7/29/23 .66g P. Cubensis Shift brand chocolate bar Ingested with some grapes, a couple alcoholic drinks, some light snacks of nuts
It was a sunny day, warm and lightly breezy. The kind of day that seems all-too-rare here in the upper midwest. The kind of day we have to savor and appreciate. We were out on a local lake with some friends, a couple old, mostly new. We had our coolers stocked with snacks and drinks on two boats anchored in waist deep water. The occasional cloud drifted in front of the sun for just long enough to give our burning skin some relief without making us chilly. The water was around 85 degrees- perfect. We hung out in the water, getting to know our new friends and sharing laughs and stories. I don't really consume alcohol, but I tried a coffee liquor concoction one of our new friends had whipped up. I've been taking a tolerance break from weed and have only dipped my toes in the mushroom waters a couple of times, so I was approaching this experience from a pretty clean, fresh place, minus the one drink. Figured as long as the chemicals were flowing and everyone was so cool, this would be a great time to try a low dose of mushrooms socially for the first time.
Onset came quickly as we were burning a lot of calories on a pretty empty stomach, moving in the water, chickenfighting, swimming around, etc. The actual comeup was a little delayed but quite intense despite the low dose. I felt that familiar tightening in the gut and surge of tiredness/energy, and before I knew it, I was off! This is the lowest dose I've tried and wasn't sure if it would even be perceptible. But it sure was. Between the empty stomach, the physical work of swimming, and the tolerance break from substances, it hit. Not hard, but I definitely felt it. I felt drunk without being drunk. Drunk but with a clear head and none of the stomach discomfort or gross lethargy that comes with alcohol for me. Alert, present, loose, but drunk or stoned. Conversation flowed easily and time really shifted to the point where I could savor every second. The water looked and felt amazing as did the sun on my quickly burning skin. The waves seemed to take on a woven texture, moving as one interwoven fabric. Someone had a camping chair set in the water and the ripples around it looked interesting, reflecting the sunlight on the peaks and showing the dark depths of the water in the valleys. No patterns or true visuals emerged, just that subtle added appreciation for what's already there. My mental bandwidth seemed to increase while time dilated. I found I could enjoy the feeling of my hands carving through the water, the tingle of the sun on my skin, the breeze cooling my forehead, the gentle roll of the waves, the play of light off the metal flake in the boat paint, the squishy sand between my toes, and the infinite shades of green in the surrounding trees. It wasn't intense- I had to look for it- but it was there.
The people were so fun. The mushrooms didn't take me to an isolated place, instead I loved the interaction. We went down the waterslides on strangers' pontoon boats and offered food and drink as payment. We horsed around in the water and my girlfriend's skin felt amazing on mine in the perfect water with the sun coming down on us, frying our skin in the most gratifying way. The five hours on the lake felt like at least ten and it was great. I got to the place where I was only dimly aware that life outside of this idyllic bubble existed, that I had a job, stresses, etc. I didn't want it to end.
The 'peak' (if you can call it that) came mid conversation and I was still able to speak coherently without being demonstrably stoned. I felt a little groggy or drunkish, but it wasn't intense enough to get in the way of my enjoyment. This .66g was a little less than I had hoped for, but a little more than I expected. .5g-1g seems like an ideal dose for social situations for me, especially those involving the beauty of nature. I'd consider upping that number to 1g-1.5g-2g for a concert or music festival type experience where conversation isn't as important. The comedown was imperceptible. So gradual and gentle that I'm not really sure where it ended.
I don't take mushrooms (or any substance) lightly. They have strong magic that deserves respect and care, but it was also very nice to use them in a more laidback, fun context as well and see the more lighthearted side. So for those of you who haven't tried smaller doses or are worried about using them around people, consider trying it! I wasn't left with the icky tiredness or nausea that alcohol brings, and besides that amping up feeling and minor stomach twinges on the comeup, it felt great and turned five hours on the lake into an amazing Saturday of sunshine daydream bliss.
Thanks for reading!
-------------------- Love is everything Life is good The opposite of negativity is gratitude Be KIND
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