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What is something you've never done, that most people probably have?
I've never broken a bone! I've probably had minor fractures before and played it off when stubbing my toe for example, but as far as I know, I've never broken a bone.
Tildes, tildites, tilidians? What is something you've never done?
Never smoked. Haven't had any alcohol either. Nor coffee now that I think about it.
That's a good thing. Neither of those are really that great to begin with.
I've never smoked, either. Never wanted to.
I realized something the other day: When I was growing up, the only person I saw smoking was my grandmother. As a result, I never thought smoking was cool or rebellious. I just thought it was a gross, dumb thing that old people did.
With how much two of those three are taxed where I'm from, you're saving money!
I've never smoked cigarettes either and never plan on it, it just seems so disgusting.
Alcohol is weird, it's certainly enjoyable but it's not all it's cracked up to be. I was very unimpressed the first time I drank, like there's all this cultural hype around it (especially for underaged people) and then it just decreased your inhibition and maybe gives some mild euphoria. Nothing that you can't replicate with caffeine (euphoria) and tiredness (lower inhibition). And the experience of actually being drunk is miserable.
That said I don't think there's any real reason to avoid drinking, unless you have a family predilection to alcoholism or something.
I don't know about you, but caffeine certainly doesn't make me euphoric and being tired only increases my inhibitions, if anything. Neither of those things is anything like getting buzzed in my experience.
It also affects different people very differently. There are angry drunks, sleepy drunks, happy drunks, slutty drunks, and so forth. Even if it physically affects two people the same way, they can experience it quite differently due to personal, social, and environmental factors. Drugs are complicated.
caffeine and tiredness gives me panic attacks, having a few drinks does the opposite. maybe caffeine and tiredness works the same as drinking for you, but for me - totally different worlds.
Are you seriously recommending a mind-altering substance to a total stranger?
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/what-psychedelics-really-do-to-your-brain-112948/
https://www.livescience.com/61902-psychedelic-drugs-change-personality.html
https://drugabuse.com/library/effects-acid-lsd/
Sure, the trips might feel nice, but these drugs can result in a permanent alteration of the user's personality. Not everyone wants that. Maybe you should be warning people about these risks, not just saying tripping is "a super eye opening experience" which results in "a massive improvement in [people's] lives".
Wow, that was a fantastic breakdown. I'm glad to see folks like you advocating responsible drug use and how to do it.
For what it's worth, as someone who's essentially never done any drugs or alcohol before (just tried coffee for the first time a couple of months ago, decided to just sleep more instead), I hugely appreciate the resources you linked to. I've been considering trying hallucinogens and cannabinoids recently, and I'm really looking forward to reading more about them. So thank you!
I don't think a stranger on the internet is going to convince me or anyone else to run out and drop a tab on a whim. There are also extensive topics in one of the links they provided that advise proper usage and safety precautions. I am more than capable of making descisions for myself and taking responsibility for my own actions. Honestly, I don't understand how anyone could feasibly displace the responsibility of taking hallucinogens on a random person on the internet. "But, they said it was the best thing ever!"
I don't believe you'll make a stupid decision based on a random stranger's suggestion.
I'm shocked to see someone pushing drugs here, and amazed at the gall of someone telling a total stranger that they should take a dangerous brain-changing substance. To me, this equates to someone telling you to jump off a cliff or play Russian Roulette with a loaded gun. It's highly irresponsible.
I'd say that's a pretty extreme comparison. I've done plenty of hallucinogens (just not acid) plenty of times, yet I'm not dead. I've known probably over a hundred people who have done hallucinogens, yet I can't think of a single instance of a friend dying because of it. But I'm pretty sure if I played a round of Russian roulette with a few other people, the odds would be pretty damn good that someone would blow their brains out.
As for the permanent changes, that is different for everybody. Sure, it can be shown that there are cases with negative outcomes. I won't bother disputing that. But you are also completely ignoring the cases with positive outcome. Hallucinogens have actually helped me get through some pretty fucked up periods and overcome suicidal depression. And I'm not some special case outlier.
If something isn't right for you, that doesn't make it some intolerable thing that must be banished from existence.
It's also irresponsible for me to recommend one of my favorite hiking spots. There are rattlesnakes, mountain lions, black widows, bobcats, sometimes even bears, hell even the manson caves are up there and weird fuckers go there all the time. Someone could fall of a cliff. Actually, this has happened more times than instances I've heard of where someone on hallucinogens is seriously injured or killed.
So should I just never tell anyone to go hiking?
There's a big difference between not being right for me, and being dangerous and irresponsible.
You certainly shouldn't say it's a relaxing and life-changing experience without also mentioning the risk of someone injuring themself or dying. The way @Cocoa describes drugs, there's no risk at all.
