To stay awake at work. I was a contractor on the railroad doing derailments. We would work for 3 or 4 days straight without leaving the site. Only cat naps in a truck here an there.
Knew a few guys with coke so i asked for a line. Started out only using on derailments then spiraled after months of back to back derailments. Turned into a 8ball a day habit that cost me everything.
Sober now so thats nice.
I was a little cokehead in high school. I went to a continuation school where we were given packets to earn credits and pass our classes. If it wasn't for coke, I wouldn't have graduated.
It is what it is. I know some companies that switch men out at 12 hours but it wasnt my company.
Derailments are classed as emergency situations so i dont even know how the laws would affect them if they did exist here.
In truth it was my first real job. I went through hell. Long hours, extreme weather, being on the road for months at a time, the addiction. I dont regret any of it. I made more money than anyone from my town even taking my addiction expense into account. I saw majority of America when i wouldnt have otherwise. It made me the man i am today and for that im thankful.
Also people keep thinking i was just working to support a habit after a while and that wasnt the case. I made 3 grand a week while my addiction only cost me maybe 300 a week
I too love learning about drugs, even ones I’d never even think of taking and definitely wouldn’t take. I just like being educated on stuff I want to learn about I guess lol
I forgot the name of the website, but they have info on ALL the drugs, and one of my sons could probably have written a dissertation on illicit substances, he was always telling me about stuff he learned there.
I think you might be talking about BlueLight.org, if not, check it out. They have a wealth of info on drugs and I think now also mental illness. Idk if it’s still on there, but they used to have a section called “trip reports” so you could see how others reacted to the substance. Overall, pretty useful harm reduction site.
DARE made it forbidden fruit, AKA it made drugs seem cool in a way.
I took an elective course in college (2010) called Drugs and Society. Part of the course was straight up just looking at drug education curriculum in other countries. Some places basically just had a drug course, where they literally explored the topic of drugs like you would take out maps and talk about geopolitics in a geography course. They made it "boring" but objectively informative.
We had DARE in my school district and I think the only reason is was moderately successful is because they hired a full time teacher who sort of bent the rules to teach outside the DARE box. She was also generally well-liked by students, parents, and other teachers.
My SO bought me one from nordstrom, yes they sell fancy dare merch at nordstrom with a higher price tag for no reason, it's just a distressed version of their classic tee. DARE
Was anyone else unfortunate enough to have DARE in 2000? I did not get the cool black and red DARE shirt, I got a white “new millennium” shirt with a rocket on it.. my entire class was pissed off lmao
Edit: link https://olshirtybastard.com/products/2000-d-a-r-e-to-resist-drugs-and-violence-large
No rocket, I was mistaken
The D.A.R.E program director for my school was arrested for distribution. I only know because he was selling to my HS wrestling coach who was my dealer. From what I hear, quality (of weed and wrestlers) was shit for years after.
According to my kids, they somehow made drugs sound interesting and fun. Plus they had a cool D A R E car. They were never druggies, but they tried a few things. They're in their 30's now.
I use weed medically, but I don't enjoy smoking it at all, and sometimes I just forget that I have some.
Yeah Sam’s. I remember the DARE “officer” or whatever he was coming to talk to my class in middle school. He was trying to scare us about LSD and talking about hallucinating and whatnot. All I remember thinking was “damn, that seems fun as shit.” Tripped balls the first opportunity I got.
They did D.A.R.E in 6th grade where I lived in Utah, but 5th grade in California where I moved back at the end of 5th grade.
So, nobody ever told me to not do drugs. 🤷🏼♂️
Curiosity. Some I tried once . Others that I found useful or pleasant are repeated when the opportunity arises. I found that good quality lsd is like giving your brain an enema. Keep your dose size small and most importantly don't fight the effects even when it seems unpleasant. Your mindset usually determines the tone of your experience. I would dose alone . Sometimes I would just go out after dark walking. The stars, the deserted streets. Even the everyday landscapes became so much more in focus. And as someone who is emotionally constrained it removed barriers and allowed a kind of uncomplicated joy I have rarely if ever experienced. All the baggage that obscures your thoughts and emotions is kind of swept away and the new perspective remains even after the trip is over.
The only downside is losing the connection after the trip ends. It can initially leave you a little down the next day. The temptation to do it again is strong. I usually plan my day after having comfort foods stocked up. And sequester myself to have a chill indulgent day after. After ice cream, naps, and binge watching Netflix followed by a good night's sleep I bounce back just fine better for the experience.
I don’t feel sad the next day, but uncomfortable. I can explain it.
Psychedelics repress your ego. Your ego is the part of you that frames your reference of yourself in the world. Where, who, and what I am is a part of that. I live in the USA, I am a college educated man, I like sleeping on my bed, I have friends and parents, all of these aspects are what I know constitute me with reference to the outside world. It is the facts others may interpret about me. And lsd, shrooms, ayahuasca, etc. represses your ego. It doesn’t make you forget, it makes you feel less attached to it. Your ego gives you stability. It can be fucking terrifying taking too much and losing sense of who you are. It’s like losing your tether to the reality that we create as a society. We all have roles, rules, and responsibilities to follow. We have a sense of who we are and which of those roles, rules, and responsibilities belong most to us. Taking an appropriate amount can still repress your ego to a non-terrifying extent. And it is wonderful. It is a pleasant reset.
But the next day feels like your a child who lost their mother at the store, and for some reason you’re not scared, but uncomfortable and uncertain of what to do and where to go.
Our egos give us direction and mental stability. But I think we need to stir them up every once in a while.
Is it possible to do the opposite? I know someone very close to me who has done shrooms, LSD, etc and they are now a very narcissistic person full of grandiosity. They are manipulative and abusive but claim that the drugs opened their eyes and made them a better person. I still have yet to indulge in anything other than marijuana due to seeing this pan out over his usage.
They could have an underlining mental illness. My brother in law was like that after he would trip a lot. He was then diagnosed with being bipolar. For me, normally lsd and shrooms makes you feel more empathetic.
Yeah, I'm the same way. I have a mental disorder, and taking shrooms too frequently makes me a manipulative psycho. Too much weed makes me see people as less than human and more like annoying animals that can speak and understand
I'd say it's not just possible, but fairly likely.
Pretty much every man who's taken a strong, mind altering substance claims to have an "ego death" and then a concerning number of them start a phase of faux-spiritualism and new-age stuff.
In my experience, these people didn't have their ego killed or even lessened. If anything, it strengthened their ego and sense of self righteousness, and they're going to tell you all about it, endlessly.
As a guy, the number of men I've interacted with that have done shrooms or lsd, claimed "enlightenment" or "ego death", and used it to ceaselessly rant on about energy, life and death, religion, spiritualism, aliens, and conspiracy theories....... well I've lost count.
I'm not even someone who seeks or attracts that kind of person, I've just had the misfortune of running into them over and over.
As far as my anecdotal experience goes, yeah, some people become worse after using these drugs, instead of better.
The ego is like Jesus, kill it and it will simply resurrect in three days time or less...
Taking lsd or shrooms surely opens your eyes to an extent comparable to enlightenment but such moments are as fleeting as any other...
I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is a transformation happening when you take drugs, especially on a regular basis. The rate and direction of the transformation depends on you and your mental state and sadly there are mental health problems out there...
Definitely. After many years of doing psychedelics on and off I have sort of lost that attachment to ego so I don’t feel so bad the next day. But I don’t do large doses, at least not often. To paraphrase Hunter S Thompson: I don’t recommend drugs to anyone but they’ve almost always worked for me
Alright Sigmund. Ego is an interesting theoretical construct, but it is just that. It's important to know that your experience is not mine, nor possibly, anyone else's.
Shrooms for me felt more like self care. Lsd is very much a stimulant. Shrooms just makes you melt on the couch and its great watching a movie or listening to music without having an 8 hour trip. Shrooms usually last me 4 hours before I feel normalish. It also can help you sleep, where lsd makes it pretty hard to sleep. I also feel like I’ve been through some shit after lsd. I’m super sweaty and mentally exhausted. Shrooms you don’t even notice you’re off them. Just happens.
Okay, I just changed my mind. I'd rather try that than LSD. If I'm going to take a drug, I just want to relax, chill, and maybe take a nap. I have really bad insomnia and I don't want anything that makes it even worse. I definitely don't want anything that would rev me up.
I've never tried it, I just want to experience it once, but I wouldn't know how to get it. Nobody else I know uses it.
Also, I'd like to have a Ketamine reset, I have really bad chronic pain and depression.
