We’re back with another edition of Urban Legend: Fact or Fiction. In this chapter, we are going to talk about the man who took too much LSD and now thinks he’s a cup of orange juice. So, kick back and make sure you’re loaded up on vitamin C for this bizarre tale.
The Story
There is this guy in my hometown who’s stuck in the local loony bin. He took too much LSD and thinks he is a cup of orange juice. This guy refuses to lie down, bend over, or let people touch him for fear of being spilled.
Variants/Themes
Despite countless iterations, the key components of this story stay the same. It’s always a person suffering from taking too much acid and being stuck in a seemingly permanent orange-related delusion. Sometimes this is from the patient’s frequent use of the drug, but it’s more commonly now the result of one massive dose.
The structure roughly stays the same as well, with “orange juice man” buying a sheet and affixing it to their body by tape or putting it in their shorts. Only for the blotters to be exposed to moisture by running through sprinklers or sweating by running from/being pulled over by cops.
No matter how it happens, the results are always the same: they take A LOT of acid all at once. Some accounts go as high as 100 hits. After that, they either believe that they are an orange or a glass of orange juice. For the alleged patient(s) who think they are an orange, they normally believe they must peel or fear being peeled. For those who want to peel themselves, it typically happens in one of two ways.
The first is comedic by them removing all their clothes. The second is much more terrifying because they decide the only solution is to peel off their own skin. When the peeling is unwanted, this phobia is used to explain their withdrawal from society and fear of being touched. Because every once and again, this person doesn’t end up in a psych ward. They end up locking themselves in a room and consisting of food brought to them.
Syd Barrett
A version of this tale, mostly circulating in the UK, attaches a name, though, Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd. Barrett’s version has him take a huge dose of LSD and become convinced he is an orange. To cope, he locks himself in a cupboard so nobody can peel or squeeze him. There is no proof that this ever happened to Barrett specifically.
The major theme running through these tales can be best summarized by South Park’s Mr. Mackey:
Why is that theme so pervasive? We’ll get to it in the next section.
Is it Real?
This juicy tale started to circulate in the 1960s, when anti-psychodelic stories were all the rage. The first occurrence we could find happened in 1966, in the Los Angeles Times article “LSD Ties With Happiness Declared Hokum” by George Reasons.
“Serious scientists, on the other hand, are alarmed by the spread in popular use and fearful LSD could be another thaldomide with hidden side effects capable of deforming a generation,” it reads. He then goes on to list examples of this alleged phenomenon, including the following.
“One involves a heavy user who is convinced he is an orange. He won’t allow anyone to touch him for fear he will turn into orange juice.” With no name, location, or hospital given, it’s impossible to track Reasons’ claim to any one person.
LSD, Long-Term
The 1960s were littered with so many tales of acid users doing bizarre things, but why did this one endure?
Well, it’s not because it’s true. Outside of unsubstantiated claims like Fisher’s, there is no proof that someone suffered this particular delusion for a prolonged period of time. Given that LSD effects normally last, at most, 12-hours. However, at the time, no one knew the long-term effects of frequent LSD use.
There are certainly more studies on the topic now, but data on the possible long-term psychological effects are still relatively small. However, that data does suggest that this legend may be PLAUSIBLE to some degree.
A 2016 study on LSD showed short-term changes to the brain’s blood flow and electrical activity, and suggests it increases areas of communication. Some of the effects of these reactions include: altered sense of self, numbness, and hallucinations.
In the long-term, there is some debate over how likely psychosis caused by hallucinogens is. So, we are including that as a possible factor. The bigger issue comes in with the potential for hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD), which is rare. Most LSD users only experience flashbacks maybe once or twice, normally within a few days of use, but sometimes farther out. Whereas someone who develops HPPD will have repeated flashbacks over long periods of time.
LSD & Oranges
This, coupled with the fact that many LSD users swear that citrus, like what you’d find in a cup of orange juice, helps the effects of the drug. It makes sense how someone using a substance that is known for making you feel connected to everything may see an orange while tripping, and believe it is them. An article from Complex lays out several tales of people making claims about feeling like an orange while high.
The issue with this as evidence is that since this urban legend is so widespread, it becomes a chicken-and-egg question. Had those people just heard the story, and it primed them to feel that way while tripping? Or is it like the aforementioned theory, where they felt “at one” with the fruit? Either way, none of these people claimed to have this belief long-term or to a degree where they needed to isolate or hurt themselves as a result.
And that’s where this story is bogus. It’s not at all hard to believe that someone felt like an orange while using psychedelics. It is hard to believe that this delusion persisted well past the point where the drug should have worn off. It’s hard to believe that, given how old and widespread this legend is, no one has come forward with any proof that they are/or genuinely know someone who is stuck in a delusional state believing they are a cup of orange juice, caused by taking acid.
If you do, hi, I’m Ada. Let’s set up an interview.
Until then, the orange juice man myth is:
