. It speeds up rather than slows down breathing. It was originally only used by local and farming vets as an anaesthetic for animals, including horses. Nowadays, it is used mainly as a recreational drug, but still also by farming vets.

Sought after effects

sense of euphoria

pain relieving

a feeling that mind is separate from the body - described as a floating feeling

Undesired effects

causes loss of coordination

numbness in limbs

higher doses can cause an 'out-of-body' experience - the 'K hole'.

What does it look like?

The licit drug is sold as an injectable liquid, while the illicit product is more often a powder, a white crystalline substance reminiscent of cocaine.

How is it taken?

Swallowed: can be taken orally (often mixed in drinks)

Injected: can be injected into a muscle (liquid form)

Snorted: usually divided into lines and snorted (insufflated) via rolled up paper or 'bumped'/'keyed' i.e. small amount sniffed. When snorted the drug takes effect after about one minute and lasts for 20 to 40 minutes.

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Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic which creates an apparent detachment of the mind from the body. Chemically related to phencyclidine (PCP, Angel dust) it is widely used as a veterinary and a human anaesthetic. Medically it is regarded as a very safe anaesthetic as it does not depress respiration.

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Helping those in Need of Mental Health Support - Mental Health Response Winter 2020

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The world's first guidelines for safer drug use. Nobody takes recreational drugs to have a bad time. People take drugs to have fun and many people do. But sometimes they don't and people can end up in all sorts of messed up places - sometimes for a night, very rarely for life.

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MEN R US is an approachable and comprehensive directory to gay men's health. Help when you need it, a good read when you don't.

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A summary of basic information about GHB and its use.

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A series of films we made for the Harm Reduction Works campaign to comprehensively cover the key issues causing drug related harm.

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#DRYMESTER | Helping Parents-To-Be Go Alcohol Free

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We are proud to announce that #DRYMESTER has been shortlisted for the CIM Marketing Excellence Awards in the category of Best not-for-profit/charity/social marketing campaign! The...
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Christmas brings with it parties and gatherings, which might make it feel harder than usual to avoid alcohol when you're pregnant. The Chief Medical Officers...
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At #DRYMESTER, we're encouraging mums-to-be to go alcohol free for the duration of their pregnancy as this is the safest approach for a healthy pregnancy....
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#Drymester Resources Archives - #DRYMESTER | Helping Parents-To-Be Go Alcohol Free

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We are proud to announce that #DRYMESTER has been shortlisted for the CIM Marketing Excellence Awards in the category of Best not-for-profit/charity/social marketing campaign! The... Read More Christmas brings with it parties and gatherings, which might make it feel harder than usual to avoid alcohol when you're pregnant. The Chief Medical Officers...

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AKA: COCAINE: cocaine hydrochloride (cocaine HCl) coke, charlie, snow, Columbian Marching Powder, white, Gianluca, C, nose-candy, nose-powder. CRACK: base, freebase, rocks, stones, white, bones

SOURCE: Cocaine is derived from the naturally occurring COCA bush (Erythroxylon Coca), a native species of South America. While the leaves of the bush can simply be chewed, or mashed with lime to form a paste, cocaine undergoes extensive processing in laboratories before reaching the streets.

Initially, a crude chemical extraction process takes place to form a smokeable base (alkaline) form of the drug sometimes called basa, basuco, or pasta, paste, pitillo. This base form of the drug is extensively used in South America as a cheap, potent form of the drug usually smoked with tobacco.

The base cocaine produced in the preceding stage is refined and acidified using a variety of chemicals including kerosene, potassium permanganate and hydrochloric acid. The end product at this stage is a highly pure form of cocaine hydrochloride, a soluble salt (acidic) form of the drug. This is then exported.

This form of refined, water-soluble cocaine is then bulked out with adulterants, and sold on. Some of this will be sold as cocaine powder. However, some of this cocaine powder will be converted in to crack cocaine. By dissolving cocaine powder in water, and heating it with an alkaline substance, the acidic salt drug is converted back in to being a base form of the drug.

APPEARANCE: Cocaine HCl: white crystalline powder. High quality cocaine HCl will be in the form of larger crystalline flakes which will give the cocaine a more 'fluffy appearance.' Lower quality cocaine will be in much finer powder form. Cocaine powder has a sharp, acidic taste and will rapidly the tip of the tongue if dabbed against it. Freebase cocaine: depending on the production method used, could take the form of crystals of base cocaine or a malleable pasty mixture. This may smell of ammonia if this chemical was used in production.

However, in the UK the main form sold at a street level will be rocks of "crack" cocaine, small hard lumps of the drug which may be white or off white, and around the size of a raisin.

Methods of Use: Cocaine HCl is water soluble and can be absorbed across a mucous membrane (e.g. nose, gums). It is often snorted, or rubbed in to gums. Typically, when snorted, the powdered drug is placed on a flat surface; the crystals are made as fine as possible by chopping them with a credit card. The resulting powder is then snorted, often through a tube of rolled-up paper in to the nostril. It dissolves, enters the capillaries and then passes in to the circulatory system.