I mean... I'm all in favour of people being allowed to harm themselves in the manner of their own choice, but they should bloody well be informed about it!
This seems ridiculous to me. Honestly? I shouldn't tell people about a hiking spot without warning them about every conceivable danger? Are you being serious?
What about driving to the store? There is an incredibly high rate of accidents where I live. Would I be remiss in my responsibilities to my fellow human is I told someone to go the store without making it explicitly clear that they might get T-boned by a texting driver? Or run over in the parking lot?
It's to be assumed. Life is dangerous. Everything comes with a possibility of injury or death. Life itself comes with a 100% chance of death. Drugs obviously come with risk attached.
And again, since you seemed to have completely glossed over the point, @Cocoa did provide resources that stress the importance of responsible use. Honestly, the degree of contention you are exerting in this thread seems unwarranted and excessive. I respect the hell out of you and you seem to be a very reasonable person, but this just seem uncharacteristic.
I know this might be too close to shit-talking territory (and not constructive conversation), but from what I've seen this is in line with Algernon's behavior on tildes.
I totally agree. That's one reason I don't drink.
I haven't had a drink since my 18th birthday (and even that was just a sip to keep someone else happy). I have never smoked. I never took party drugs even while I partied. I refused to take antidepressants when doctors have recommended them at periods in my life. I will not take mind-altering substances. The strongest drug I take is caffeine: over the past few years, I've been drinking about 3 or 4 600ml bottles of my preferred cola per week. That's it.
I've seen up close what can happen to people who use drugs. I will not allow that to happen to me.
And I will totally support you in that. However, there's a slight difference between discussing drugs and recommending them. Especially recommending them without informing people about the risks.
As I said in another comment here, I'm totally in favour of people choosing their own method of harm, but I believe they should know what harm they're choosing.
I'm even in favour of full legalisation, regulation, and taxation of all drugs - just like alcohol and nicotine. Legalising drugs will take money away from organised criminals. Regulating other drugs like alcohol is regulated will allow people to control their usage, and will reduce overdoses. Taxing drugs will pay for the hospital and medical services that drug users require. Let people use drugs freely, I say.
But that doesn't mean it's safe to use them.
Exceptions obviously have to be made for prescribed medication that is required to make people healthy and functional, such as your anti-anxiety medication and your hormones.
But recreational drugs have no use case, as you say, and even some prescribed medication isn't as necessary as doctors would have us think (anti-depressants and ADHD medications are over-prescribed).
Given that their use case is recreation, this statement seems to me the same as saying video games, music, movies, or tv has no use case.
adding on to this, I used weed in a past life - everyday for two years. i had my first panic attack when I was baked, and they've persisted (weekly) to this day. not saying don't use psychedelics - but use them responsibly, and be wary of the risks. also, weed is stronger than most people give it credit for.
Is Erowid no longer a thing? Long ago I remember it being the spot for talking about trips and interactions, but that was... oof... 15 years ago?
PsychonautWiki is your friend. It has all the information of erowid in a more concise, publicly available database. Plus, the front end actually looks like it aged past 1998.
Oh, I've done shrooms plenty of times. Only ever had a couple bad trips, but the last bad one was bad enough that I can't really do them anymore. Sometimes I can handle small amounts if I'm out in the middle of nowhere. I mostly just like the body high now. Mental stuff is a bit too much for me. I can be somewhat prone to anxiety, and usually the prospect of getting tied into a prolonged trip can induce enough anxiety to sabotage the trip itself. I liked salvia back in the day, but just the raw leaf was plenty for me. The concentrated stuff wasn't even really around much until I had gotten burned out on psychadelics.
More recently, I've considered microdosing San Pedro. I've heard good stuff about it. But overall, my days of tripping are over. Wouldn't be against small doses if the time was right, but I'm rarely in a good enough mental space to handle anything major.
But yea, never acid. Nothing against it, just never got into it.
I've got no shortage of sources for negative head space. Keeping it balanced out is a major priority in managing my ability to function. I've got it down to a pretty decent system, but it can get thrown off pretty bad if I mess around too much.
I think I remember hearing something about that for ketamine. I don't think it would be the right fit for me, but I know they also use it for treating symptoms of CPRD/RSD.
I think another factor that contributed to me losing interest was that I only ever liked psilocybin when I was out backpacking in the middle of nowhere. Felt the most safe and most in my element. But I haven't gone backpacking regularly in a long time. Used to go out at least once a month, sometimes two or three times if I could, so I had plenty of awesome opportunities. But I think the last time I properly went backpacking was maybe 5 years ago. I've gone camping since then, but it's different. There's people. I like backpacking because there's no one but the friends who come with.
Saw the “Unspeakable Horrors” effect in the Index. Like — what is that like?
Woah. That is some actual Cthulhu stuff. Do you know of a place that keeps bad trip stories? I want to read more of those.