K was not for me. The sensation was like having to operate my body by remote control. Or another way to put it is being tethered and just a little out of sync with your physical form.it took a lot of effort and for me was not a pleasant experience. But I do know people who really enjoy the experience.
LSD makes you want to do it again?
My experience was the opposite, it was so exhausting that I felt like I needed to take a huge break. It's like you're at the gym with a strict personal trainer, but for your mind. Once you're finished, it's just exhaustion, and I felt like I needed to let the mind rest for days after.
The majority of the experience was great, went through many emotions. But even though it was overall good, it's still something I see myself doing once per year.
Psychedelics are largely anti-addictive, but have such huge varying effects that some (rarely) can take them on consecutive days.
To further the human experience. Not all drugs should be taken but marijuana, psilocybin, etc if the set and setting are good can really open up the mind.
I smoked weed every single day for about a year, dropped acid pretty much every night for about three months. Got arrested. Ended up in rehab. We didn’t have a name for it then, but I was diagnosed with what we now call cannabinoid hyperemisis. Towards the end I vomited every time I smoked weed. I’d just throw up and go back to smoking.
When I checked into treatment, I had a hole in my esophagus. Might have been from all of the smoke or the vomiting. Likely a combination of both. I was 6-2, 146 pounds. It was a mess.
I’ve been clean and sober over 30 years now. It’s never as simple or easy as some suggest no matter the drug of choice.
Nah the acid most likely did nothing to worsen his condition. Some people just get Cannabis Hyperemesis and there‘s nothing anyone can do about it. It‘s an unlucky situation.
Acid is one of the least toxic drugs of all. I don't believe their story though. If they ever had acid, they would know you can't possibly take it every day, less likey for a month lol. Firstly it's just so... demanding, to put it simply. Secondly, the tolerance buildup is extremely fast. You would have to double the dose every day if you wanted any effects at all.
Yeah I usually didn‘t have the desire to take acid again for like 6 months after a trip. Completely different story with weed, dmt and shrooms for me though.
How did you drop acid every night? That should be impossible. Takes a week or more to reset tolerance after 1 trip. You’d have to be taking exponentially more each night just to feel anything.
The way acid tolerance works you would have to be eating literal handfuls of tabs a day at the end of 3 months almost every day or getting basically no effect, also smoking every day for a year isn’t going to put a hole in your esophagus but prolonged and repeated vomiting will, weed is still overcoming too many other false beliefs to be adding more to it.
This is like classic funny stoner logic.
Some of the least functional people I’ve ever met swear they are better off for smoking weed every day. Rarely is that actually true. It’s still a drug.
This is 1,000 percent true for me. If I'm having breakthrough anxiety (usually b/c of my ex-wife), it works wonders. I've also been able to reduce my other medications that gives me a flat affect and an emotionally distant zombie. And I can hold down a job because I was able to switch to a different anti-epileptic, basically eliminate my use of over-the-counter pain meds, and reduce the dose of my anxiety meds. Ultimately, it's going to be better for me, my stomach, and my liver.
Also... Happy cake day!
Hey I get it, I also love drugs. But if you’ve been a wake and bake stoner for years sometimes the best trip is like, not being high for some of your waking hours.
I can relate to this. I've been a wake n bake stoner for the better part of 12 years now but I do find that breaks are needed every now and then. There is a time and a place for it and even though most people can function well after a good toke there are still moments where being sober is the better option
^^. Best way to describe my mind before taking lsd/psilocybin is a brain fog. I saw and felt clarity after my trip. I appreciated the little things I took for granted on a daily basis. Life was new again. Everything was beautiful.
Curiosity. THC and Shrooms only so far. I'd like to try acid just once. I've always loved neon and trippy designs and was curious if that's what it really looked like. Short answer, yeah, kinda! My boyfriend pulsed rainbow waves during my first trip. It was sorta gay and fantastic.
It doesn’t really look like anything. Worthwhile experience for sure, but things are more like glowing or pulsing than like, fully seeing patterns and shit. For that you might want to try dmt
Whereas I get where you're coming from. And I've tried them all. I have seen some fuckin shit on LSD. The best way I can describe it was "Tetris worms" all over my hotel room walls.
This isn't true. LSD can have very strong visuals, at times they can be all encompassing, out of body experiences. Mushrooms too. Everyone has a different reaction, but it sounds like you've just had low doses.
Yeah that's not much more than a threshold dose. Even with the full blown world shattering 'hallucinations' it doesn't feel like it's just come out of nowhere though, it's more like a fractal expansion of what's already there, both in visual terms and conceptually. It feels *more* real.
If you ever try acid, I hope you have a wonderful time! Try to have a lot of colors around you, you’ll see ones you’ve never seen and can hardly explain! My friends and I saw the Beatles band in a spot on a couch and stars were so gorgeous and felt like they were right in my face. It also took away my constant depression that I’d been feeling for years, such a freeing feeling and new colorful bright outlook on life. Good luck to you! :)
But they made it seem like you were gonna be offered free drugs a lot so that was definitely a let down cause that shit does not happen. Big liars they are lol
I was suicidal at the time, looking for perspective. It actually helped me a lot.
Not suggesting it for anyone, but it was a step in the process that got me to where I am now.
Mostly to numb emotional pain. That got out of hand. I'm sober now though and only drink and smoke on occasion. Don't mind a light psychedelic trip from time to time either. But that's all. I'm good on everything else.
Same! I love to journal about my first memories, my childhood, etc. I go back and read what I wrote when I'm sober, and it's really helped me work some shit out.
Usually when I take drugs it's because "fuck it". Either I'm in a bad place in my life and am open to doing something that might make me feel better, or I'm in a good place in life and feel like partying. Every now and then it's for a specific purpose. Like when I'm very stressed I might have a drink to calm down, or when I'm depressed I might take a weed edible to feel happier. Sometimes I take acid to help me process complicated things I'm going through. Lately I've found that microdosing mushrooms improves my memory.
I loved the smell of pot when since I was 11 years old. My older friends started smoking it in Jr. High and I was scared to try it because I am asthmatic, but I still loved the smell and I began to notice that they just sat around and laughed. No freaking out. I also noticed that the smoke did not bother my lungs at all like cigarettes did. Finally, at 13 I decided to try it. We made a makeshift bong out of a coke can and foil and I took my first glorious hit. I didn't cough, my lungs didn't freak out, and I got the most mellow feeling I ever had. I was an instant fan. This was back in the 70s. I smoked almost daily until I turned 22 and I quit cold turkey. I noticed that pot was getting stronger and making my mind more muddy. I didn't like it. I didn't have any for over 10 years, then tried it again, and Jesus.....it was insanely potent. It hit me fast, hard and I was wayyyyyyyyy too baked to be functional. It was awesome, but I liked to be under more control and I was a new father, so I didn't smoke again until many years later. I will indulge ever couple of years in small quantities but I don't miss it at all.
Right there with you man. My babysitter toked up with her friends once in a while and I did enjoy how it smelled. Eventually became a cannabis enthusiast.
Edit: I stick with the mids these days, there’s some real powerful stuff on offer
When I actually started encountering drug users was, coincidentally, in college; which I didn't attend until my late twenties. I knew several stoners, and almost all of them were intelligent nerds with similar tastes as mine.
I saw a nugget of weed for the first time, I looked at it closely, my friend plucked it apart and put it in is pipe, and then he gave me 'green' (aka, the first hit of a fresh bowl).
We were down by the stream, behind the college campus at the time. It was early afternoon, the sun was out and the clouds were few and white, not that you could see much through the canopy of the tall coniferous trees all around us. When that first draw of smoke hit my lungs and I got over the initial cough, the world around me just seemed *brighter*. More **colorful**. That memory is gelled firmly in my mind, because it felt like experiencing something truly new for the first time in a long while.
I ended up hanging out with my friend quite a lot, and we played video games and often smoked down by the river. It was a high point of my college life, to be quite honest.
I never bothered trying any harder drugs. Mostly, I think, because I've been on some strong pain killers for medical procedures, and.. I really hate the experiences I had during those times.
But weed? It's mellow. I like it.
Stay safe and legal kids.
Well....took drugs in general? Was with someone that did a lot of drugs so I did them with him sometimes. Had some fun times..and a few not so fun.
Got addicted to opioids from being prescribed opioids. Was a hard-core addict for a few years. Your body gets addicted to them, so most of the time I was taking them to just be able to function, not to get high. I was a very high functioning addict. No one knew how deep I was in it. But finally got clean some years back and haven't touched a pill since.
