Well, let's see... this is going to be a fun "trip" down memory lane! Pun intended.
Psychedelic Credentials -------------------------------------------------------- Marijuana (12+ years on and off) LSD (10+ times) LSA from Hawaiian Baby Woodrose (4+ times) San Pedro extraction (mescaline half a dozen times) Psilocybin Mushrooms, Cubensis strains (couple dozen times) DMT in Ayahuasca form (only once, that was PLENTY) 2CB (twice) 2C-T-7 (3 times) Pure MDMA, AKA Molly (3 times) Ketamine, powder (half a dozen times) Salvia Divinorum (leaf to 20x standardized extract, dozen+ times)
Non-Psychedelic Adventures -------------------------------------------------------------- Nitrous Oxide (half a dozen times or so) Cocaine (pharmaceutical grade, a couple dozen times or so) Opiates (hundreds of times using Vicodin to Oxycontin and beyond) Benzodiazapines (few dozen times, especially Valium, Xanax, Klonopin) Ambien (try and fight the sleep and weirdness ensues, twice) Quaaludes (half a dozen times, from a trusted European source) Amphetamine, Methamphetamine (from Adderal to Crank, 3-5 times)
Now that we've established my Bona Fides, some advice for newbies to the drug scene. CactusDude's Psychedelic Ten Commandments  -------------------------------- ------------------------------------
- 1. As curanderos say about Ayahuasca, a little psychedelics warms the heart, too much burns the soul. I advise people not to trip more than once every 3-4 months, or you may be in danger of not adequately respecting the power of these incredible chemicals.
- 2. If you have depression, bi-polar spectrum disorders, or any serious mental health issues, this is not the stuff for you, my friend. Human mental chemistry is fragile, and these chemicals can make an unstable chemical balance tip into dangerous areas. I have seen bi-polar friends become unhinged because of a psychedelic experience, one friend, a former 'cutter," began to cut herself again after ten years of being relatively stable. I have also known people who had managed their depression well for 2,3, 5+ years, but after they took mushrooms, LSD, Ecstasy, etc, they fell into a deep depressive episode. JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN STABLE LATELY DOESN'T MEAN IT IS SAFE TO ALTER YOUR BRAIN CHEMISTRY. Why ruin a good thing?
- 3. If you are going to take a trip, always be in a good mood, in a good place physically, and a good place mentally. THIS IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE. Even experienced psychonauts can crash and burn if they aren't in a good head space. BAD MOOD=BAD TRIP
- 4. Always have a sober friend present. Not on the phone, not down the street. PRESENT, IN THE HOUSE WITH YOU.
- 5. Don't go to public places until you have a few trips under your belt with the particular substance you will be taking.
- 6. ALWAYS err on the side of caution. I would rather under-dose myself or a friend 100 times than give someone too much even just once. Under dosing can be fixed, and can even still be fun and enlightening. Too big a dose can "crack your pavement" so to speak, and turn you off psychedelics for life.
- 7. Don't watch sad or violent movies, that should be a no brainer.
- 8.Don't drive. You will be fine, but you will inevitably hit a 4 year-old on a tricycle and kill HIM. That's always how inebriated drivers work.
- 9. Be EXTRA careful about dosing. Read about dosing levels for your sex and weight, no matter how much experience you have with that or other neuro-chemicals. Dose on the LOW END of the recommended spectrum. You never "REALLY" know how if that Mushroom is extra strong, or that LSD was diluted improperly, or how pure that MDMA is.
- 10. Use the Psychedelic scale to predetermine how "hard" you want to trip. This scale us super useful for describing trips to others in the know, and can help keep you form making dosing mistakes. It ranges from 1-5, and each substance has its own flavors of what each level entails.
- Level 1 is a threshold dose, mild stoning.
- Level 2 is a light dose, colors, vibrant wavy patterns, the beginning of closed eye visuals.
- Level 3 is the standard psychedelic trip, full on waves, colors open eye visuals, inability to perform everyday tasks.
- Level 4 is a heavy dose, the kind where you lie on the floor and see things that aren't there.
[*]Level 5 is where god makes you a grilled cheese sandwich, you lose your ego, and become one with the Universe.
A more detailed and helpful write-up on the Psychedelic Scale can be found here on the Shroomery, or at Erowid.org
My Cautionary LSD Tale -----------------------------------------------------
In 2004 I took 3 hits of LSD one night. An hour after consuming them, a friend called and said "Don't take the LSD, it was super strong!" That 3 hits turned out to be 12 hits of LSD, (roughly 2500 micro-grams for those into numbers). I couldn't see the real world for all the geometry and kaleidoscopic magic going on. People's irises disappeared and all I saw was blackness in their eyes. I derailed my brain and was effectively "Gone, baby gone" for 36 hours. I lived a lifetime in Wonderland that weekend, and couldn't touch a psychedelic substance for 3 years, or watch any violent TV or movies for a good 18 months without having problems. I would not wish that trip on anyone. Except George W Bush. yes, I'm still holding a grudge, Bush.
My Final word of Advice  --------------------------------------------------------------
Human beings have been taking these substances for 10,000+ years. It is because there is something to be learned from them. Keep an open mind, an open heart, and listen to what becomes unlocked in your own head. Don't just trip to see pretty colors, or to "get fucked up". That is an irresponsible and short-sighted way of using these substances. That is not to say you can't or shouldn't try to do fun things with psychedelics, but while you are enjoying yourself, try to listen to your own subconscious, you rarely get a chance to.
Now, my padowan, go ignore all this hard-earned wisdom and party like you were going to anyway!!!!
Edited by Cactusdude (05/17/14 03:30 PM)
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