It was October 1965 and Arthur King was undergoing treatment for severe alcoholism at the Spring Grove Psychiatric Hospital in Maryland. Nothing seemed to alleviate his urge to drink, so his doctor decided to try something unconventional: he gave him a dose of lysergic acid diethylamide, more commonly known as the psychedelic drug LSD.
About half an hour after taking the drug, King started to experience vivid hallucinations of bright colors and complex geometric shapes. A single rose in a vase in the room seemed to come alive, opening and closing – even breathing. As King was staring at that rose, his doctor asked him if he felt like drinking. The moment King thought about alcohol, the rose appeared to turn black, whither, and die.
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