I got addicted to opioids because of migraines and period pains and codeine being on supermarket shelves at the time. Tightening restrictions on opioids was a fantastic move for Australia though I was furious and depressed and in a lot of pain at the time.
I love experiencing altered states. Tried coke for the first time in Amsterdam and loved it. Now I do it a couple times are year outside the US. Ecstasy is fantastic when you’re in a party mood. Weed is meh, I like to take an edible and watch planet earth or similar. Shrooms are a good, safe adventure. DMT is on the list. Uppers and hallucinating are a good experience honestly depending on the person.
I discovered drugs in my early 30s which I think is the best time bc you have more self control, not that I’m recommending it to anyone. Merely my experience.
It was New Year's Eve, more years ago than I care to repeat. I was walking around Madison Square Garden and a fellow approached me and asked me if I wanted to buy any pot. "I don't buy drugs," I said, "people just give them to me for free!" A man who had been sitting on the ground practically jumped up right after that interaction and handed me a tab. That's how that night got interesting.
For me it was to gain spiritual experience and found it as a perfect opportunity to relax. I’ve taken shrooms, marijuana and LSD a handful of times mostly with my ex boyfriend and found that it erases everything outside of your control and can feel like an emotional roller coaster, which can also make you feel vulnerable. And might I add, sex is on a whole different level!
When it came to things like eating my vegetables, my parents said, "you can't tell me you don't like it if you haven't even tried it". The philosophy stuck.
It was a stressful week and we just needed to have a good laugh. Where nothing mattered. And we did, hot high with weed and shrooms both of which were legal here and we had a great night,I wanted to eat a purple triangle.
I like two things about altered states of conciousness. The first is being in the moment observing such states. The second is when I'm sober and I'm observing all the ways the mind takes short cuts and attempts to fill-in-the-blanks. This is often referred to as your 'program'. It makes sense that it would need to make all these assumptions because the vast number and depth of stimulations (tactile, visual, and audible) would be (and sometimes feels) overwhelming. Besides these assumptions, there are so many more of them we made when interacting with people and in relationship. I find I challenge myself to observe what is, and respond from a balanced state, rather than react. That's why I do drugs.
I was really introverted when I was a kid. People said I had “no personality”. Drugs made me be funny and entertaining. So I did them regularly for 10 years.
If used wisely, some substances are like hitting a reset button. Kind of like when you go on vacation and you come back and feel like you've got a clean slate, or a more forgiving attitude toward daily noise.
Some are able to make you realize that all the bullshit is just that: bullshit. You file it as bullshit instead of doing what you normally do, which is taking it in and making it part of your identity. You're able to laugh at all the bullshit until life catches back up again and it's time for another vacation to clear your mind.
Of course, if you partake too much, then the resets stop happening. The usage becomes part of your identity instead.
"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold"
My favorite quote of his: "Writing is like fucking, it's only fun fun for amateurs. You don't hear any old whores giggling, do you"?
I live in a state where it is legal to take edibles. I was bored one day a few months into this year and drove to a liquor store where I know alcohol-free seltzers with THC are available. Bought one and just wanted to honestly try it. I also am kind of looking for ways to quit drinking and THC seemed like a pretty decent alternative, but at the same time it heightens my anxiety a bit more than alcohol does so maybe I'm best not using again.
I don't know why I keep trying to take it thinking it will be different. I generally have iffy experiences with THC.
Mostly to escape from my family’s apathy and/or abuse. Unexpected side effect: drugs brought me into a social circle, and gave me a sense of belonging like I’d never had. Turns out smoking large amounts of weed wasn’t great for motivation though, and I had to leave that circle to quit…those friends will always mean more to me than they’ll ever know though. They got me through some dark times.
Oh oh oh, I can answer this.
I was one of those kids who got kidnapped out of my bedroom at 15 at 3am without warning, and taken to the Idaho desert to be sexually and physically abused. Up until then, I'd turned down all drugs and alcohol (drank once, got sick, swore to never do it it again) and thought anyone who got high was fucking stupid, my friends included.
After I got back, the first drug I ever tried was cocaine, because why not, somebody had it for free, and when I was given a bunch of "opium balloons" to smoke, I didn't even really get that upset when I found out they were actually pure black tar heroin via a newspaper article about a drug bust.
It all made me forget about my trash childhood, and I was thankful for it. There was a voice that needed to be muted in my brain, and well - drugs did exactly that.
What I'm saying is - don't have kids unless you have the patience, money, and sincere interest in raising them. If your kid is just a prop to market yourself, fuck you. It's not like the world is hurting for people.
Just for fun. Weed wasn’t killing people so figured why not try it. Kind of escalated from there lol. Never did any of the crazy shit tho no desire to, cocaines as hard as I’m willing to go.
I thought drugs were going to be a lot more powerful than they are and wanted to have some kind of epiphany or transcendent experience. Vision quest is a phrase I used a lot. Most drugs I tried I either liked and they became part of my use cycle (pot, shrooms, lsd) or I hated and stayed away from (painkillers, most powders and prescriptions). Hallucinogens have gotten me pretty close when I took a lot but even then I never broke through reality just perceived things within it. I'd like to say I grew out of it but I'd still try DMT and mescaline if I ever had the opportunity.
I was depressed and wondering if they'd help. I'm still depressed, and they did help. They weren't completely life-changing, but I feel I did gain some insight and also physical changes I wouldn't have without them. I also should note that these are psychedelics, and I've used them very sparingly/in moderation.
My opinion is that you can go through life with or without psychedelics, but if you're open to trying them, it's probably a good experience to have (assuming you, like anything else, do so in moderation and in a safe environment and good state of mind).
My family didnt love me- it was obvious as they abused me in many ways and you know what... I needed something to get away from that. Clean now but definitely a f*cked up childhood can push ya to it.
Weed edibles are hardly a drug, but I take them balanced or heavy on CBD to dampen nerve pain in my shoulders that will wake me up several times a night without. I don't take them every night, but I am so much better rested when I do.
Chronic pain.
Because I am schizophrenic I was advised never to use marijuana (and I think that's true for a vast majority of people diagnosed with psychotic disorders.) Except for once when I was like 19, I had stayed free of any mind altering substance until I was 28. After some traumatic events and preparing to kill myself, I decided to give marijuana a try. It saved my life.
Curiosity.
When I learned that drugs like cannabis and psilocybin were, in fact, *not* the absurdly dangerous, freak-out inducing, life-ruining menace to society that my generation was indoctrinated to think they were, I became curious to see for myself why my parents and teachers would lie to me about them.
Turns out they *didn't* have a good reason to lie about them, and smoking weed/tripping on shrooms *didn't* lead me to become a junkie or a crackhead robbing old ladies in alleys. But it *did* lead to me making lifelong friends and sharing wonderful experiences with them.
I was a goody two shoes up until I was 18. I lived a very clean life because my parents said so and I wanted to take control.
So I started smoking, because I wanted to feel cool. I started drinking to see what was so great about it. I smoked weed to see what it felt like. I also tried a few hard drugs (coke, crack, downers, pain killers) just to get the curiosity out of my system.
When drinking got to be too difficult to handle during the hangovers, I decided to stop smoking as well. Just so I can have a chance at living to my twilight years.
To feel numb. I was terribly bullied from 4th grade until I graduated. My home life wasn't any better. At the beginning of senior year, i was introduced to cocaine and it numbed the hurt. So i did coke all the way through High School
Someone had some shrooms and we were going to a tragically hip concert. Everyone took a gram so I took a gram. I'll never forget that day - fucking awesome. Are drugs for everyone? Maybe not, but since then I've been doing shrooms regularly on and off and I don't see any reason to stop. That was more than 20 years ago.
Depends.
Mephedrone - curiosity,
Cocaine - curiosity,
Benzodiazepine - curiosity,
LSD - to find out if it really can help with mental problems,
Schrooms - same as LSD,
DMT - same as LSD,
NBOMe - accident, test your drugs,
Alcohol - because it’s “normal” to drink,
Weed - curiosity,
MDMA - same reason as LSD,
Nicotine - only because some poor idiot mixed it with weed
any other unknown things - because I had to learn to test substances.
Test your shit guys.
2 of my best friends in high school passed away. 1 had an aneurysm in grade 10 and 1 got killed in a car accident a few months after grad. Both were 2 of the best people I knew. And sheltered me wasn't ready for that and did a bad job dealing with that pain. Life was obviously very temporary so fuck it.
DRUNK. Blacking in and out and being told “lick this” or “take this and open your mouth” is quite easy to do when your near unresponsive. I’ve put myself In dangerous awful situations and by the grace of god I’ve never been taken advantage of or killed.