Cocaine HCl can also be injected. It does not lend itself to smoking as the heat of a cigarette or pipe will cause the cocaine to breakdown, rather than vapourising. Hence this is an inefficient method of use.

Crack cocaine has a lower melting point (95C) than cocaine HCl and so it can be smoked. This is usually done through a pipe, though some people flake crack in to spliffs and smoke it this way. As crack is not water soluble it cannot be snorted or injected. In order to inject it, some users will acidify crack cocaine, turning it back in to water-soluble salt.

COSTS: Cocaine is typically sold by weight, crack by the rock. A single rock of crack-cocaine can cost as little as £5 or as much as £20, but a great deal is sold at around £10 a rock. Price varies with size of the rock, quality, availability and region. A gramme of cocaine costs between £40 and £80, though cocaine is sold at higher and lower prices.

QUALITY: While cocaine powder is easily cut with other adulterants, purity tends to be higher than, for example, speed. Adulterants include mannitol, sorbitol, amphetamine, lactose, caffeine, lidocaine, benzocaine.

Crack purity will depend on the strength of the cocaine used and the process used. Much literature claims that crack is a purer drug than cocaine HCl and this is not always the case.

Crack can be made in a one-stage or two stage process. A one stage process simply converts the drug from a salt to a base, but does not make it any purer. A two-stage process will convert the drug from salt to base but also refine it.

Most mass-produced crack is produced in a one-step process and so the crack will be of a similar (or lower) purity than the cocaine from which it was manufactured. The crack will only be purer if adulterants present in the cocaine were removed. Regardless, crack will inevitably feel stronger due to the route of administration. Drugs which are smoked deliver more of the drug to the brain more rapidly than drugs which are snorted.

EFFECTS: Cocaine is a powerful stimulant; it offers an intense impression of power and control, combined with heightened energy and awareness. Users can feel euphoric, sexually aroused, confident and egotistical.

It is, in some respects, similar to speed, but offers a more euphoric and less "harsh" experience. Effects also include increased heart-rate and blood pressure, and pupil dilation. Users are apt to become restless and talkative.

When cocaine is injected, snorted, or rubbed onto the gums, it causes numbing of the site.

Cocaine also alleviates the need for sleep, and acts as a powerful appetite suppressant.

Duration of effects depends largely on what is being used and how it is used. Cocaine which is snorted takes longer to act than cocaine injected, but the effects last longer.

Crack, on the other hand, takes effect almost immediately when smoked, but the effects wear off rapidly, typically within 15 minutes. This rapid up-and-down encourages users to take the drug again straight away, and can lead to binges, where a user will take rock after rock, postponing the comedown, until they run out of money and drugs.

HEALTH IMPLICATIONS: With short-term use, cocaine users can experience anxiety, paranoia and disrupted sleep. The suppression of appetite can lead to weight loss, and users will experience exhaustion and fatigue.

Snorting of cocaine can lead to perforation of the septum, and rubbing cocaine into the gums can cause gum disease and cavities.

Crack smokers often experience bronchial problems, exhibited by coughing and black phlegm. Regular use can cause anxiety, depression and ultimately psychosis. Deaths do occur, predominantly through heart failure or haemorrhages.

Cocaine used in conjunction with alcohol forms a compound called cocaethylene; this compound increases the strain on the liver and regular use of cocaine with alcohol increases the risk of liver damage.

Cocaine used in combination with other drugs that elevate blood pressure increases the risk of serious health problems. Some users end up using other drugs such as benzodiazepines to offset the come-down caused by excessive cocaine use.

An increasingly large population is using cocaine alongside heroin, sometimes smoked but increasingly injecting both drugs together (snowballing). This brings with it the risks of dependency associated with heroin use alongside the risks and costs of a cocaine habit.

Cocaine is not thought to be physically addictive. However, the intensely pleasurable high and the less pleasurable comedown can lead to regular and increasingly problematic use. The very rapid high and comedown from crack increases the likelihood of dependency.

LEGAL STATUS: Cocaine is a Class A, Schedule 2 drug; some derivatives of cocaine are still used as local anaesthetics.

OTHER INFORMATION: Cocaine HCl has been one of the few illicit drugs to buck the trends in the UK and increase in popularity over the past few years. Cocaine currently enjoys a relatively low cost, high availability and an unrivalled "popular" profile and so has achieved a relatively high level of social acceptability. It is used across a wide range of social demographics, enjoying popularity amongst people in the manual trades, clubbers, media, city, young people, professionals from a range of backgrounds.

At present the glamour and acceptability of cocaine appears to have the upper-hand and concerns around dependency, physical or psychological harm or the problems associated with the international cocaine trade appear to have little deterrent effect.

Crack use on the other hand has not enjoyed the same level of acceptable. Crack use has become more widespread in the UK and over the past ten years, availability and use has increased significantly. Much of this expansion has been within existing heroin markets, so markets which were once exclusively heroin markets are now heroin and crack markets.

Effectively the cocaine market is fairly polarized in the UK now, with cocaine powder use becoming relatively socially accepted and widespread, whilst crack use is relatively restricted in its usage and acceptability.

