Aleister Crowley- Synopsis of Six ...

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Aleister CrowleySynopsis of Six Articles on Drugs<HB> These articles were never written -- a great loss since Crowleysuccinctly anticipates (by at least thirty years) the main trends insociological and psychopharmacological thought as they developed, oftenpainfully, in the 1960s and 1970s. Although this synopsis appears to havebeen written in mid-to-late 1920s (possibly the early 1930s), the articlescould well have appeared in The Psychedelic Review or The Journal ofPsychedelic Drugs. Aside from underscoring Crowley's pioneering work inthis field, this synopsis remains valuable as an outline of Crowley'smature view of drugs later in his life -- their use and abuse. Explanatorynotes are provided for this publication.I. General SurveyA. Almost universal ignorance of the true facts about Drugs. Wildstatements on both sides; delights and dangers exaggerated.B. General account of the principal drugs which have a psychicalinterest: Alcohol, Ether, Chloroform, Hashish, Anhalonium Lewinii,[1] Opium (various forms), Atropine (Belladonna),[2] Stramonium,[3]Opium derivatives: Cocaine,[4] Morphine, Heroin.C. Two main types of drug: ``One man's meat is another man's poison.''D. Need to distinguish between the various forms of intoxication, andto identify the true cause of the action of any given drug.E. The general use of each drug, and the reason in each case of anytendency to abuse. The action of a certain drug upon a certainperson in good health totally different to that upon a sick one.II. Historical SurveyA. Ethnographical and climatic distribution.B. Connection of intoxication, mania, and religious ecstasy. Ceremoni-ous use of drugs by various cults.C. My own researches since 1899. Why I took up the study. The personalequation. Summary of my results. Importance of the technique ofadministration. Experiments on other people.III. The Abuse of DrugsA. Why people resort to drugs.1. Personal idiosyncrasy.2. The search for new sensations.3. Failure to fit environment.4. Ignorance.5. Economy.6. Hypocrisy. (Where Public Opinion condemns pleasure, those whofear it resort to secret vices.)7. Ambition to obtain praeterhuman power or knowledge.8. The stress of modern life.9. Excess of imagination.10. Excess of sensitiveness.11. Ennui.12. Pain.13. Moral weakness.14. Vice.B. Commoner results of abuse.Alcohol: well known.Hashish: insanity.Chloroform: few cases known.Opium (smoking): bad results rare.Morphine: nervous collapse, madness, insomnia, digestive trouble.Ether: the alcohol plus paralysis.Anhalonium Lewinii: insanity.Cocaine: nervous collapse, insanity.Laudanum: see De Quincey, Coleridge, and Wilkie Collins.[5]Heroin: like Morphine, with great dullness and depression.C. Conditions which lead from use to abuse.D. Difficulties in the way of stopping. Nature of the temptation to goon.In the case of Alcohol and Ether I find no inclination to do so, Itake either quite casually, but instinctively avoid frequent repeti-tion.With Hashish and Anhalonium, I have a powerful repulsion and canonly force myself to take them by a stern sense of duty.With Opium smoking, I indulge very mildly when the company isattractive; I have tried long and vainly to acquire the habit.With Morphine, I dislike the effect subconsciously; no temptation torepeat.With Cocaine, the first few sniffs produce an impatient uneasiness;I am almost irresistably driven to go on to my physiological limitfor that time; but privation causes neither suffering nor regret.With Heroin over-indulgence always causes vomiting. I have succeededin acquiring enough of a habit to make it hard to break off. Thesymptoms are severe; but now that I know how to employ palliatives,I can break away sharply and survive the craving with four daysmoderate discomfort at most. Suppression causes fear, which inducesresumption; and fills the mind with specious arguments in favour oftaking `one last dose.'IV. Commercial AspectsA. Effects of repressive legislation. Enormous profits to1. Pedlars and smugglers.2. Policemen.3. Blackmailers.4. Quack doctors.5. Sanitarium sharks.6. Secret