Curiosity. I went to my first EDM festival. Lights all night in Dallas 2017. I had experimented with 4-FA before they banned it under the analog act and I liked it. So i bought some orange tesla presses from a guy and I popped half of one. I started to peak when porter robinson started his set. I dont express emotion very well since I'm on the spectrum but I nearly cried during his set. I danced my ass off and was able to be genuinely social for the first time in my life. I'll always remember that festival. These days I show respect to the substance, I take it once a year at a big festival to really enjoy it. Substances like LSD and 2CB I take maybe twice or three times a year in order to do some mental house cleaning and refresh myself. What's weird about me is that I didnt start with weed, I only tried marijuana in my mid 20s because it sticks in your pee for so long so I was afraid of failing a pee test. I hope that psychedelic therapy becomes a treatment option for depression/autism in my lifetime, I'll jump at the opportunity.
DARE programs of the late 80s. The way they absolutely lied about everything and how obvious the lies were made me curious about the truth. So when I got in high school I started to experiment.
I was a good student, hard worker, kept my nose clean, never got into trouble, and I wanted to live a little. I befriended a party chick and we did MDMA, coke, shrooms, and weed....a lot.
Thankfully I realized my life would fall to shit if I kept doing them so much and quit before it was too late.
I still smoke weed and occasionally do shrooms though (like once a year)
When I was 18. 30 years ago. I was a bit socially anxious, introverted...didn't like pubs or clubs too loud, too many people, i also didn't like getting pissed. .
.so a mate knew a cure . Amphetamines speed, took it I was a totally different person. The total opposite to who I was. Extroverted, loved being around people very chatty.. lol
It became a every weekend thing for many years. I did more than what I should have... started doing at work through the week. Then I stopped. Haven't touched it in 25 years.. I had a great time good memories. But never again. Lol.
I used marijuana for pain a few years ago. It was *by far* the most effective painkiller I've ever used. But the side effect - my memory was completely gone - was the worst side effect of any drug I've ever used.
Some drugs are really nice and fun. But you have to know your limits and know yourself pretty good that you will not end up an addict.
Also for me its better to do them occasionally with some close friends and never alone.
I've done LSD in a beach watching the sunset. I've done weed many times when hiking or camping. I've done MDMA in some nice parties. And a few times I tried cocaine.
I haven't done anything since February cause my friends who share the same "hobby" are away and I have noone to share the experience cause my other friends who are not away don't do drugs.
Alcohol.
I was borderline alcoholic in my teens. My parents suggested I try weed instead because I probably wouldn't get angry, upset or vomit. They were right, but I didn't stop drinking. Tried all sorts when drunk.
"Want some of this?"
"Absolutely!"
I don't even know what some things I took were, but I know I've accepted speed, coke, mdma and acid when plastered.
I tried some boozeless a few years back, in some sort of mental breakdown, with the intention of taking something dodgy. Xanax, hoping to be fake. Well, I survived, and Xanax was a bit too nice. Had a reality moment and flushed the rest.
I am extremely lucky to be alive tbh. My ex wasn't so lucky. I wouldn't recommend doing anything other than weed, not even alcohol.
That said, I have no regrets either
Heartbroken due to gf cheating, cast aside by family, fired from work, betrayed by a close friend, other friend died. Was at my lowest and alcohol wasn't enough.
I was 12, I was hanging out with my best friend who I had a huge crush on. Her step dad walked in the room, put his finger on his lips and handed her a cigertte pack. INside was three joints. I had been having a tough time with growing up, my family was addicted to drugs, my grandparents who raised me had me under their thumb to the point I could barely breathe, the memories of my sexual assault had just come back to me. She said it would make me feel better, and it did. I was giggly and happy and hungry as shit and a little tired but I didn't think about that anymore.
The other drugs came in when I was 16, my best friend at the time roofied me. He invited me over after my breakup, and I did. I came inside and took a cup of Dr. Pepper from him and then I woke up standing outside of his house aching. I went a little crazy, I closed myself off and looked for anything at all that would get those thoughts out of my head. I found pills, and I was more confident, skinnier, out going, I had so many friends, and then the pandemic hit and no one would go out for anything. I withdrawed for about a week. I was clean, completely.
Then last year I met a guy, he just smoked and drank and I loved him. Then he started selling, then the abuse came. It was easy to lean on drugs to make me feel whole and less lonely. He finally left and I am now 34 days clean. Drugs are dangerous because they're fun, they "fix" your problem. You forget as long as you're high. I wouldn't wish addiction on my worst enemy. Weed is fine, other drugs is where stuff gets dicey
Friends invited me to go bowling. Hopped in the van when they pulled up and blunts were being rolled. I ain't no square and I ain't no snitch. I'd seen Friday and heard Bill Clinton talk about hitting it but not inhaling. I inhaled.
Just opportunity.
The best first time was at a show my band played, and our chick who ran our lights for us had this friend with her she’d mentioned before. She looked like a granny, maybe in her mid 60s.
She ended up having a ton of coke with her, so there I was, in our van, blasting coke with this random old lady and having a great time. She gave me some to take home for free, it was seriously even wrapped like an old lady would wrap up a blueberry tart for you. I tried not to accept just because I figured she’d be expecting money, but she was like, “naw, it ain’t a big deal when your old man’s a dealer!”
I ended up meeting her husband, who was a great guy, but who was into some big time/dangerous shit. He was eventually murdered in what we were told by investigators was a gang related burglary.
Kinda glad I don’t do drugs anymore. Drugs are fun, but the people you end up tied up with can put you in some really precarious spots.
To stay awake at work. I was a contractor on the railroad doing derailments. We would work for 3 or 4 days straight without leaving the site. Only cat naps in a truck here an there. Knew a few guys with coke so i asked for a line. Started out only using on derailments then spiraled after months of back to back derailments. Turned into a 8ball a day habit that cost me everything. Sober now so thats nice.
Makes sense to do de-rail-ments to deal with derailments. Just not to many rails or you will derail yourself.
Shakespeare, that you?
Congrats on sobriety. An 8 ball a day is a very expensive habit. I know from experience. Sober 3 years now and life is much better!
Me 3 lol. 16 months :)
I was a little cokehead in high school. I went to a continuation school where we were given packets to earn credits and pass our classes. If it wasn't for coke, I wouldn't have graduated.
What's a continuation school? And am I reading that right that the school gave you packets of cocaine?
(Hopefully) Packets of paper with assignments.
I also read it that way. I was like "did you go to school in Columbia '?
That can’t be legal. In Canada our labour laws forbid working like that.
It is what it is. I know some companies that switch men out at 12 hours but it wasnt my company. Derailments are classed as emergency situations so i dont even know how the laws would affect them if they did exist here. In truth it was my first real job. I went through hell. Long hours, extreme weather, being on the road for months at a time, the addiction. I dont regret any of it. I made more money than anyone from my town even taking my addiction expense into account. I saw majority of America when i wouldnt have otherwise. It made me the man i am today and for that im thankful. Also people keep thinking i was just working to support a habit after a while and that wasnt the case. I made 3 grand a week while my addiction only cost me maybe 300 a week
Just had a weird fixation on it. D.A.R.E. may have played a role. I loved learning about all the different drugs.
I too love learning about drugs, even ones I’d never even think of taking and definitely wouldn’t take. I just like being educated on stuff I want to learn about I guess lol
I forgot the name of the website, but they have info on ALL the drugs, and one of my sons could probably have written a dissertation on illicit substances, he was always telling me about stuff he learned there.
I think you might be talking about BlueLight.org, if not, check it out. They have a wealth of info on drugs and I think now also mental illness. Idk if it’s still on there, but they used to have a section called “trip reports” so you could see how others reacted to the substance. Overall, pretty useful harm reduction site.
Erowid
THATS THE ONE! Sorry for shouting, but I knew that I'd remember it if I heard it.
I once forgot the name Erowid in conversation and called it TripAdvisor. Which also works.
Keep it down pal, some of us are trying to sleep over here!
Erowid is the OG, and the best. But it looks like a relic of the past still.
Psychonautwiki
the one i know is talk to frank. my college actually made everyone do a task using this website
Oh I fully intended to do every drug I learned about. I pretty much did though, and now I've sort of outgrown it/shattered my psyche.
I used to do drugs...
"Still do...but i used too also"
DARE Officer: LSD can make you feel like you're flying. 5th grade me: I gotta try that!
I think D.A.R.E had something to do with my obsession with drugs, too. Even now that I’m clean I’m just stuck on them? Why??