Strictly speaking, crack is not a new drug, nor is it a different drug from cocaine. It has been chemically treated to "free the base from the salt," which allows it to be smoked. Freebasing, which was a low-scale cottage industry in the States in the Seventies really took off with the development of crack production and sale in the 90s.

The processing of cocaine into crack is very simple. It is not true to suggest that crack is cheaper than cocaine. Weight for weight, crack is more expensive than cocaine powder. In addition, smoking crack is a more wasteful method of use. However, its rapid, intense rush and relative cheapness per rock makes it more appealing to new users. This relative cheapness however is offset by the short duration for which the effects last, and the strong compulsion that many users experience to have another rock. Anecdotes are legion in the drugs field of users spending thousands of pounds in binges lasting several days, and of people becoming rapidly involved in crime, dealing or the sex-industry to pay for their crack.

Drug services have been slow in creating effective services for people with cocaine, and especially crack-related issues.

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KFx Drug Consultancy Initiative - Learning of Substance

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AKA: COCAINE: cocaine hydrochloride (cocaine HCl) coke, charlie, snow, Columbian Marching Powder, white, Gianluca, C, nose-candy, nose-powder. CRACK: base, freebase, rocks, stones, white, bones SOURCE: Cocaine is derived from the naturally occurring COCA bush (Erythroxylon Coca), a native species of South America.

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AKA: Diamorphine Hydrochloride, Diacetylmorphine Hydrochloride, Brown, Skag, Smack, Junk, Gear, Shit, Dope, H, Horse

Related products include OPIUM, and a range of pharmaceutical products including Morphine, Codeine, Dihydrocodeine, Buprenorphine. Related synthetic compounds include methadone. See DRUG-FACTS sheets on METHADONE and other OPIATES for further information about related compounds.

SOURCE: Heroin is manufactured from the sap of the Opium Poppy, Papaver Somniferum. Raw opium is extracted from the poppies. This contains a mixture of opiate alkaloids, including morphine, thebaine, codeine, noscapine and papaverine.

If this raw product were to be used for pharmaceutical purposes, the crude opium resin would be refined to isolate the individual alkaloids, which form the basis of numerous medicines.

For illicit production, the raw opium is treated with lime and other compounds to leave partially-refined morphine; this is reacted with acetic anhydride to produce a base form of diamorphine. This crude base form of the drug is what is primarily exported to the UK, and makes up the bulk of the UK market. It typically doesn't undergo further refinement, or acidification before export.

Other forms of illicit heroin, especially more refined white heroin does still appear on the UK market but infrequently.

Raw opium is also occasionally offered for sale in the UK; most of this is imported though a small amount is also grown in the UK.

Pharmaceutical Diamorphine Hydrochloride is still prescribed in the UK, and a small number of people who are opiate dependent are prescribed the drug on the NHS (or by private prescription). Historically, some of the prescribed Heroin in the UK leaked on to the streets but this is seldom the case now.

APPEARANCE: Heroin is usually sold as a powder; colour ranges from white, off-white, yellowish, to reddish brown, the most prevalent type now on the market. A few years ago, there was a wider availability of brands such as CHINA WHITE, but Afghan-sourced brown heroin is the mainstay of the UK market. Crude opiate extracts such as Black Tar Heroin don't occur in the UK.

COSTS: Heroin is usually sold in small quantities, typically £10 bags. By weight, Heroin costs between £40 and £60 a gramme.

QUALITY: Street heroin is invariably heavily adulterated, but the extent of this varies wildly from area to area and dealer to dealer. Cutting of heroin ranges from 40% to 70%, though far lower (and higher) purities are reported.

Common adulterants include caffeine, lactose, and benzodiazepines. Reports in the media of other, dangerous adulterants are widespread and but rarely substantiated. However, compounds including builders plaster, brick dust, talc. In 1993, Paracetamol was the most widely-reported adulterant according to research by the University of Greenwich.

Periodically, very pure heroin is sold on the street, potentially causing fatalities as people overdose on exceptionally strong gear.

METHODS OF USE: Heroin is usually smoked or injected; due to its poor solubility, brown heroin is a poor option for sniffing. Few people swallow the drug due to its inefficient delivery. A small number of people take the drug rectally, as a harm reduction measure.

Smoking is often called "chasing the dragon," or more recently booting. A small line of heroin is placed on a piece of silver foil, and heated from below. The heroin runs into a liquid, and gives off a curl of smoke, which is inhaled through a rolled tube of paper or foil.

For injection, heroin is acidified, using citric or ascorbic acid, heated with water, and then filtered prior to injecting.

EFFECTS: Heroin is a powerful painkiller, and the absence of pain that it offers is combined with euphoric qualities. The combined effects are a sense of well being, feeling warm and content, drowsy and untroubled.

The sense of calm, pleasure, profound well-being and the absence of worry, anxiety or pain makes heroin a very effective escapist drug.

At higher doses, the user may become heavily sedated, be sleepy, unable to talk, and appear to fall asleep for a few minutes at a time. This is referred to as "gauching" or "nodding."

