Salvia Addiction
Salvia is a drug produced from a plant that grows naturally in southern Mexico. Abusing this drug can cause you to experience hallucinogenic effects. Additionally, it can lead to a wide variety of distressing health issues.
You will mostly be attracted to this drug if you are looking for spiritual experiences. Although the federal government has not banned it, you need to understand that Salvia is not safe to use or to mix with other intoxicants.
About Salvia
Salvia is a street name for the chemical Salvia Divinorum. It belongs the mint family and is considered to be a type of sage. Although this sounds harmless, you need to understand that the drug is one of the most potent hallucinogenic substances available in the United States today.
Since it is relatively unpopular, Salvia is yet to attract the attention of the federal government. As such, it has not yet been banned. However, several states have already banned it.
This is due to the dangers that arise when you consume the drug. Although you might not die from abusing Salvia, smoking it can lead to erratic and unpredictable behavior as well as realistic hallucinations. This could cause you to turn violent against yourself and others, particularly if you mix it with other addictive substances.
If you have been abusing Salvia, you may have been buying its seeds, stems, and leaves online and in tobacco shops. Often, you would abuse it by smoking it in bongs and pipes. You may also choose to infuse it into drink that you later swallow. Alternatively, you could chew the leaves or vaporize the plant-based material before inhaling it for the hallucinogenic effects that it produces.
Some of the effects that will arise when you abuse this drug include fear, anxiety, loss of control over your bodily movements, auditory and visual hallucinations, distorted reality, and altered perceptions.
The drug works through its Salvinorin A component that produces the hallucinogenic properties associated with Salvia. This chemical will bind itself to the kappa opioid receptors located in your brain. After that, it will produce short-lived and rapid onset effects that may start a few minutes after you ingest the drug. These effects could also last anywhere between 30 minutes and several hours.
Although this substance does not have any medical uses that have been approved in the United States and is not federally regulated and controlled, the DEA - the Drug Enforcement Administration - reports that it is a drug of concern. This is because of its high risk of substance abuse.
Further, this drug does not exactly lead to addiction. However, using it regularly could lead to negative and concerning outcomes. In particular, it can produce cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and neurological effects.
Other Names for Salvia
On the streets, Salvia is known by a wide variety of names by people who sell, buy, and consume it. Examples of these street names include but are not limited to:
- Diviner's Sage
- Magic Mint
- Maria Pastora
- Sage of the Seers
- Sally-D
- Seer's Sage
- Shepherdess' Herb
- The Female
Signs and Symptoms of Salvia Abuse
Salvia is now ranked as a dissociative drug. This means that you may experience out of body experiences when you abuse it. As a result, you could feel, hear, and see things that are not necessarily there, and start laughing uncontrollably.
Other signs and symptoms of Salvia abuse include:
- Anxiety
- Becoming moody
- Behaviors that are out of character
- Being awake or sleeping at odd times
- Changes in appetite
- Chills
- Cognitive difficulties
- Decreased interest in your hygiene and physical appearance
- Delirium
- Depression
- Disconnectedness from reality
- Diverting or stealing money to afford more of the drug
- Dizziness
- Drop in your grades at school
- Eating less or more than you normally do
- Emotionality
- Erratic behavior
- Feeling unwell
- Hallucinogenic persisting perception disorder (or HPPD)
- Hiding evidence of recent salvia use
- Inability or unwillingness to discontinue salvia consumption
- Inability to fulfill your regular obligations at home
- Increased accidents, injuries, or risky behaviors due to the effects of the drug
- Increased secrecy
- Intense anxiety
- Irregular heart rate
- Irregular sleep patterns
- Irritability
- Losing interest in friends, family, and social activities so that you can abuse this drug
- Loss of control over your motor functions
- Loss of interest in the activities that you once enjoyed or were previously considering a priority in your life
- Memory issues
- Mood swings
- Nausea
- Panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Physical imbalance
- Presence of plant material on your clothing and furniture
- Psychosis
- Reduced productivity at work
- Short-term memory loss
- Slurred speech
- Social withdrawal
- Taking more of the drug every time you use it due to developing tolerance to its effects
- Trouble concentrating
- Uncontrollable laughter
- Uncoordinated movements
- Unexpected and sudden flashbacks of the trip you experienced while on this drug
- Unpredictable behaviors
- Using other drugs over and above salvia so that you can enhance the desired effects
- Using salvia regularly
- Visual disturbances
- Vivid perceptions of shapes and colors
Short and Long-Term Effects of Salvia Abuse
Although you may use Salvia recreationally, there is also a high probability that you may abuse this drug while trying to experience a psychedelic or spiritual revelation. This means that you would take it in an attempt to improve your understanding of yourself.
