Young people use LSD as illicit tool in order to achieve socially accepted goals

Characteristics of psychedelic drug use show significant transformation during the 50-year period to the present. Susanna Prepeliczay (University of Bremen/Germany) reports "socio-cultural aspects related to non-medical LSD use, combining theoretical and empirical perspectives in order to identify central determinants and motivations. With the social history of LSD, three phases can be distinguished:
- The use during the 1960s associated with the counterculture known as the Psychedelic Movement, going along with a general drug wave in the US and Europe;
- the subsequent phase from the mid-70s and throughout the 1980s, with limited popularity of LSD-like drugs but persisting in small population groups; and
- a comeback of LSD observed since the 1990s, connected with the Techno/Rave culture and the popularity of synthetic ´party drugs´, cannabis and allucinogenig mushrooms."

"Common features of related behaviours and attitudes formerly represented a non-conformist rebellious act against the society, whereas today they manifest a ´dialectic consensus´ and general agreement with the broader sociocultural context. Both social realities seem to attach similar symbolic values to psychodelics; previously expressing a lack of or need of alternatives, and today reflecting predominant cultural tendencies in a radicalised manner.

Since illegality likewise serves as a mark of distinction from the mainstream adult population with their preference for alcohol and sedative prescription drugs, young people use LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms as illicit tools in order to achieve socially accepted goals..."


Susanna Prepeliczay: Psychedelic generations - Similarities and differences of socio-cultural factors related to historic & contemporary use of LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs.
in: Demetrovics, Fountain, Kraus (Eds.) Old and New Policies, Theories, Research Methods and Drug Users Across Europe. Pabst, Lengerich/Berlin, 152 pages, ISBN 978-3-89967-583-2

Pabst Science Publishers (Lengerich/Westfalia, Germany) is publishing ten psychological and nine medical journals; furthermore, Pabst is publishing more than hundred psychological and medical books per year – partly specialized scientific literature, partly specialist literature written for laypeople.

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