Some of the Trends Related to the Use of Hallucinogens - Assignment Example

There are examples of individuals using their experience, feeling impressions that are not real, observing and imagining that is not real, and hearing unusual sounds. Hallucinogens originate from various mushrooms and plants or their extract (‘Drug abuse’). There is a significant change over a period evident in the use of hallucinogens raising concern in the field of addiction psychology.

There is a significant increase in the use of the hallucinogen among students in schools. Statistical data shows a remarkable increase in hallucinogen abuse among students in eighth to twelfth grade. Since all the users are vulnerable to the severe impacts of the drugs, this puts a large number of the students at risk of mental disorders because of using hallucinogens (‘Drug abuse’). Minors aged 12 years are likely to be addicted to the use of hallucinogens. This is due to the ease of accessing substances with hallucinogens, as some of them are legal.

The other trend manifested in the use of drugs causing addiction is the reason for the use of such hallucinogens. Traditionally, hallucinogens were useful for religious purposes to influence detachment from a state of reality to what the users believed to be a spiritual world. This is because; the mental distortion that accompanies the use of hallucinogens provided the users with a divine vision of contacting the spirits (‘Drug abuse’). Contrary, nowadays the use of hallucinogens among uses is for recreational purposes. For instance, the use of hallucinogens is to influence one to perceive what they refer to as a sense of thinking or to enable them to deal with stressful situations (‘Drug abuse’). Under this circumstance, the use of hallucinogens results in addiction whereby the users cannot avoid their drugs. Thus, the users cannot handle the stressful situation without using hallucinogens (Kyzar et al, 2012).

Hallucinogens have then the effect of psychosis distortion, making users perceive things that are not real (Deluca et al, 2012). On ingestion, hallucinogens result in the users feeling sensations that are not real. The feeling of sensations varies, depending on the amount of the hallucinogen ingested, the user’s nature,e, and the surrounding environment. Hallucinogens affect the mental organization of the users, as a result, these drugs will results to the following on users, disorganize one’s ability to distinguish reality, influences one’s ability to think sensibly, and influence one’s communication with others (‘Drug abuse’).

The uses of hallucinogens have severe long-term effects that destabilize the individual's behaviors (‘Drug Dependance'). An example of the long-term effects is the development of addiction that will necessitate the individual to take large doses of the drug to experience the hallucination, according to the New York Times. The users will also experience persistent psychosis, in other instances, the users can experience flashbacks repeatedly more than they use to occur.  In consideration of my future work in the field of addiction psychology, the trends raise a concern about the establishment of psychological methods in dealing with minors as addicts. This is because the trends show a remarkable increase in the use of hallucinogens among minors. Owing to the adverse mental and other psychological implications of the use of hallucinogens, minors are at risk of developing such effects (Deluca et al, 2012). Thus, it is necessary to enlightenment of minors on the dangers attached to the use of hallucinogens. Read More