README FIRST

• Alcohol
• Amphetamines
• Anabolic steroids
• Benzodiazepines
• Caffeine
• Cocaine
• Dimethyltryptamine
• Ecstasy
• GBL/GHB
• Heroin
• Inhalants
• Ketamine
• Khat
• Kratom
• LSD
• Marijuana
• Mephedrone
• Mescaline
• Methamphetamine
• New psychoactive substances
• Nitrites
• Nitrous oxide
• Opium
• Phencyclidine
• Psilocybin
• Salvia divinorum
• Synthetic cannabinoids
• Tobacco

Alcohol

Sought after effects

• relaxed feeling,
• enables people to enjoy socialising,
• release pent-up aggression,
• mild intoxication,
• cheerfulness,
• relaxation.

Undesired effects

• weakens bodily control and coordination,
• blurred vision,
• slurred speech,
• decreased sexual performance,
• dehydration,
• disinhibition,
• confusion.

See Alcohol for further details.

Amphetamines

Sought after effects

• increased energy,
• increased sex drive,
• euphoria (intense happiness) at higher doses,
• alertness,
• confidence.

Undesired effects

• reduced appetite,
• restlessness,
• loss of coordination (at higher doses),
• insomnia,
• loss of appetite,
• dry mouth.

See Amphetamines for further details.

Anabolic steroids

Sought after effects

• assists the male sexual function,
• enhances libido,
• increases production of red blood cells (good for building muscles),
• enhanced muscle mass,
• enhanced performance,
• greater physical definition.

Undesired effects

• high blood pressure,
• liver damage (especially tablet form),
• can reduce testicle size,
• inability to get an erection,
• sterility/impotence,
• shrinking and hardening of testicles,
• breast enlargement,
• enlarged clitoris,
• disruption to menstrual cycle,
• growth of facial hair,
• acne,
• deepening of the voice.

See Anabolic_Steroids for further details.

Benzodiazepines

Sought after effects

• calm and relaxed,
• induces long periods of sleep,
• relaxation,
• reduced anxiety,
• euphoria.

Undesired effects

• short-term memory loss,
• reduced mental alertness,
• anxiety,
• drowsiness,
• light-headedness,
• loss of coordination,
• confusion.

See Benzodiazepines for further details.

Caffeine

Sought after effects

• mild stimulation,
• alertness,
• reduces feelings of tiredness.

Undesired effects

• sleeplessness,
• tension,
• palpitations,
• anxiousness.

See Caffeine for further details.

Cocaine

Sought after effects

• sense of euphoria,
• increased wakefulness,
• increased confidence,
• exhilaration,
• elation.

Undesired effects

• anxiety,
• increased chance of stroke and heart attack,
• 'comedown' (usually depressed and tired feeling) as effects wear off,
• insomnia,
• loss of appetite,
• tension,
• aggression.

See Cocaine for further details.

Dimethyltryptamine

Sought after effects

• visual perception (seeing bright colours, geometric shapes, 'soft edge' to objects),
• intense dreams,
• change in self-perception and identity (disconnection from senses when sought),
• changes in consciousness,
• distorted reality.

Undesired effects

• hallucinations can become frightening (overly intense),
• sense of disconnection from self,
• effect/comedown can be rapid and abrupt,
• disorientation,
• increased heart rate,
• increased blood pressure,
• nausea,
• vomiting.

See Dimethyltryptamine for further details.

Ecstasy

Sought after effects

• sense of euphoria,
• feelings of empathy or emotional understanding in and between individuals,
• exhilaration,
• energy.

Undesired effects

• raised blood pressure,
• raised body temperature,
• 'comedown' (usually depressed and tired feeling) as effects wear off,
• sweating,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• nystagmus,
• dehydration,
• confusion,
• anxiety.

See Ecstasy for further details.

GBL/GHB

Sought after effects

• uninhibited,
• mild euphoria,
• relaxed feeling,
• aids sleep,
• a supplement for body building.

Undesired effects

• loss of body control - effects similar to alcohol which can last for several hours,
• feeling sick and being sick,
• numb muscle and disorientation,
• seizures and collapse,
• psychosis and severe agitation,
• tachycardia,
• delirium,
• auditory and visual hallucinations,
• paranoia ,
• dizziness,
• short-term memory loss.

See GBL/GHB for further details.