Users often experience nausea or vomiting on the first occasions that they use heroin, or when returning to use after a period of abstinence.

HEALTH IMPLICATIONS: The health problems attached to heroin use are numerous and complex. Some are related to the drug itself, some related to the drugs legal status, and others due to lifestyle attached to regular heroin use.

Heroin is physically addictive. Regular use of heroin leads to an increase of tolerance to the drug. Initially, this means that one needs to take increasingly large amounts to achieve the same sense of euphoria and well being.

Subsequently, it means that users find they need to use increasingly large quantities to prevent going into withdrawal, or just to feel "normal." This alone means that spending on heroin inevitably escalates with regular use.

The flip side of this is that, when heroin use is discontinued (for example after a spell in prison), tolerance drops. A user whose tolerance has dropped and who attempts to use the amount they were using when their tolerance was higher, stands a good chance of overdosing.

Overdosing on heroin is quite a frequent occurrence; amongst other effects, heroin can depress breathing, and in overdose, breathing can cease altogether ("having a bluey.") The risk of overdose is exacerbated by the variable quality of street heroin, and hospital admissions for overdose are common. Death through overdose remains a significant cause of mortality amongst heroin users.

While pure heroin is not especially toxic to human organs, contaminants in street heroin way well cause more damage, especially when they are injected.

Injecting brings with it the risks of vein damage and collapse, local infections, abscesses, circulatory problems, ulcers, thrombosis, infections in heart valves, and systemic infections. It also exposes users who share injecting equipment to blood-borne viruses including Hepatitis B and C, and HIV.

Needle exchanges in the UK offer sterile equipment to reduce the incidence of sharing and infection caused by injecting.

Heroin causes severe constipation amongst regular users. In addition, it acts to suppress the cough-reflex, leaving users at risk of chest and bronchial problems.

Further problems relate to heroin-lifestyle, and the need, especially with large habit, to raise in excess of £150 a day to pay for drugs. This can lead to poor diet, poor accommodation, and a host of resultant illnesses.

After a period of regular use, there is an unpleasant period of withdrawal (often called "cold turkey,") as the drug is cleared from the body and the body adjusts to functioning without the presence of heroin. While unpleasant, sometimes lasting for a fortnight or more, withdrawal is not a life-threatening process. Far more difficult is to resist the psychological temptation to use during this period, in the knowledge that it would instantly alleviate the symptoms of withdrawal. While the drug is actually cleared from the system relatively quickly, reverse-adapting can be a slow process, with users experiencing low mood, disrupted sleep and anxiety for weeks, and possibly months after cessation of use.

A range of treatments are available to assist the physical and psychological aspects of heroin dependency; this can include prescribing substitute drugs such as methadone or buprenorphine, from which the user can then gradually be reduced. Counselling, residential treatment and self-help groups are also available to assist people stopping.

LEGAL STATUS: Diamorphine is a Class A, Schedule 2 drug. It can legally be produced, supplied and possessed under Home Office Licence.

Pharmaceutically pure diamorphine hydrochloride is used for pain relief in medical settings, but is illegal to possess without authority. It is lawfully prescribed to dependent heroin users, by Doctors who hold a Home Office licence to prescribe the drug to addicts.

OTHER INFORMATION: Heroin remains one of the most problematic illicit substances in the UK. Despite law enforcement efforts, it is widely available and remains cheap and plentiful. Production in Afghanistan remains high, and so there is little prospect of a shortage in the UK at present.

While heroin was once concentrated in inner-cities its use and availability has spread and so it now affects all towns and cities in the UK and has impacted on rural areas too.

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KFx Drug Consultancy Initiative - Learning of Substance

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AKA: Diamorphine Hydrochloride, Diacetylmorphine Hydrochloride, Brown, Skag, Smack, Junk, Gear, Shit, Dope, H, Horse Related products include OPIUM, and a range of pharmaceutical products including Morphine, Codeine, Dihydrocodeine, Buprenorphine. Related synthetic compounds include methadone. See DRUG-FACTS sheets on METHADONE and other OPIATES for further information about related compounds.

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AKA: Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, GBH, Liquid Ecstasy, Gamma Butyrolactone, GBL

SOURCE: GHB is mostly manufactured and distributed illicitly. UK sources may originate in Europe or further afield. GBL is currently found in a number of products including stain and glue removers, and industrial solvents. Most of the GBL currently used in the UK is sold in this form.

GBL is a pro-drug and converts in the body to GHB. Alternatively it is converted to GHB by processing with Sodium Hydroxide. GBL is also present, in small quantities, in some food and drinks as a natural product. It is present, in low levels, in many wines.

APPEARANCE: GHB is a white crystalline powder. The powder is rarely sold on at a street or club level. Instead the salt is mixed with water to produce a clear liquid sold in small plastic bottles. GBL is typically sold in plastic bottles, sometimes labelled but often unmarked.

COST: Widely variable; large bottles of GBL sell for around £40 for 250ml.

