In 1938, Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann created a synthetic compound called lysergic acid diethylamide. The hope was that this chemical might be used medicinally as a circulatory or respiratory stimulant. It was always hoped to be used with psychotherapy.
For five years, Dr. Hofmann really didn’t perform any experiments with this new compound. However, on this day in 1943, Hofmann decided to resynthesize the compound and begin experiments. He had no idea that the first test subject would be himself.
After accidentally absorbing some of the compound, Hofmann would write the following concerning the experience: “Last Friday, April 16, 1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant, intoxicated-like condition characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away.”1
Unsure of what was happening, Hofmann purposefully ran the experiment on himself three days later. He ingested .25mg of the substance and then headed home on his bicycle, accompanied by a friend. At first the effects were adverse but over time they subsided. “… Little by little I could begin to enjoy the unprecedented colors and plays of shapes that persisted behind my closed eyes. Kaleidoscopic, fantastic images surged in on me, alternating, variegated, opening and then closing themselves in circles and spirals, exploding in colored fountains, rearranging and hybridizing themselves in constant flux …”2
April 19, 1943 became known as Bicycle Day. And, April 16, 1943 became the day that the effects of LSD were discovered. It wouldn’t be until the mid to late 1960s that LSD would be considered a Schedule I controlled substance and deemed a high potential for abuse and addiction. Till then, it was used both medicinally and recreationally. The only benefits of the drug were the momentary euphoria and relief from anxiety. However, once the drug’s effects wore off, all the anxiety and depression returned.
Through the years, many opiates have gotten their start legally and were found in common use. Cocaine was once an ingredient in Coca-Cola. The Mesopotamians called opium the “plant of joy.” Morphine was used for pain and coughs. Heroine was used medicinally to “cure” morphine addiction. And we wonder why we have such a drug problem in America!
The Apostle Paul realized that many things in life have the ability to control us. While they may seem innocuous at first, they can put their hooks into you. Paul wasn’t going to have any of that!
In 1 Corinthians 10:23, Paul writes, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient (beneficial): all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” Paul says essentially the same thing in 1 Corinthians 6:12, only with a bit of a twist. “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for 
me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” If anything – substance, activity, relationship – had the ability to wrest control from his grip, Paul says, “Count me out!”
Paul wanted his life to be disciplined and under the Holy Spirit’s control. To Ephesus, Paul said in Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”
In our culture, we are seeing more and more addictive substances legalized. The Christian cannot allow themselves to be deceived by the rhetoric of politicians and special interest groups. Anything that has the potential of harming us must be avoided. We have to apply this not only to substances but to interests and activities that have so captivated our time and thinking that even a good thing has taken control.
Are you under the influence today? I’m not talking about street drugs, although that might be a possibility. I’m asking more, though, about what we’ve allowed to control us, our hearts, and lives. Today, focus on allowing the Holy Spirit to have complete control and He will steer you away from anything that might be a competing interest.
1https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hallucinogenic-effects-of-lsd-discovered
2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_LSD
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