Heroin

Sought after effects

• powerful euphoriant,
• relaxing effects,
• feelings of wellbeing and freedom from worry,
• intense rush,
• exhilaration,
• decreased anxiety.

Undesired effects

• nausea,
• loss of balance,
• overdose can be fatal,
• vomiting,
• drowsiness,
• decreased heart-rate,
• shallow breathing,
• coma.

See Heroin for further details.

Inhalants

Sought after effects

• dreaminess,
• relaxed,
• fits of giggles (with laughing gas),
• intoxication,
• disinhibition,
• reduced anxiety.

Undesired effects

• can experience vomiting and blackouts,
• mood swings,
• aggressive behaviour and hallucinations,
• potential breathing problems with chronic use,
• memory impairment,
• solvents and glue often perceived as a 'losers habit' in many circles,
• confusion,
• drowsiness,
• loss of coordination,
• slurred speech,
• nausea,
• visual disturbance.

See Inhalants for further details.

Ketamine

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,
• drowsiness,
• dizziness,
• confusion,
• hallucinations.

See Ketamine for further details.

Khat

Sought after effects

• euphoric high accompanied by a sensation down the spine and through the body,
• talkative,
• mild euphoria,
• mild excitement,
• alertness,
• excitement,
• dilated pupils.

Undesired effects

• It can cause excessive sleepiness and depression,
• insomnia,
• loss of appetite,
• dry mouth,
• hyperactivity,
• constipation.

See Khat for further details.

Kratom

Sought after effects

• simultaneous stimulation and sedation,
• feelings of empathy,
• feelings of euphoria,
• aphrodisiac qualities for some people,
• vivid waking dreams,
• increases sociability and talkativeness.

Undesired effects

• mild depression during and/or after,
• increase in (perceived) body temperature (feel hot and sweaty),
• desire to repeat experience more frequently than intended, can lead to addiction,
• tolerance building quickly after a few days in a row of repeated use, tolerance to effects reduces with a one to three days of abstinence,
• psychosis,
• convulsions,
• hallucinations.

See Kratom for further details.

LSD

Sought after effects

• effects similar to magic mushrooms,
• senses become distorted,
• perceptual changes to time, space and meaning,
• hallucinations,
• hilarity.

Undesired effects

• distortions can be frightening - 'bad trip',
• can negatively affect people who have mental health problems,
• confusion,
• disorientation,
• loss of coordination,
• distortions in time and space.

See LSD for further details.

Marijuana

Sought after effects

• mellow, calm feeling,
• sense of well-being,
• changes in senses, especially eating hash cakes,
• often thought of as an aphrodisiac,
• stimulates appetite,
• pain killer (analgesic),
• relaxation,
• euphoria,
• hilarity.

Undesired effects

• increase in pulse rate,
• drop in blood pressure,
• sense of lethargy,
• concerns about the effect on the mental health of the young,
• can affect short term memory,
• can affect coordination,
• anxiety,
• paranoia,
• confusion,
• low blood pressure,
• short term memory loss,
• increased appetite.

See Marijuana for further details.

Mephedrone

Sought after effects

Effects have been noted as similar to cocaine and MDMA

• feelings of happiness,
• wakefulness,
• sociable.

Undesired effects

• 'comedown' (usually depressed and tired feeling) as effects wear off,
• anxiety.

See Mephedrone for further details.

Mescaline

Sought after effects

• feelings of interconnectedness,
• spiritual events,
• euphoria,
• increased sensitivity to touch,
• increased sense of smell,
• music enhancement,
• increased persistence of vision.

Undesired effects

• nausea,
• vomiting,
• unwanted spiritual experiences,
• tension,
• anxiety,
• intense feelings of dread and doom.

See Mescaline for further details.

Methamphetamine

Sought after effects

• euphoria,
• increased energy,
• talkativeness,
• heightened libido,
• increased alertness,
• concentration,
• enhance self-esteem,
• appetite suppressant.

Undesired effects

• panicky,
• obsessive,
• excessive sweating,
• sexually irresponsible,
• irritability,
• paranoia,
• confusion,
• diarrhoea,
• nausea,
• loss of appetite,
• insomnia,
• tremors,
• jaw-clenching,
• agitation,
• talkativeness.

See Methamphetamine for further details.