QUALITY: Highly variable; as GHB is illegally manufactured strength can vary widely from brand to brand and batch to batch. Likewise, concentrations of GBL can vary massively.

METHODS OF USE: Swallowed, usually taking a small capful.

EFFECTS: Effects vary greatly according to users and the dose taken. At low doses, the effects are similar to alcohol, making users feel relaxed, chatty, flirtatious and slightly dizzy. With higher doses, users may feel happier, more tactile, but also more drowsy. With still higher doses, users are more likely to feel dizzy, nauseous and risk seizures or blacking out.

HEALTH IMPLICATIONS: There have been fatalities related to the use of GHB but usually where alcohol has been consumed as well. Users run the risk of becoming unconscious; breathing may stop or be prevented by aspirating vomit. Users may enter a coma-like state for several hours.

Regular and frequent use of GHB can lead to physical dependency, with severe withdrawal symptoms akin to those from Alcohol or Benzodiazepines. These could include shakes, tremors, spasms, panic, hallucinations or delusions. While such dependency will not develop with infrequent users, anyone using GHB for a sustained period of time should seek expert drugs advice before discontinuing use abruptly.

LEGAL STATUS: GHB was added to the list of controlled drugs in July 2003. It is a Class C Schedule 4.i drug, making it illegal to produce, possess or supply unless authorised to do so. A person can be arrested for possession of GHB, though such arrests are not common.

GBL was, until 2009, not illegal to possess or supply and was widely sold over the Internet. After growing concern the Government decided to make GBL a controlled drug and added it to Class C, alongside GHB. However, there was extensive lobbying by industry who argued that their need for the product, the lack of alternatives and the prohibitive costs of making it a controlled drug would make outright prohibition detrminental,

The Government therefore decided not to add GBL to the Schedules, making it an offence to supply only if intended for ingestion other than as a food flavour. This means that on-line supply in the form of alloy cleaner and other industrial uses is largely unaffected.

OTHER INFORMATION: GHB has been used in a variety of medical and non-medical contexts for several decades. It has been used medically for the treatment of insomnia, as an anaesthetic and to relieve symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

There is also a persisting belief amongst body-builders that use of GHB stimulates release of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) during sleep and so GHB became popular amongst body builders and was initially classed as a "dietary" supplement.

GHB became increasingly popular in the dance and club scene - somewhat bizarrely as many people found that a night on GHB left them unable to dance or communicate, and all too often left them unconscious. Prior to 2003 GHB was not a controlled drug and it was widely sold in sex shops and on-line. Some commentators linked the increased use of GHB with a downturn in availability of Ecstasy. Some users too GHB with stimulants, others mixed it with alcohol; the results were frequently messy.

GHB was widely considered to be a culprit in Drug Assisted Sexual Assaults ("Date Rapes"). It has proved very hard to establish, with any certainty, the extent to which GHB has genuinely been used as a drink adulterant. Some sources argue that GHBs distinctive strong, salty taste makes it easily detectable as a drink-spiking agent. Further, it has a relatively short, 12 hr detection window making it a hard drug to test for.

GHB was made a controlled drug in 2003, rapidly reducing its availability and use. However, availability of the prodrug GBL was not restricted and use of this compound has become much more widespread.

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KFx Drug Consultancy Initiative - Learning of Substance

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AKA: Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, GBH, Liquid Ecstasy, Gamma Butyrolactone, GBL SOURCE: GHB is mostly manufactured and distributed illicitly. UK sources may originate in Europe or further afield. GBL is currently found in a number of products including stain and glue removers, and industrial solvents. Most of the GBL currently used in the UK is sold in this form.

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01273 731900

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Needles | Syringes | Swabs | Other injecting equipment

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Steroid 12 week cycle kit | 1 injection a week | 12 syringes

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Crystal Meth Leaflet for Chems Users CGL

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Playing and partying with Crystal Meth (or Tina), might be fun and manageable for some: for others it can be about chaotic sexual encounters or distressing highs and lows.

Crystal meth is not physically addictive so you are not in any danger from stopping, although it is very "more-ish" while you are still high (or coming down) and the days after can be incredibly difficult. It is however psychologically addictive.

The feel-good factor can be an intoxicating and engaging relief from daily troubles or unhappiness, and the temptation to continue using can be overwhelming. Tina can start to dominate your social life, and you can lose many of your non-sexual, social contacts and routines and become isolated and lonely as the sexual encounters fade into a series of faceless blurry memories.

DANGERS OF USING CRYSTAL METH

The immediate dangers come from risky sexual encounters as incredible highs distort our perspective of what risks we are prepared to take. Not being aware of condoms breaking, damaged tissue in the arse or on our penises, or hastily-made decisions to bareback are all part of the risks.

Poor injecting practices can also be very dangerous. You can ask a health worker at your sexual health clinic about harm reduction in relation to injecting, or your local drug service or check out our information on safer injecting practices.

Many people think that since they have chosen to have unprotected sex with their sexual partner it may be safe to share needles. But Hepatitis C can be caught more easily by sharing needles than by unsafe sex, and the treatment for Hep C is much less successful if you are using Tina - in fact many doctors will refer you to a drug service for help before they consider beginning your treatment.

