The Encyclopedia of ADDICTIVE DRUGS

(Greg DeLong) #1

DOM


Pronunciation:dee-oh-em


Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:15588-95-1


Formal Names:4-Methyl-2,5-Dimethoxyamphetamine


Informal Names:Serenity, Stop the Police, STP, Super Terrific Psychedelic, Too
Stupid to Puke, Tranquility


Type:Hallucinogen.Seepage 25


Federal Schedule Listing:Schedule I (DEA no. 7395)


USA Availability:Illegal to possess


Pregnancy Category:None


Uses.This substance was a classic of the 1960s drug scene, where it was
likened toLSDand nicknamed STP for “Serenity, Tranquility, and Peace” and
apparently performed as advertised. Because of the nickname initials some
persons have confused the drug with a motor oil additive called STP, but they
are different substances.
DOM is a powerful drug, 50 to 100 times stronger thanmescaline, to which
DOM is chemically related. Rats respond to DOM and mescaline in similar
ways. Chemically DOM is not only related to mescaline but also to amphet-
amine, and an experiment using low dosages of DOM found that the drug
had a typical stimulant effect of improving performance on simple learning
tasks.
Psychological and hallucinogenic effects depend on size of dose. As the size
increases, so do intensity and longevity of effects. Many reports of alleged
DOM experiences exist, but typically we do not know if the illicit substance
really was DOM. One person who did ingest the real thing described hallu-
cinations, brightened mood, more awareness of colors, more enjoyment of
music and sex, and various insights into personal issues facilitated by the
drug. Volunteers who received DOM in a formal experiment also experienced
improved spirits and insights, but the amount of DOM was not enough to
produce hallucinations. Results from another experiment showed increased
awareness of emotion and thoughts, leading researchers to conclude that the
substance might be useful in psychotherapy. In still another experiment psy-
chological effects included disturbed perceptions of time and space, a sensa-
tion of voices being distant, echoing sound, seeing sound as light, seeing

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