Have you read Leary's Politics Of Ecstasy? He made some really good points, especially in terms of using psychedelics for therapeutic purposes and advocating for people experienced with tripping to lead such purposes... but I swear, half the chapters read like the incoherent ramblings of someone who's tripped way too much. At one point I believe he seriously suggested spiking the water supply with acid. Curious what you think.
That's a good way of phrasing the difference between the old-school and new-school approach to psychedelics, and it seems to check out with my experience as well!
This is something that really interests me. I feel like there's a lot of potential for psychedelics to be used to treat severe mental illness with experienced guides, and I hope it becomes more of a thing. If I were more experienced I'd love to help some of my friends work through some of their issues.
Thanks for posting, and I'm glad to see there's folks with a knowledgeable and responsible approach to recreational drugs on here. :)
I have never been stung by a bee.
I hate you. I have been stung 21 times....
I hate you both. I'm deathly allergic. I've been stung twice. died both times (no autonomic heart function) and spent a week each time in a coma.
Holy shit. That would suck. Do you have an EpiPen?
Epipen has almost no effect on me when I'm stung by a bee/wasp/hornet.
Last time was 25 years ago and my heart stopped, after two does from an Epipen.
I'm coming for you. In all seriousness, are you curious as to what the experience might feel like?
Hell no. In fact I'm a bit scared that I would have some kind of allergic reaction. I sometimes get some crazy swelling from mosquito bites so I really don't want to find out what a bee sting would do to me.
Oh wow, that's unfortunate. I think I'm partially the same, I recently got ~12 mosquito bites in the same 2 inch radius on my calf. At least I think they are mosquito bites lol
I've never "been to the club" or had a one night stand >_< I feel so prudish lol
Clubs seem hot, sweaty, loud, and awkward and I could never bring myself to sleep with someone without being romantically involved. You're not alone!
I love going clubbing. I'm in my early 20s with a love for EDM and House music. It's a great way to meet people!
If you were my friend and disliked clubbing but was still willing to come just to hang with the rest of the group and end up designated driving, you'd be owed favours!
I think that the most promiscuous I could get would be FWB. I think I would not enjoy a one night stand very much. But in the past I've had friends who I would have been ok with sleeping with and it not turning into anything recurring.
Never held a belief system promoted by any major or minor religious sect - I was more or less a born skeptic and couldn't figure out why grownups talked to invisible people for no apparent reason.
In the context of all the discussion about psychedelics above, the closest I got to "religious" experience, despite having done a fair sampling of entheogens, was just sitting in the woods meditating and having the "I am one with all things" moment.
Were your parents religious?
Dad was a non-observant believer, and felt guilty about it because he read too much Marx and Russell. Mom was raised Orthodox, and dumped it all to be a hell-raising first-wave feminist. Both insisted that I have a modicum of religious education, but it was about as dilute as possible.
Then there was the little detail that we were in a very Christian community, so a prime target for efforts to convert the heathen. Some of the Jesus stuff sounded good, but none of it really made sense, and prayer failed empirical testing.
I ask because I was raised very not-religiously and wound up being a Lutheren for awhile, not totally sure why.
I completely get why religious faith is appealing, but I never found a framework of belief that was internally consistent and reality-proof. I do acknowledge that human cognition is too limited to directly apprehend the nature of reality, but that's highly likely to be just a matter of tools and time. Meanwhile, I'm a good engineering approximation of an atheist.
A persons' religion doesn't have to be either for that 'spiritual' side of a person to be satiated. Most of me thinks it's the sense of community that matters way more than talking to god or whatever - a bunch of people with a common purpose believing in the same thing is a part of life that most of us lack, kinda like how we used to be all tribal - there's a lot to be gained by being religious.
I'm an atheist/agnostic (somewhere in between) - but I still go to buddhist (SGI) meetings occasionally just for that sense of community.
Never smoked a cigarette or used an illegal drug.
FYI I'm 44.
Never kissed a girl or been in a relationship before. Gonna become a wizard in a few years.
Ooh! I've never had a nose bleed for any reason! I remember kids my age getting nose bleeds all the time from dry weather, getting hit in the face, just random chance. And it's neber happened to me!
I have never had one without physical trauma. Closest thing would be bloody boogers overnight in the winter with the heat on and no moisture.
Never smoked pot.
I'm allergic. I get a sever migraine from the smoke or close proximity unfiltered smell.
And yes, I truly am allergic. I have enough allergies to have been tested.
I've never had any social media other than Farcebook. And that is gone now.
I have never asked a total stranger on a date (though one girl was almost a stranger).
I have never paid for any music.
40 years old and I have never attended a live concert (outside of ones I was in years ago for high school band) or music festival.
You should do it! Grab a pair of Etymotic concert earplugs beforehand though.