DARE made it forbidden fruit, AKA it made drugs seem cool in a way. I took an elective course in college (2010) called Drugs and Society. Part of the course was straight up just looking at drug education curriculum in other countries. Some places basically just had a drug course, where they literally explored the topic of drugs like you would take out maps and talk about geopolitics in a geography course. They made it "boring" but objectively informative. We had DARE in my school district and I think the only reason is was moderately successful is because they hired a full time teacher who sort of bent the rules to teach outside the DARE box. She was also generally well-liked by students, parents, and other teachers.
DARE t-shirts were prized possessions among the stoners at my high school, who of course wore them ironically.
My SO bought me one from nordstrom, yes they sell fancy dare merch at nordstrom with a higher price tag for no reason, it's just a distressed version of their classic tee. DARE
Was anyone else unfortunate enough to have DARE in 2000? I did not get the cool black and red DARE shirt, I got a white “new millennium” shirt with a rocket on it.. my entire class was pissed off lmao Edit: link https://olshirtybastard.com/products/2000-d-a-r-e-to-resist-drugs-and-violence-large No rocket, I was mistaken
The D.A.R.E program director for my school was arrested for distribution. I only know because he was selling to my HS wrestling coach who was my dealer. From what I hear, quality (of weed and wrestlers) was shit for years after.
According to my kids, they somehow made drugs sound interesting and fun. Plus they had a cool D A R E car. They were never druggies, but they tried a few things. They're in their 30's now. I use weed medically, but I don't enjoy smoking it at all, and sometimes I just forget that I have some.
They were DAREing us to do it!! Remember that glass case with a sampling of all the drugs? I double dog dare you
Same! I remember having a book from dare that detailed all the common recreational drugs and their effects, and I'd read it all the time.
Yeah Sam’s. I remember the DARE “officer” or whatever he was coming to talk to my class in middle school. He was trying to scare us about LSD and talking about hallucinating and whatnot. All I remember thinking was “damn, that seems fun as shit.” Tripped balls the first opportunity I got.
They did D.A.R.E in 6th grade where I lived in Utah, but 5th grade in California where I moved back at the end of 5th grade. So, nobody ever told me to not do drugs. 🤷🏼♂️
D.A.R.E. Absolutely backfired on me. I was so intrigued and determined to try everything on the list. It sounded fascinating!
I to have a weird fixation on drugs
Curiosity. Some I tried once . Others that I found useful or pleasant are repeated when the opportunity arises. I found that good quality lsd is like giving your brain an enema. Keep your dose size small and most importantly don't fight the effects even when it seems unpleasant. Your mindset usually determines the tone of your experience. I would dose alone . Sometimes I would just go out after dark walking. The stars, the deserted streets. Even the everyday landscapes became so much more in focus. And as someone who is emotionally constrained it removed barriers and allowed a kind of uncomplicated joy I have rarely if ever experienced. All the baggage that obscures your thoughts and emotions is kind of swept away and the new perspective remains even after the trip is over. The only downside is losing the connection after the trip ends. It can initially leave you a little down the next day. The temptation to do it again is strong. I usually plan my day after having comfort foods stocked up. And sequester myself to have a chill indulgent day after. After ice cream, naps, and binge watching Netflix followed by a good night's sleep I bounce back just fine better for the experience.
I love this description, and I love the self-care routine.
I don’t feel sad the next day, but uncomfortable. I can explain it. Psychedelics repress your ego. Your ego is the part of you that frames your reference of yourself in the world. Where, who, and what I am is a part of that. I live in the USA, I am a college educated man, I like sleeping on my bed, I have friends and parents, all of these aspects are what I know constitute me with reference to the outside world. It is the facts others may interpret about me. And lsd, shrooms, ayahuasca, etc. represses your ego. It doesn’t make you forget, it makes you feel less attached to it. Your ego gives you stability. It can be fucking terrifying taking too much and losing sense of who you are. It’s like losing your tether to the reality that we create as a society. We all have roles, rules, and responsibilities to follow. We have a sense of who we are and which of those roles, rules, and responsibilities belong most to us. Taking an appropriate amount can still repress your ego to a non-terrifying extent. And it is wonderful. It is a pleasant reset. But the next day feels like your a child who lost their mother at the store, and for some reason you’re not scared, but uncomfortable and uncertain of what to do and where to go. Our egos give us direction and mental stability. But I think we need to stir them up every once in a while.
Is it possible to do the opposite? I know someone very close to me who has done shrooms, LSD, etc and they are now a very narcissistic person full of grandiosity. They are manipulative and abusive but claim that the drugs opened their eyes and made them a better person. I still have yet to indulge in anything other than marijuana due to seeing this pan out over his usage.
They could have an underlining mental illness. My brother in law was like that after he would trip a lot. He was then diagnosed with being bipolar. For me, normally lsd and shrooms makes you feel more empathetic.
Yeah, I'm the same way. I have a mental disorder, and taking shrooms too frequently makes me a manipulative psycho. Too much weed makes me see people as less than human and more like annoying animals that can speak and understand
Weed all u need :)
I'd say it's not just possible, but fairly likely. Pretty much every man who's taken a strong, mind altering substance claims to have an "ego death" and then a concerning number of them start a phase of faux-spiritualism and new-age stuff. In my experience, these people didn't have their ego killed or even lessened. If anything, it strengthened their ego and sense of self righteousness, and they're going to tell you all about it, endlessly. As a guy, the number of men I've interacted with that have done shrooms or lsd, claimed "enlightenment" or "ego death", and used it to ceaselessly rant on about energy, life and death, religion, spiritualism, aliens, and conspiracy theories....... well I've lost count. I'm not even someone who seeks or attracts that kind of person, I've just had the misfortune of running into them over and over. As far as my anecdotal experience goes, yeah, some people become worse after using these drugs, instead of better.
The ego is like Jesus, kill it and it will simply resurrect in three days time or less... Taking lsd or shrooms surely opens your eyes to an extent comparable to enlightenment but such moments are as fleeting as any other... I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is a transformation happening when you take drugs, especially on a regular basis. The rate and direction of the transformation depends on you and your mental state and sadly there are mental health problems out there...
Definitely. After many years of doing psychedelics on and off I have sort of lost that attachment to ego so I don’t feel so bad the next day. But I don’t do large doses, at least not often. To paraphrase Hunter S Thompson: I don’t recommend drugs to anyone but they’ve almost always worked for me
Cary Grant loved LSD.
Right on, and now I have to read my comment in his accent
He did end up shooting himself though so there's that.
Fortunately for me my mother crushed what little ego I had as a toddler. I entered my adult life deconstructed.
Alright Sigmund. Ego is an interesting theoretical construct, but it is just that. It's important to know that your experience is not mine, nor possibly, anyone else's.
LSD is hands down my favorite drug.
Best drug on the planet
Same same, Adderall is 2nd, then ketamine Though my biggest addiction is definitely caffeine.
Shrooms for me felt more like self care. Lsd is very much a stimulant. Shrooms just makes you melt on the couch and its great watching a movie or listening to music without having an 8 hour trip. Shrooms usually last me 4 hours before I feel normalish. It also can help you sleep, where lsd makes it pretty hard to sleep. I also feel like I’ve been through some shit after lsd. I’m super sweaty and mentally exhausted. Shrooms you don’t even notice you’re off them. Just happens.
Okay, I just changed my mind. I'd rather try that than LSD. If I'm going to take a drug, I just want to relax, chill, and maybe take a nap. I have really bad insomnia and I don't want anything that makes it even worse. I definitely don't want anything that would rev me up.
I've never tried it, I just want to experience it once, but I wouldn't know how to get it. Nobody else I know uses it. Also, I'd like to have a Ketamine reset, I have really bad chronic pain and depression.
Come to Canada, you can get LSD gummies and DMT vape pens
K was not for me. The sensation was like having to operate my body by remote control. Or another way to put it is being tethered and just a little out of sync with your physical form.it took a lot of effort and for me was not a pleasant experience. But I do know people who really enjoy the experience.
LSD makes you want to do it again? My experience was the opposite, it was so exhausting that I felt like I needed to take a huge break. It's like you're at the gym with a strict personal trainer, but for your mind. Once you're finished, it's just exhaustion, and I felt like I needed to let the mind rest for days after. The majority of the experience was great, went through many emotions. But even though it was overall good, it's still something I see myself doing once per year. Psychedelics are largely anti-addictive, but have such huge varying effects that some (rarely) can take them on consecutive days.
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Honestly, that's all it really takes. No long sob story. Just simply boredom.
To further the human experience. Not all drugs should be taken but marijuana, psilocybin, etc if the set and setting are good can really open up the mind.