CRYSTAL METH HARM REDUCTIONS TIPS

Crystal meth produces effects which users often want to repeat, and this can be part of its appeal as a psychological addictive substance. To reduce becoming psychologically addictive, make sure that you take breaks in between your using sessions. Using every weekend does not allow for your brain and body to recover from it's effects.

Do not inject crystal meth as the higher you get, the less likely you will be able to inject safely. Do not mix crystal meth with any other drugs (especially other stimulants), or alcohol or you may run the risk of overdosing.

Never buy crystal meth in large quantities, since you run the risk of what you may intend to be a one night session, turning into multiple nights of no sleep, impaired functioning, and longer comedowns. Crystal meth lowers inhibitions, and sex can become risky and condom-less.

Only use crystal meth in small amounts so that you have some awareness of what is going on, and you also lower the risk of stroke or heart attack. The higher the dose of crystal meth you take, the more risk you have of hallucinating, experiencing paranoia, or having a psychotic episode.

Crystal meth can make users quite unpredictable, therefore only use crystal meth with people you know and trust. We can also ignore our hygiene and nutrition, or forget to take HIV medications. Tina can also make us more prone to violence and depression.

Crystal meth can cause the most severe comedowns, so ensure you are able to take time out, and it does not impact your work, social life etc.

Crystal meth is a class A drug, with a seven year jail term for possession, with a life jail term for supplying it to others, so do not carry on the street, or share what you have with others you come into contact with.

OTHER SERVICES TO SUPPORT YOU

Our partnership CODE clinic with 56 Dean Street and the Club Drug Clinic at Chelsea Westminster Hospital both offer sexual health screens for people who may feel less welcome at other clinics because of their drug use or sexual identity. We offer judgement-free specialist care with LGBT workers.

Watsons pharmacy, part of the Soho Medical Centre on the corner of Frith Street and Soho Square, provides free, clean needles. The pharmacy at Boots Piccadilly Circus will also provide free, clean needles, and they are open daily until midnight.

You can access a list of our services or contact us by email to discuss your needs: antidote@londonfriend.org.uk.
Antidote helpline: Contact us to discuss your drug or alcohol issues on 020 7833 1674 (10am-6pm, Monday to Friday). Ask for someone from the Antidote Team.

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Crystal Meth Playing and partying with Crystal Meth (or Tina), might be fun and manageable for some: for others it can be about chaotic sexual encounters or distressing highs and lows. Crystal meth is not physically addictive so you are not in any danger from stopping, although it is very "more-ish" while you are still [...]

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AKA: crystal, Tina, T, methamphetamine or meth (not to be confused with meph - mephedrone). USA: ice, crank, speed (not the same as UK speed).

The basics

Crystal meth is a super-strength amphetamine stimulant. Industrial chemicals and cleaning products which can be toxic often go into making it.

Used in chillouts, sex parties and during sex or clubbing, crystal releases the brain's stress hormone norepinephrine and 'feel good' chemicals dopamine and serotonin.

Meth comes as white or colourless crystals which can be crushed to make a powder. It can also come as a pill.

How it's used

Meth in its crystalline form can be smoked through a glass pipe.

Crystal as a powder is usually snorted, but can be mixed with water and injected. It can also be injected up the arse with a syringe with the needle taken off - this is known as a 'booty bump'.

Using meth is called 'tweaking' and injecting it is called 'slamming'.
Read our tips to make taking crystal meth safer ››
Highs and lows of crystal meth

Meth is used for energy during non-stop sex or dancing sessions. It can make you feel high, wide awake, confident, invincible, impulsive, less likely to feel pain and very horny with fewer inhibitions.

Crystal increases your body temperature, heart beat and blood pressure - possibly to dangerous levels - with the risk of heart attack, stroke, coma or death.

You might go for days without eating or sleeping because crystal meth suppresses your appetite and keeps you wide awake.

The comedown can leave you feeling exhausted, aggressive and paranoid, in some cases even suicidal. You can also develop stomach problems such as acid reflux or gastritis due to not eating for a long period of time.

Depending on how you take crystal meth, it can also damage the lungs, nose and mouth.

The drug's bad reputation is warranted by the many casualties it's caused on the gay scene around the world.

Taking crystal meth

Sex on crystal meth

Crystal can make you feel very horny, even sexually compulsive. Some guys on crystal take sexual risks that they normally wouldn't, this can lead to picking up or passing on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Crystal often stops men from coming or getting a hard-on, which is known as 'crystal dick'.

Long or rough crystal-fuelled sex sessions can cause a sore or bleeding arse, dick and mouth. These might not be noticed at the time but they mean that there's more risk of HIV, hepatitis C and other STIs being passed on.

Condoms are more likely to break after about half an hour of fucking. During long sex sessions on crystal, use plenty of water-based lube, check the condom remains intact and put a fresh one on after 30 minutes. Find out more about drugs and sex.

Sex on crystal has been described by regular users of the drug as cold, aggressive or disconnected.