However, you need to understand that this form of substance abuse can be accompanied by both long and short term effects - most of which are negative. Examples of these side effects of Salvia abuse include:
- A feeling of loss of your body
- Alterations in the chemical makeup of your brain
- Altered thought patterns
- Anxiety
- Awkward sentence patterns
- Body chills
- Bright lights
- Changes in vision
- Changes in your body temperature
- Decreased heart rate
- Delusions
- Depersonalization (where your body feels connected to the environment around you)
- Depression
- Detachment from self
- Dissociative hallucinations
- Distorted sense of space
- Distortion of your body, the surrounding environment, and objects
- Dizziness
- Dysphoria (where you feel ill at ease)
- Emotional swings
- Enhanced body sensations
- Erratic behavior
- Feeling relaxed
- Feelings of detachment
- Feelings of flying
- Flashbacks occurring after your initial drug usage
- Increased mood sensations
- Irregular heartbeat
- Lack of coordination
- Learning impairment
- Losing contact with reality
- Loss of coordination
- Low heart rate
- Lowered motivation
- Motor function impairment
- Nausea
- Overlapping sense of realities
- Panic
- Personality changes
- Physical sensations
- Problems with cognition
- Psychotic side effects
- Reduced long-term memory function
- Seeing things that may not be there
- Seeing unusual patterns
- Slowed heart rate
- Slurred speech
- Talkativeness
- Temperature changes
- Time distortion
- Trouble focusing
- Trouble re-adjusting back to reality
- Uncontrollable laughter
- Uneasiness
- Violent behavior
- Visual hallucinations
- Vivid colors
Salvia Overdose
At the moment, it is not yet clear whether you can suffer a drug overdose after taking Salvia in excess. However, the psychedelic and hallucinogenic effects of this drug could trigger psychosis. This condition may lead to emergency hospitalization.
Although this break from reality tends to be temporary and can be resolved through medical treatment, it could end up triggering mental health disorders like schizophrenia. When this happens, you are going to need long term health care.
However, taking Salvia could lead to the following effects that could be described as the signs of a drug overdose:
- Dizziness
- Falls
- Lack of coordination
- Nausea
- Slurred speech
- Vomiting
If you experience any of these effects after taking high doses of Salvia, it is recommended that you seek emergency medical services immediately by calling your local poisons control center or 911 as soon as possible.
Salvia Withdrawal Symptoms
Most of the withdrawal symptoms that arise when you stop abusing Salvia are not physical. However, this drug can lead to emotional addiction. This means that you will most likely experience mental distress if you reduce your regular dose of the drug or completely stop taking it.
Some of the signs and symptoms of Salvia withdrawal include:
- Disorganized thought processes
- Drug cravings
- Emotional issues
- Emotional lows
- Hallucinations
- Hallucinogenic persisting perception disorder (HPPD)
- Headaches
- Learning problems
- Memory issues
- Mood disturbances
- Ongoing flashbacks
- Paranoia
- Perpetuated memory issues
- Persistent psychosis
- Schizophrenia
- Severe depression
- Sleep disturbances
- Stomach upsets
- Visual disturbances
The Best Options for Salvia Addiction Treatment
The best way to overcome your Salvia abuse and dependence is by checking into a professional addiction treatment and rehabilitation program. You will be provided with medically managed detox services to deal with your withdrawal symptoms. After detox has proved successful, the rehab center will offer other additional recovery services, such as therapy and counseling, to help you stop abusing this drug.
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