New psychoactive substances

Sought after effects

• Varied. Many substances will have stimulant or hallucinogenic effects or a combination of both.

Undesired effects

• Varied. See individual substances for more information, if available.

See New psychoactive substances for further details.

Nitrites

Sought after effects

• short intense rush,
• intense exhilaration,
• you get a huge rush of blood to the head - like you're hanging upside down or something,
• if you're having sex, it increases all the good feelings every touch feels much nicer than normal,
• you might feel light-headed, giddy, or just really hot,
• some people feel like time has slowed down.

Undesired effects

• dizziness,
• flushing,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• headache,
• disorientation,
• fainting,
• erection difficulties,
• sore throat,
• painful eyes,
• nasty skin rash.

See Nitrites for further details.

Nitrous oxide

Sought after effects

• relaxation,
• mild euphoria (often giggling),
• head rush/light headedness.

Undesired effects

• headaches,
• nausea.
• mood swings,
• excessive use can cause breathing difficulties and heart problems,
• it makes you clumsier than a drunk clown, lots of people fall over and hurt themselves,
• it can make you feel like you're going to vomit, especially if you mix it with alcohol,
• some people get an instant headache of epic proportions,
• too much can make you faint.

See Nitrous oxide for further details.

Opium

Sought after effects

• calm,
• drowsy,
• dreamy state of mind,
• initial stimulation,
• enhanced imagination,
• euphoria,
• relaxation,
• decreased anxiety,
• sleep.

Undesired effects

In normal sized doses -

• nausea,
• vomiting,
• drowsiness,
• decreased heart-rate,
• shallow breathing.

In large doses -

• headaches,
• constipation,
• nausea.

See Opium for further details.

Phencyclidine

Sought after effects

• relaxation,
• disinhibition,
• hallucinations.

Undesired effects

• decreased sensitivity to pain,
• drowsiness,
• dizziness,
• numbness,
• loss of coordination,
• confusion,
• hallucinations,
• dissociation ('out-of-the-body' feelings).

See Phencyclidine for further details.

Psilocybin

Sought after effects

• senses become distorted,
• changes to time, space and meaning - 'trips' can be ecstatic experiences,
• at low doses, they can make you laugh like a hyena,
• they distort all your senses and merge them together - you can hear the colour red, see the sound of laughter,
• you have lots of deep and meaningful thoughts about the universe, and just feel a general brilliant insight into life,
• time tends to pass more slowly, minutes seem like hours. Everything feels like a dream,
• you feel really happy, calm, and generally tripped-out,
• at higher dosages, you can have full-blown hallucinations, similar to an LSD trip, or see things even when your eyes are closed. If you see nice things, you generally have a fab time,

Undesired effects

• distortions or 'trips' like frightening paranoid nightmares,
• can negatively affect people who have mental health problems,
• what if you pick the wrong mushroom?! The biggest danger of magic mushrooms is eating a poisonous one by mistake,
• you can get a crippling stomach ache and feel sick; some lucky users also get a bad dose of diarrhoea,
• if you have a bad trip, you could be stuck with intense feelings of sheer terror until the drug wears off,
• having a distorted view of reality can be pretty dangerous if you're trying to cross a road, or similar,
• some users get a pretty bad headache that lasts for days afterwards.

See Psilocybin for further details.

Salvia divinorum

Sought after effects

• hallucinations,
• giggling,
• reminiscence (bringing back happy memories),
• can cause powerful hallucinations where you perceive other dimensions or experience alternate realities,
• some people report a loss of physical coordination with trouble walking or standing,
• uncontrollable laughter, usually at the beginning of the trip,
• headaches can come on as salvia starts to wear off.

Undesired effects

• sometimes scary distortions to senses.

See Salvia divinorum for further details.

Synthetic cannabinoids

Sought after effects

• happy and relaxed (in moderate doses),
• synesthetic (one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another sense) effects.

Undesired effects

• drowsiness,
• problems with coordination,
• paranoia and forgetfulness is possible but not known whether it exists for all these chemicals,
• dose/potency concerns.

See Synthetic cannabinoids for further details.

Tobacco

Sought after effects

• satisfies cravings,
• can give a sense of stress relief,
• oral comfort,
• reduced anxiety,
• relaxation.

Undesired effects

• dizziness,
• nausea,
• increased pulse rate and blood pressure.

See Tobacco for further details.