A long-term relationship?

Tolerance to crystal meth builds up quickly and users need more to get the same high. The drug has a reputation for being quickly addictive.

Many who party with Tina have waved goodbye to jobs, homes, money, boyfriends, friends and health (including their teeth).

Even hardened gay scene party animals who can control their use of other drugs have found themselves out of their depth with crystal. It can become hard to think of having sex without being on meth and - like G and mephedrone - it can have a big impact on your ability to have sex sober.

Using crystal long-term can get scary: we're talking psychosis or lasting mental health problems, even after quitting the drug.

Quitting crystal can be very hard. Its effects on the brain can last long after giving the drug up, but you can turn this relationship around.

Crystal with other drugs

HIV drugs

Protease inhibitors - especially ritonavir, but also some other drugs in this class - could cause a big, possibly fatal rise in levels of crystal in the body. This is because ritonavir slows down the metabolism of crystal which leads to high levels of the drug, making overdose more likely.

If you're partying the weekend away on crystal, you're more likely to be late with your meds or miss them entirely.

Crystal also damages the immune system, as does going without food or sleep when you're on it.

Ecstasy, cocaine, poppers and Viagra-type drugs

All of these drugs put your heart under strain. If you're using crystal too you're pushing your heart even harder. Mixing those drugs can lead to:

sudden spikes in blood pressure

chest pains

heart attack

strokes.

Anti-depressants

Taking crystal while on antidepressants can make life-threatening reactions more likely, including dangerously high blood pressure and increased risk of serotonin syndrome (the levels of serotonin in your blood becoming too high). Check with your doctor before using antidepressants and crystal at the same time.

Useful to know

Avoid injecting - it's the quickest way to getting addicted and runs the risk of serious health problems including skin abscesses, collapsed veins, blood poisoning and heart infections.

Sharing injecting equipment puts you at a high risk of getting or passing on HIV, hepatitis C and other infections.

Using hot pipes can injure your mouth and if you share pipes it risks passing on - through tiny amounts of blood - infections such as hepatitis C and HIV.

The law

In 2007, crystal meth was reclassified as a Class A drug. Possession can mean up to seven years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.

Intending to supply, including giving it to your mates, can mean up to life in prison and/or an unlimited fine.
Published: 20/08/2018
Next review: 20/08/2021

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AKA: crystal, Tina, T, methamphetamine or meth (not to be confused with meph - mephedrone). USA: ice, crank, speed (not the same as UK speed). Crystal meth is a super-strength amphetamine stimulant. Industrial chemicals and cleaning products which can be toxic often go into making it.

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A site for those looking for support with crystal meth addiction in the UK. We are a 12 step recovery programme with regular weekly meetings.

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harm reduction needle exchange drugs education

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Crystal meth is a super-strength amphetamine stimulant. Industrial chemicals and cleaning products which can be toxic often go into making it.

Used in chillouts, sex parties and during sex or clubbing, crystal releases the brain's stress hormone norepinephrine and 'feel good' chemicals dopamine and serotonin.

Meth comes as white or colourless crystals which can be crushed to make a powder. It can also come as a pill.

How it's used

Meth in its crystalline form can be smoked through a glass pipe.

Crystal as a powder is usually snorted, but can be mixed with water and injected. It can also be injected up the arse with a syringe with the needle taken off - this is known as a 'booty bump'.

Using meth is called 'tweaking' and injecting it is called 'slamming'.

Highs and lows of crystal meth

Meth is used for energy during non-stop sex or dancing sessions. It can make users feel high, euphoric, wide awake, self-confident, invincible, impulsive, less likely to feel pain and very horny with fewer inhibitions.

Crystal increases body temperature, heart beat and blood pressure - possibly to dangerous levels - increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, coma or death.

Users may go for days without eating or sleeping because crystal meth suppresses the appetite and keeps them wide awake.

The comedown can leave people feeling exhausted, aggressive and paranoid, in some cases even suicidal. They can also develop stomach problems such as acid reflux or gastritis due to not eating for a long period of time. Many users develop bad teeth and gum problems due to their regular use of Crystal and their disinterest in their personal hygiene. Dehydration is also a common problem, as using 'Tina' masks feelings of thirst and hunger.

Depending on how Crystal is taken, it might also damage the lungs, nose and mouth.

The drug's bad reputation is warranted by the many casualties it's caused on the gay scene around the world, although not everybody who uses it develops problems. As with any drug use there is problematic and non-problematic usage, with some users being able to control their consumption and some not. It's also thought that the risks of dependency on Crystal may be linked to the way that it's been taken.

Sex on crystal meth

Crystal can make the user feel very horny, even sexually compulsive with a stamina during sex not felt when not using the drug. It can also stop them cumming or even getting a hard-on in the first place. Being on crystal for some guys means they take sexual risks that they normally wouldn't.

Long or rough crystal-fuelled sex sessions can cause a sore or bleeding arse, dick and mouth. These might not be noticed at the time but they mean that there's more risk of HIV, hepatitis C and other STIs being passed on.

Condoms are more likely to break after about half an hour of fucking. During long sex sessions on crystal, use plenty of silicon or water-based lube, check the condom remains intact and put a fresh one on after 30 minutes.

Sex on crystal has been described by regular users of the drug as 'the best sex in the world', 'intense' but also as cold, aggressive or disconnected.

A long-term relationship?

Tolerance to crystal meth builds up quickly and users need to take more to get the same high. The drug has a reputation for being quickly addictive, especially when 'slammed' or 'booty bumped'.

Even hardened gay scene party animals who can control their use of other drugs have found themselves out of their depth with crystal. It can become hard to think of having sex without being on meth and - like G and mephedrone - it can have a big impact on peoples ability to have sex sober.

People who were addicted and are now sober say that it is hard to deal with sex afterwards, often for many years. Problematic use of Crystal can cause severe negative effects, including job loss, financial problems and health issues including psychosis or lasting mental health problems, even after quitting the drug.

Quitting problematic use of Crystal can be very hard. Its effects on the brain can last long after giving the drug up, but users can turn this relationship around.

Tips to share with users about consuming meth

Consume only when they feel comfortable and it's best done when someone you trust is with you and who knows about your (mixed) consumption and could get help in an emergency.

You can't always tell with the naked eye what drug that line in front of you is. If something is offered to you, ask what that substance is.

Think about how long you want to stay awake. Do not take anymore when the party is over or you want to go home. It's not good to be exhausted and unable to sleep.

Using Crystal leads to increased facial motor skills in many users (teeth grinding). Chewing gum can help to protect teeth, gums and cheeks, but this does not help against developing sore muscles in your face from the chewing. Some users recommend magnesium and calcium for muscle relaxation.

Take rest breaks during your drug 'bumps' to avoid overheating and over-exertion. When dancing in the club, give yourself a little break and go out into the fresh air for a while.

Even if you feel fit and alert: do not drive a car under the influence of Crystal or perform other dangerous activities (such as operate heavy machinery for example) Do not underestimate how the drug can still be affecting you.

Using Crystal deprives your body of fluids, essential minerals and vitamins; therefore always drink enough water or vitamin-rich fruit juices. You can compensate for calcium deficiency by eating dairy products or beans. Vitamin and mineral drinks and tablets, as well as fruits, vegetables and nuts can be helpful during or after Crystal use in the short term.

Crystal is not a suitable diet. You can lose a lot of weight in a short time, but it's in a very unhealthy way.

If you consume Crystal on a regular basis, your tolerance to the substance increases really quickly meaning your body builds a tolerance and you have to take more to get the same high. This will mean that the nutrient and power reserves in your body continue to decrease. Therefore its highly recommended to take longer breaks between uses of Crystal, and it's really important to get sufficient sleep and a healthy diet. It also helps you to take care of your personal hygiene (which can be lost over long weekends of partying) and it's especially recommended to pay close attention to your teeth, gums and nose. A break of a couple of weeks between uses is recommended so that your body and mind can recover and regenerate sufficiently.

Crystal with other drugs

HIV drugs/PrEP

Protease inhibitors - especially ritonavir, but also some other drugs in this class - could cause a big, possibly fatal rise in levels of Crystal in the body. This is because ritonavir slows down the metabolisation of Crystal which leads to high levels of the drug in the bloodstream, making overdose more likely. If users are on these treatments it's recommended to start with low doses of all chems, not only Crystal.

If someone is partying the weekend away on crystal, they are more likely to be late with their meds or miss them entirely, so it may be useful to set alarms on clocks and phones as reminders of when to take meds.

Crystal also damages the immune system, as does going without food or sleep when you're on it.

Ecstasy, cocaine, poppers and Viagra-type drugs

All of these drugs put the heart under strain. If people are using crystal too they are pushing their heart even harder. Mixing those drugs can lead to:

sudden spikes in blood pressure

chest pains

heart attack

strokes.

Anti-depressants

Taking crystal while on antidepressants can make life-threatening reactions more likely, including dangerously high blood pressure and increased risk of serotonin syndrome (the levels of serotonin in your blood becoming too high). Users should check with their doctor before using antidepressants and crystal at the same time.

Useful information to know and share.

It's recommended that users avoid injecting, as it's the quickest way to getting addicted and runs the risk of serious health problems including skin abscesses, collapsed veins, blood poisoning and heart infections. There are other ways of using Crystal that are less problematic.

Sharing injecting equipment puts the user at a high risk of getting or passing on HIV, hepatitis C and other infections. Using hot pipes can injure the lips and lining of the mouth and if pipes are shared it risks passing on - through tiny amounts of blood - infections such as hepatitis C and HIV.

Next module: Mephedrone

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AKA: crystal, Tina, T, methamphetamine or meth (not to be confused with meph - mephedrone). Crystal meth is a super-strength amphetamine stimulant. Industrial chemicals and cleaning products which can be toxic often go into making it. Used in chillouts, sex parties and during sex or clubbing, crystal releases the brain's stress hormone norepinephrine and 'feel [...]