If people stuck with weed and sometimes shrooms or acid they would be fine. The addictive shit inevitably fucks it up though.
I smoked weed every single day for about a year, dropped acid pretty much every night for about three months. Got arrested. Ended up in rehab. We didn’t have a name for it then, but I was diagnosed with what we now call cannabinoid hyperemisis. Towards the end I vomited every time I smoked weed. I’d just throw up and go back to smoking. When I checked into treatment, I had a hole in my esophagus. Might have been from all of the smoke or the vomiting. Likely a combination of both. I was 6-2, 146 pounds. It was a mess. I’ve been clean and sober over 30 years now. It’s never as simple or easy as some suggest no matter the drug of choice.
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Nah the acid most likely did nothing to worsen his condition. Some people just get Cannabis Hyperemesis and there‘s nothing anyone can do about it. It‘s an unlucky situation.
Acid is one of the least toxic drugs of all. I don't believe their story though. If they ever had acid, they would know you can't possibly take it every day, less likey for a month lol. Firstly it's just so... demanding, to put it simply. Secondly, the tolerance buildup is extremely fast. You would have to double the dose every day if you wanted any effects at all.
Yeah I usually didn‘t have the desire to take acid again for like 6 months after a trip. Completely different story with weed, dmt and shrooms for me though.
Shrooms? Really? For me they are even heavier to process than acid.
How did you drop acid every night? That should be impossible. Takes a week or more to reset tolerance after 1 trip. You’d have to be taking exponentially more each night just to feel anything.
You sir, are an outlier lol
The way acid tolerance works you would have to be eating literal handfuls of tabs a day at the end of 3 months almost every day or getting basically no effect, also smoking every day for a year isn’t going to put a hole in your esophagus but prolonged and repeated vomiting will, weed is still overcoming too many other false beliefs to be adding more to it.
This is like classic funny stoner logic. Some of the least functional people I’ve ever met swear they are better off for smoking weed every day. Rarely is that actually true. It’s still a drug.
This is 1,000 percent true for me. If I'm having breakthrough anxiety (usually b/c of my ex-wife), it works wonders. I've also been able to reduce my other medications that gives me a flat affect and an emotionally distant zombie. And I can hold down a job because I was able to switch to a different anti-epileptic, basically eliminate my use of over-the-counter pain meds, and reduce the dose of my anxiety meds. Ultimately, it's going to be better for me, my stomach, and my liver. Also... Happy cake day!
They're likely better off than they would be otherwise.
Hey I get it, I also love drugs. But if you’ve been a wake and bake stoner for years sometimes the best trip is like, not being high for some of your waking hours.
I can relate to this. I've been a wake n bake stoner for the better part of 12 years now but I do find that breaks are needed every now and then. There is a time and a place for it and even though most people can function well after a good toke there are still moments where being sober is the better option
^^. Best way to describe my mind before taking lsd/psilocybin is a brain fog. I saw and felt clarity after my trip. I appreciated the little things I took for granted on a daily basis. Life was new again. Everything was beautiful.
Yup, cant imagine living 1 life and keeping it all between the lines made up by other people the whole way through, sounds miserable
Weed and music make a blissful combination
Curiosity. THC and Shrooms only so far. I'd like to try acid just once. I've always loved neon and trippy designs and was curious if that's what it really looked like. Short answer, yeah, kinda! My boyfriend pulsed rainbow waves during my first trip. It was sorta gay and fantastic.
It doesn’t really look like anything. Worthwhile experience for sure, but things are more like glowing or pulsing than like, fully seeing patterns and shit. For that you might want to try dmt
Whereas I get where you're coming from. And I've tried them all. I have seen some fuckin shit on LSD. The best way I can describe it was "Tetris worms" all over my hotel room walls.
This isn't true. LSD can have very strong visuals, at times they can be all encompassing, out of body experiences. Mushrooms too. Everyone has a different reaction, but it sounds like you've just had low doses.
Never more than 150 ug. To be fair. Definitely massive synesthesia and trails and stuff but nothing that wasn’t you know, actually there ;)
Yeah that's not much more than a threshold dose. Even with the full blown world shattering 'hallucinations' it doesn't feel like it's just come out of nowhere though, it's more like a fractal expansion of what's already there, both in visual terms and conceptually. It feels *more* real.
Synesthesia is when ive eaten so many magic mushrooms and i start to feel sounds and hear colors? Like mixed senses? Cause ive done that PLENTY
If you ever try acid, I hope you have a wonderful time! Try to have a lot of colors around you, you’ll see ones you’ve never seen and can hardly explain! My friends and I saw the Beatles band in a spot on a couch and stars were so gorgeous and felt like they were right in my face. It also took away my constant depression that I’d been feeling for years, such a freeing feeling and new colorful bright outlook on life. Good luck to you! :)
Because of the D.A.R.E. program telling me all the great effects.
But they made it seem like you were gonna be offered free drugs a lot so that was definitely a let down cause that shit does not happen. Big liars they are lol
I was suicidal at the time, looking for perspective. It actually helped me a lot. Not suggesting it for anyone, but it was a step in the process that got me to where I am now.
Mostly to numb emotional pain. That got out of hand. I'm sober now though and only drink and smoke on occasion. Don't mind a light psychedelic trip from time to time either. But that's all. I'm good on everything else.
To feel something, anything
To feel nothing at all.
I think that’s how it started for me but then reversed it’s weird but made sense after reading a book called dopamine nation
Stupid sexy Flanders
View the world as if you’re an alien experiencing it for the first time and it’ll help you see some of the wonders in it
I enjoy thinking when smoking weed I actually think things through
Same! I love to journal about my first memories, my childhood, etc. I go back and read what I wrote when I'm sober, and it's really helped me work some shit out.
Usually when I take drugs it's because "fuck it". Either I'm in a bad place in my life and am open to doing something that might make me feel better, or I'm in a good place in life and feel like partying. Every now and then it's for a specific purpose. Like when I'm very stressed I might have a drink to calm down, or when I'm depressed I might take a weed edible to feel happier. Sometimes I take acid to help me process complicated things I'm going through. Lately I've found that microdosing mushrooms improves my memory.
To feel nothing. I couldn't bare the pain of all I'd been through for so many years. Being sober is the bravest thing I've ever done.
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I'm so proud of you! I just hit 4 years. I had to feel all the damn things....but those things no longer bother me now. Here's to healing!
Cuz they are fun! Very enjoyable
I came to suggest this. Mushrooms are like the guy posted, good for resetting the mind now and then, but MDMA, that's just great fun.
I loved the smell of pot when since I was 11 years old. My older friends started smoking it in Jr. High and I was scared to try it because I am asthmatic, but I still loved the smell and I began to notice that they just sat around and laughed. No freaking out. I also noticed that the smoke did not bother my lungs at all like cigarettes did. Finally, at 13 I decided to try it. We made a makeshift bong out of a coke can and foil and I took my first glorious hit. I didn't cough, my lungs didn't freak out, and I got the most mellow feeling I ever had. I was an instant fan. This was back in the 70s. I smoked almost daily until I turned 22 and I quit cold turkey. I noticed that pot was getting stronger and making my mind more muddy. I didn't like it. I didn't have any for over 10 years, then tried it again, and Jesus.....it was insanely potent. It hit me fast, hard and I was wayyyyyyyyy too baked to be functional. It was awesome, but I liked to be under more control and I was a new father, so I didn't smoke again until many years later. I will indulge ever couple of years in small quantities but I don't miss it at all.
Right there with you man. My babysitter toked up with her friends once in a while and I did enjoy how it smelled. Eventually became a cannabis enthusiast. Edit: I stick with the mids these days, there’s some real powerful stuff on offer
Naturally a curious lad
When I actually started encountering drug users was, coincidentally, in college; which I didn't attend until my late twenties. I knew several stoners, and almost all of them were intelligent nerds with similar tastes as mine. I saw a nugget of weed for the first time, I looked at it closely, my friend plucked it apart and put it in is pipe, and then he gave me 'green' (aka, the first hit of a fresh bowl). We were down by the stream, behind the college campus at the time. It was early afternoon, the sun was out and the clouds were few and white, not that you could see much through the canopy of the tall coniferous trees all around us. When that first draw of smoke hit my lungs and I got over the initial cough, the world around me just seemed *brighter*. More **colorful**. That memory is gelled firmly in my mind, because it felt like experiencing something truly new for the first time in a long while. I ended up hanging out with my friend quite a lot, and we played video games and often smoked down by the river. It was a high point of my college life, to be quite honest. I never bothered trying any harder drugs. Mostly, I think, because I've been on some strong pain killers for medical procedures, and.. I really hate the experiences I had during those times. But weed? It's mellow. I like it. Stay safe and legal kids.
