Other Drugs
Amphetamine (Speed)
Speed is a stimulant which can make you feel more awake and alert. Users may feel more confident. However, it creates a feeling of loss of coordination. It will make people less likely to react on time to potential dangers. The effects can last up to several hours depending on how it was taken, and from person to person.
The specific effects of driving on Speed are:
- Headaches and dizziness
- Irregular heartbeat and breathing
- Irritability, restlessness and anxiety as the effects wear off
- After an initial alertness, the user can experience sleeping problems, exhaustion and fatigue
For general information on Speed and it's effects Talk to Frank - Speed
LSD
LSD severely distorts senses and perceptions creating visual hallucinations and making someone feel detached from reality. Driving after taking LSD is extremely dangerous and the effects can last up to 12 hours. A 'bad trip' can be frightening and you can experience terrifying thoughts and feelings.
The specific effects of driving on LSD are:
- Hallucinations
- Confusion and distrust of the user’s own senses
- Poor coordination and control
- Tremors and twitching
- Increased anxiety
- Flashbacks can also occur in the following weeks and months
For general information on LSD and it's effects Talk to Frank - LSD
Heroin
Heroin slows reactions, dulls perceptions and affects coordination. Though the user can feel ‘euphoric’ they often feel sleepy and sluggish, which can cause driving accidents. It is widely agreed that someone heavily under the influence of heroin will be unfit to drive. The numbers of drivers found with heroin in their blood after a road traffic fatality are said to be increasing.
The specific effects of driving on heroin are:
- Distorted perception / lack of coordination
- Tiredness
- Nausea and breathing problems
- Effects can take anything up to 24 hours to reduce
For general information on heroin and it's effects Talk to Frank - Heroin
Ketamine
Ketamine is a 'disassociative' anaesthetic. This means it causes a sense of being separated from the world around you, as well as sedating you and dulling pain like a normal anaesthetic. Ketamine cannot kill you from overdose in the way other drugs like heroin can but it has been implicated in an increasing number of accidental deaths, such as drowning or falling from buildings, because users are simply not aware of what is going on around them.
The specific effects of driving on ketamine are:
- Distorted perceptions and hallucinations
- At higher doses - becoming completely unresponsive to the outside world
- Impaired coordination
- Drastically slowed reaction times
For general information on ketamine and it's effects Talk to Frank - Ketamine
Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
Depending on the dose, GHB acts as both a sedative and a stimulant, with the effects lasting for several hours. At low doses, GHB can cause euphoria and increased sociability. At higher doses, GHB can cause rapid loss of consciousness and other side effects. GHB impairs motor coordination and mental alertness, leading to the inability to concentrate, judge speed or distance and drive in a straight line. The police can easily spot those signs. As such, driving while under the influence of GHB significantly increases the likelihood of road accidents and hospitalisation.
The specific effects of driving on GHB are:
- Rapid loss of consciousness and sudden sleepiness
- Vomiting, amnesia, respiratory depression and visual disturbances
- Slurred speech, jerky body movements, dilated pupils, spitting, lack of balance
- Inability to focus leading to erratic driving.
For general information on GHB and it's effects Talk to Frank - GHB