nostrum vendors.7. Sensational journalists.8. Spies and officials.These would vanish if prohibition became effective or the laws wereabolished.B. Cost to nation.1. Loss of `victims'' economic value.2. Maintenance of machinery of prohibition; inspectors, spies etc.,support of convicts.3. Loss of dignity, by making physicians and pharmacists subject topolice degrades those professions, keeps away the best class ofmen from them, and so destroys the nation's health.C. Cheapness of drugs tends to drive out alcohol. Most drugs can bemade synthetically from `harmless' ingredients.V. The Treament of Drug HabitsA. Some drugs, e.g. Opium, produce a physical craving due to thechronic poisoning of the tissues. Suppression may therefore befatal. The symptoms of suppression may be so severe that even strongwilled people need assistance in stopping. Others, e.g. Cocaine,present little physical obstacle to suppression; the pull is mainlymoral.B. Each patient needs special treatment. This depends on1. The original cause of the habit.2. His constitution.3. His environment.4. His prospects for the future.C. Various theories of cure; the main objection to each.D. My own theory and practice.The Law of Thelema is the cure. Each patient must be analysed until hediscovers for himself the true purpose for which he came into theworld. He will then resolve firmly to stop drugs as hindrances to hisdoing his will. He is assisted by palliatives when any physicalsymptoms tend to overcome his resolution.E. Palliatives useful in various crises.VI. The Mastery of DrugsA. Man must be trained to use drugs with impunity.B. Experiments must be made to discover how the undoubted physical andmoral assistance of drugs may be turned to the best advantage.C. Results of my own researches in this direction.Alcohol. Too general in its action to be useful.Ether. Invaluable for mental analysis; also to discover one's own finaljudgment on any matter. Gives the power to appreciate the elements ofwhich sensation is made up. Example: Feeling one's finger move indetail.Hashish. Good for mental analysis. Aids imagination and builds upcourage. One can trace the genesis of ideas, solution sometimes givenin a series of pictures. Example: How property began.Anhalonium Lewinii. Like Hashish. (All three excellent for enabling oneto get behind one's superficial ideas and discover the roots of one'sthoughts.)Morphine, Opium etc. Aids concentration. Relieves pressure of worryingthoughts; aids creative imagination. Objection: Injures executiveability, so that ideas are sterile.Cocaine. Prevents fatigue, enabling one to work at full pressure for anindefinite time. Example: My New Orleans method and work done atCefalu.[6]Heroin. Combines the virtues of Opium and Cocaine. Excites imagination;helps concentration and calm; increases executive power and endurance.Example: [The Diary of a] Drug Fiend.[7]D. The Technique of Administration. Select proper drug by experiment.Dosage. The Opsonic curve.[8] The weather and other conditions.EDITOR'S NOTES1. The peyote cactus, Lophophora williamsii in modern taxonomy (sometimesreferred to as ``31'' in Crowley's diaries - the gematria of ``A.L.'').Crowley refers to a Parke, Davis & Co. liquid preparation in which thechief alkaloid mescaline was more concentrated than in mescal buttons.Crowley consulted with Parke, Davis in Detroit on its preparation(Confessions, p. ???).2. Atropine is not now considered a natural component of Atropa belladonna,but rather a byproduct of chemical or heat extraction during which thechief alkaloid hyoscyamine partly changes to atropine. Neither alkaloidis reported to be hallucinogenic in non-toxic quantities, unlikescopolamine, another alkaloid present in smaller amounts. See R.E.Schultes and A. Hofmann, The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens,(Springfield, Ill.: Thomas, 1973), p. 161.3. Stramonium is one of four divisions of the genus Datura, and has threespecies. Crowley probably refers to thorn apple, also called jimsonweed, whose principal active component is scopolamine. Ibid, p. 167.4. Cocaine ... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]