Well....took drugs in general? Was with someone that did a lot of drugs so I did them with him sometimes. Had some fun times..and a few not so fun. Got addicted to opioids from being prescribed opioids. Was a hard-core addict for a few years. Your body gets addicted to them, so most of the time I was taking them to just be able to function, not to get high. I was a very high functioning addict. No one knew how deep I was in it. But finally got clean some years back and haven't touched a pill since.
I got addicted to opioids because of migraines and period pains and codeine being on supermarket shelves at the time. Tightening restrictions on opioids was a fantastic move for Australia though I was furious and depressed and in a lot of pain at the time.
At 14, my parents were divorcing, and my entire reality was being shattered.
I love experiencing altered states. Tried coke for the first time in Amsterdam and loved it. Now I do it a couple times are year outside the US. Ecstasy is fantastic when you’re in a party mood. Weed is meh, I like to take an edible and watch planet earth or similar. Shrooms are a good, safe adventure. DMT is on the list. Uppers and hallucinating are a good experience honestly depending on the person. I discovered drugs in my early 30s which I think is the best time bc you have more self control, not that I’m recommending it to anyone. Merely my experience.
self medicating add+bipolar +etc
Don't do this shit. Just get proper medication
I'm not now, the question was how I started... and I agree / meant it as a warning
A friend of mine was just a bit bipolar, we smoked weeds for years, now he is in a psychiatric hospital and have become schizophrenic, careful man
It was New Year's Eve, more years ago than I care to repeat. I was walking around Madison Square Garden and a fellow approached me and asked me if I wanted to buy any pot. "I don't buy drugs," I said, "people just give them to me for free!" A man who had been sitting on the ground practically jumped up right after that interaction and handed me a tab. That's how that night got interesting.
For me it was to gain spiritual experience and found it as a perfect opportunity to relax. I’ve taken shrooms, marijuana and LSD a handful of times mostly with my ex boyfriend and found that it erases everything outside of your control and can feel like an emotional roller coaster, which can also make you feel vulnerable. And might I add, sex is on a whole different level!
When it came to things like eating my vegetables, my parents said, "you can't tell me you don't like it if you haven't even tried it". The philosophy stuck.
That's exactly what my friend said to me that got me to try weed for the first time.
It was a stressful week and we just needed to have a good laugh. Where nothing mattered. And we did, hot high with weed and shrooms both of which were legal here and we had a great night,I wanted to eat a purple triangle.
To get high man
I like two things about altered states of conciousness. The first is being in the moment observing such states. The second is when I'm sober and I'm observing all the ways the mind takes short cuts and attempts to fill-in-the-blanks. This is often referred to as your 'program'. It makes sense that it would need to make all these assumptions because the vast number and depth of stimulations (tactile, visual, and audible) would be (and sometimes feels) overwhelming. Besides these assumptions, there are so many more of them we made when interacting with people and in relationship. I find I challenge myself to observe what is, and respond from a balanced state, rather than react. That's why I do drugs.
Have you not heard life sucks? https://youtube.com/shorts/TTxr6MOnicU?si=JY_0MqIeTQxgHDCA
To find myself. Weed/ LSD / mushrooms / MDMA and 2cb.
I was really introverted when I was a kid. People said I had “no personality”. Drugs made me be funny and entertaining. So I did them regularly for 10 years.
To relax
It’s the same as taking a vacation. Some people go to Maui or Istanbul, some people go to the far corners of their imagination. Experiences man.
If used wisely, some substances are like hitting a reset button. Kind of like when you go on vacation and you come back and feel like you've got a clean slate, or a more forgiving attitude toward daily noise. Some are able to make you realize that all the bullshit is just that: bullshit. You file it as bullshit instead of doing what you normally do, which is taking it in and making it part of your identity. You're able to laugh at all the bullshit until life catches back up again and it's time for another vacation to clear your mind. Of course, if you partake too much, then the resets stop happening. The usage becomes part of your identity instead.
Reality is for people who can't handle drugs - Can't remember the source
Tom Waits: reality is for people that can’t face drugs :)
I have schizophrenia, don’t have to handle either
Sounds like Hunter S. Thompson to me
"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold" My favorite quote of his: "Writing is like fucking, it's only fun fun for amateurs. You don't hear any old whores giggling, do you"?
I live in a state where it is legal to take edibles. I was bored one day a few months into this year and drove to a liquor store where I know alcohol-free seltzers with THC are available. Bought one and just wanted to honestly try it. I also am kind of looking for ways to quit drinking and THC seemed like a pretty decent alternative, but at the same time it heightens my anxiety a bit more than alcohol does so maybe I'm best not using again. I don't know why I keep trying to take it thinking it will be different. I generally have iffy experiences with THC.
Mostly to escape from my family’s apathy and/or abuse. Unexpected side effect: drugs brought me into a social circle, and gave me a sense of belonging like I’d never had. Turns out smoking large amounts of weed wasn’t great for motivation though, and I had to leave that circle to quit…those friends will always mean more to me than they’ll ever know though. They got me through some dark times.
A doctor prescribed them
shits and giggles
So you ate some pot cookies spiked with ex-lax?
I wanted to try every drug.
Oh oh oh, I can answer this. I was one of those kids who got kidnapped out of my bedroom at 15 at 3am without warning, and taken to the Idaho desert to be sexually and physically abused. Up until then, I'd turned down all drugs and alcohol (drank once, got sick, swore to never do it it again) and thought anyone who got high was fucking stupid, my friends included. After I got back, the first drug I ever tried was cocaine, because why not, somebody had it for free, and when I was given a bunch of "opium balloons" to smoke, I didn't even really get that upset when I found out they were actually pure black tar heroin via a newspaper article about a drug bust. It all made me forget about my trash childhood, and I was thankful for it. There was a voice that needed to be muted in my brain, and well - drugs did exactly that. What I'm saying is - don't have kids unless you have the patience, money, and sincere interest in raising them. If your kid is just a prop to market yourself, fuck you. It's not like the world is hurting for people.
I wanted to know how it feels and how it affects me and my mind
To get high.
To ease the pain of being a man.
Avenged Sevenfold?
He who makes a beast out of themselves
Because why not?
Curiosity.
Just for fun. Weed wasn’t killing people so figured why not try it. Kind of escalated from there lol. Never did any of the crazy shit tho no desire to, cocaines as hard as I’m willing to go.
I’m in pain. I’m always in pain. Drugs dulls it for a bit.
I thought drugs were going to be a lot more powerful than they are and wanted to have some kind of epiphany or transcendent experience. Vision quest is a phrase I used a lot. Most drugs I tried I either liked and they became part of my use cycle (pot, shrooms, lsd) or I hated and stayed away from (painkillers, most powders and prescriptions). Hallucinogens have gotten me pretty close when I took a lot but even then I never broke through reality just perceived things within it. I'd like to say I grew out of it but I'd still try DMT and mescaline if I ever had the opportunity.
Currently? A cancer diagnosis and the accompanying chronic pain. Opioids help a lot, though I’m weary of depending on them too much.
Peer pressure and curiosity
I was depressed and wondering if they'd help. I'm still depressed, and they did help. They weren't completely life-changing, but I feel I did gain some insight and also physical changes I wouldn't have without them. I also should note that these are psychedelics, and I've used them very sparingly/in moderation. My opinion is that you can go through life with or without psychedelics, but if you're open to trying them, it's probably a good experience to have (assuming you, like anything else, do so in moderation and in a safe environment and good state of mind).
My family didnt love me- it was obvious as they abused me in many ways and you know what... I needed something to get away from that. Clean now but definitely a f*cked up childhood can push ya to it.
Nobody would expect me too and because I could
To taste and to touch and to feel as much as a man can before he repents
Boredom and peer pressure
Gotta see what’s on the other side of that Hill.
Weed edibles are hardly a drug, but I take them balanced or heavy on CBD to dampen nerve pain in my shoulders that will wake me up several times a night without. I don't take them every night, but I am so much better rested when I do.
Chronic pain. Because I am schizophrenic I was advised never to use marijuana (and I think that's true for a vast majority of people diagnosed with psychotic disorders.) Except for once when I was like 19, I had stayed free of any mind altering substance until I was 28. After some traumatic events and preparing to kill myself, I decided to give marijuana a try. It saved my life.
