The New York Times has an article on using Ecstasy and/or LSD to manage terminal patients’ experience of dying.
It’s reasonably sensible by the standards of drug reporting, suggesting that hallucinogens might indeed help people remember and enjoy past experiences while allowing them to reflect more on the nature of death. At least, that’s my reading of the article; Mark Kleiman disagrees entirely, and I’m not sure why (he’s also reproducing the full text of the article, for anyone without an NYT login).
All very interesting. However, the best thing was this quote from philosopher Simon Blackburn: "An old don in my college, he had a stroke at the end of college dinner, and died on the spot, sitting in his suspenders, in candlelight, holding a wine glass. It was the perfect end for him, just incredible, and I think it struck people as very admirable."
I’ve also always wanted to die drunk and while wearing S&M drag, which is why I put on a ball-gag and hang myself from the ceiling every time I get home from the pub.
What’s wrong with the Brompton’s mixture? Can’t do better than a linctus of heroin, cocaine, alcohol and cherry flavouring for a terminal good time.
Shame they don’t make it in blackcurrant, though. Or maybe with lemon decongestant, if you happen to have a tickly cough.
Not too sure about that idea. Ecstasy perhaps, but LSD? There’s a reason trippers try to get the environment right: to avoid bad trips. I think lying terminally ill in a hospital ward is possibly THE worst place to get trollyed on hallucinogens
It is good to read this suggestion when my 52 yr old vietnam medic friend has begun to look very thin-nearing the beginning of cachexia,constant pain with a maddening tinnitus in the left ear, in hospice (tucson) good pain support, the effect is wearing off- brompton’s may help, especially when mike is unable to get around.