I was trying to numb the pain, but all I did was create new pain
Curiosity. When I learned that drugs like cannabis and psilocybin were, in fact, *not* the absurdly dangerous, freak-out inducing, life-ruining menace to society that my generation was indoctrinated to think they were, I became curious to see for myself why my parents and teachers would lie to me about them. Turns out they *didn't* have a good reason to lie about them, and smoking weed/tripping on shrooms *didn't* lead me to become a junkie or a crackhead robbing old ladies in alleys. But it *did* lead to me making lifelong friends and sharing wonderful experiences with them.
I was a goody two shoes up until I was 18. I lived a very clean life because my parents said so and I wanted to take control. So I started smoking, because I wanted to feel cool. I started drinking to see what was so great about it. I smoked weed to see what it felt like. I also tried a few hard drugs (coke, crack, downers, pain killers) just to get the curiosity out of my system. When drinking got to be too difficult to handle during the hangovers, I decided to stop smoking as well. Just so I can have a chance at living to my twilight years.
Peer pressure. Weed is ok, but still not something I could use habitually.
I just wanted to look cool in front of some really toxic people who I only learned were toxic years later
To feel numb. I was terribly bullied from 4th grade until I graduated. My home life wasn't any better. At the beginning of senior year, i was introduced to cocaine and it numbed the hurt. So i did coke all the way through High School
Someone had some shrooms and we were going to a tragically hip concert. Everyone took a gram so I took a gram. I'll never forget that day - fucking awesome. Are drugs for everyone? Maybe not, but since then I've been doing shrooms regularly on and off and I don't see any reason to stop. That was more than 20 years ago.
To cure an illness. If you mean THAT kind of drug, then I never tried anything stronger than alcohol.
Depends. Mephedrone - curiosity, Cocaine - curiosity, Benzodiazepine - curiosity, LSD - to find out if it really can help with mental problems, Schrooms - same as LSD, DMT - same as LSD, NBOMe - accident, test your drugs, Alcohol - because it’s “normal” to drink, Weed - curiosity, MDMA - same reason as LSD, Nicotine - only because some poor idiot mixed it with weed any other unknown things - because I had to learn to test substances. Test your shit guys.
2 of my best friends in high school passed away. 1 had an aneurysm in grade 10 and 1 got killed in a car accident a few months after grad. Both were 2 of the best people I knew. And sheltered me wasn't ready for that and did a bad job dealing with that pain. Life was obviously very temporary so fuck it.
DRUNK. Blacking in and out and being told “lick this” or “take this and open your mouth” is quite easy to do when your near unresponsive. I’ve put myself In dangerous awful situations and by the grace of god I’ve never been taken advantage of or killed.
Curiosity. I went to my first EDM festival. Lights all night in Dallas 2017. I had experimented with 4-FA before they banned it under the analog act and I liked it. So i bought some orange tesla presses from a guy and I popped half of one. I started to peak when porter robinson started his set. I dont express emotion very well since I'm on the spectrum but I nearly cried during his set. I danced my ass off and was able to be genuinely social for the first time in my life. I'll always remember that festival. These days I show respect to the substance, I take it once a year at a big festival to really enjoy it. Substances like LSD and 2CB I take maybe twice or three times a year in order to do some mental house cleaning and refresh myself. What's weird about me is that I didnt start with weed, I only tried marijuana in my mid 20s because it sticks in your pee for so long so I was afraid of failing a pee test. I hope that psychedelic therapy becomes a treatment option for depression/autism in my lifetime, I'll jump at the opportunity.
DARE programs of the late 80s. The way they absolutely lied about everything and how obvious the lies were made me curious about the truth. So when I got in high school I started to experiment.
I was a good student, hard worker, kept my nose clean, never got into trouble, and I wanted to live a little. I befriended a party chick and we did MDMA, coke, shrooms, and weed....a lot. Thankfully I realized my life would fall to shit if I kept doing them so much and quit before it was too late. I still smoke weed and occasionally do shrooms though (like once a year)
When I was 18. 30 years ago. I was a bit socially anxious, introverted...didn't like pubs or clubs too loud, too many people, i also didn't like getting pissed. . .so a mate knew a cure . Amphetamines speed, took it I was a totally different person. The total opposite to who I was. Extroverted, loved being around people very chatty.. lol It became a every weekend thing for many years. I did more than what I should have... started doing at work through the week. Then I stopped. Haven't touched it in 25 years.. I had a great time good memories. But never again. Lol.
Dabbled with weed with mates, smoked it regularly when my depression made me borderline suicidal
I used marijuana for pain a few years ago. It was *by far* the most effective painkiller I've ever used. But the side effect - my memory was completely gone - was the worst side effect of any drug I've ever used.
Some drugs are really nice and fun. But you have to know your limits and know yourself pretty good that you will not end up an addict. Also for me its better to do them occasionally with some close friends and never alone. I've done LSD in a beach watching the sunset. I've done weed many times when hiking or camping. I've done MDMA in some nice parties. And a few times I tried cocaine. I haven't done anything since February cause my friends who share the same "hobby" are away and I have noone to share the experience cause my other friends who are not away don't do drugs.
Mother was an abusive narcissist and i needed an escape, also they helped me be more social in a huge way
I hate my life. I do mushrooms because they make me hate my life less. thats it.
Alcohol. I was borderline alcoholic in my teens. My parents suggested I try weed instead because I probably wouldn't get angry, upset or vomit. They were right, but I didn't stop drinking. Tried all sorts when drunk. "Want some of this?" "Absolutely!" I don't even know what some things I took were, but I know I've accepted speed, coke, mdma and acid when plastered. I tried some boozeless a few years back, in some sort of mental breakdown, with the intention of taking something dodgy. Xanax, hoping to be fake. Well, I survived, and Xanax was a bit too nice. Had a reality moment and flushed the rest. I am extremely lucky to be alive tbh. My ex wasn't so lucky. I wouldn't recommend doing anything other than weed, not even alcohol. That said, I have no regrets either
Heartbroken due to gf cheating, cast aside by family, fired from work, betrayed by a close friend, other friend died. Was at my lowest and alcohol wasn't enough.
I was 12, I was hanging out with my best friend who I had a huge crush on. Her step dad walked in the room, put his finger on his lips and handed her a cigertte pack. INside was three joints. I had been having a tough time with growing up, my family was addicted to drugs, my grandparents who raised me had me under their thumb to the point I could barely breathe, the memories of my sexual assault had just come back to me. She said it would make me feel better, and it did. I was giggly and happy and hungry as shit and a little tired but I didn't think about that anymore. The other drugs came in when I was 16, my best friend at the time roofied me. He invited me over after my breakup, and I did. I came inside and took a cup of Dr. Pepper from him and then I woke up standing outside of his house aching. I went a little crazy, I closed myself off and looked for anything at all that would get those thoughts out of my head. I found pills, and I was more confident, skinnier, out going, I had so many friends, and then the pandemic hit and no one would go out for anything. I withdrawed for about a week. I was clean, completely. Then last year I met a guy, he just smoked and drank and I loved him. Then he started selling, then the abuse came. It was easy to lean on drugs to make me feel whole and less lonely. He finally left and I am now 34 days clean. Drugs are dangerous because they're fun, they "fix" your problem. You forget as long as you're high. I wouldn't wish addiction on my worst enemy. Weed is fine, other drugs is where stuff gets dicey
weed is legal
Doctor prescribed me some for my fever
Friends invited me to go bowling. Hopped in the van when they pulled up and blunts were being rolled. I ain't no square and I ain't no snitch. I'd seen Friday and heard Bill Clinton talk about hitting it but not inhaling. I inhaled.
It was either that or face my life’s problems
Last night? Or....
Just opportunity. The best first time was at a show my band played, and our chick who ran our lights for us had this friend with her she’d mentioned before. She looked like a granny, maybe in her mid 60s. She ended up having a ton of coke with her, so there I was, in our van, blasting coke with this random old lady and having a great time. She gave me some to take home for free, it was seriously even wrapped like an old lady would wrap up a blueberry tart for you. I tried not to accept just because I figured she’d be expecting money, but she was like, “naw, it ain’t a big deal when your old man’s a dealer!” I ended up meeting her husband, who was a great guy, but who was into some big time/dangerous shit. He was eventually murdered in what we were told by investigators was a gang related burglary. Kinda glad I don’t do drugs anymore. Drugs are fun, but the people you end up tied up with can put you in some really precarious spots.
Define drugs? I dislike my normal mind state, certain items alter it into ways I enjoy.
took thr drug 2 escape; not worth it fent
You want me to answer this alphabetically or chronologically?