Should I do LSD?

Should he take LSD: NO. I think thats quite clear. I don't think anyone should take any kind of drugs. I've seen too many things go to hell because of drugs.

 

Then perhaps your input in the psychedelics forum isn't particularly useful.

No offense or anything, but this is a place for the discussion of psychedelic drugs. If you have no input to provide other than, "drugs are bad, mmkay" then why post here at all?

 

I think this sound advice in regards to the op topic.

Now to play referee...

You have the right to your opinion and if you have witnessed the horrors of drugs it can certainly be difficult to encourage their use. However I think it's fair to say that not all drugs should be treated as the same. I think this is one of the big failures of drug propaganda, drugs have a tremendous amount of variability in their effects, potential in their benefits and destruction, and frequency in which addiction occur. Given that I'm fairly studied with various drugs, I'd assume that most of those things you saw 'go to hell' were not the result of LSD.

Be aware of your own bias here. After all it was you that suggested Retired Hippie further elaborate his position. I think all opinions on the subject should be welcomed even if they aren't in accord with our own. I think the type of reaction to suggest someone should simply not post or their words not be valued because they are in a drug forum and are against them works sort of like a reverse discrimination if you will to the kind of misinformation and discriminatory rhetoric anti-drug propagandists often spread.

I believe the best way to approach exploring drugs is research as eatlysergicacid mentioned and exploring the various angles and insight to make an informed decision.

I've not taken either at a really low dose, I have found Psychedelics I have dosed low tend not to be quite as transformative experiences and somewhat counterproductive to alleviating any fears or concerns you may have regarding the plants/chems as you still won't really have an idea of what a full dose is like and you may go in on subsequent journeys with an unwarranted sense of bravado if that makes sense. I recommend that initial trip to be a substantial dose and once you gain a degree of respect for how powerful these plants and chems can be, scale back the dose from there if desired. Approach that initial trip as a rite of passage experience.

I find LSD more daunting, the duration of the trip is nearly twice as long and the trip creates a fairly clearheaded yet rapidly paced experience where my world is so radically transformed that I find it more convincing and difficult to dissect my mind perceptions as real or altered at points. Mushrooms can be overwhelming as well but I got more of a sense of feeling intoxicated and on a drug with shrooms, so I'm more easy to attribute the effects to the drug which can be strong, so strong in fact that sometimes they seem inhabited by a 'spirit' which seems sentient. Both trips are great though, whichever you come across first you should explore.

 

totally agree with all of this.

as far as the first part of what eatlysergicacid said, i would even go further and say that there are definitely other ways to enhance your self awareness that wil be less jarring and potentially triggering, especially for someone with a history of anxiety such as yourself- meditation, for example

 

Make sure you post about the time you take LSD, freak out and do yourself great bodily harm. I've seen it happen.

 

Lol, will do.

 

Mature discussions here...

This is totally the spirit HF should be... Retired should absolutely throw in his $.02 even if it goes against the grain.

I've found Eat's comments and approaches over time to be very unreckless and helpful and if more people approached psychedelics like he and GB do, there would be much less horror stories for Retired to repeat.

 

If you have a difficult trip, it is imperative that you NOT get off the drug/sedate yourself, or "abort" it.

That's when the important things happen.

Don't fight it, open up to it and learn from it.

"fight the ocean and you will drown"

 

I'll take all the dislikes you want to give me if I can get just ONE person to think before they act.

 

Hey! Thanks to all of you, this has truly been helpful!


RetiredHippie - I THINK before I act! That's why I post in here before anything else

 

The best thing to do is let the acid do what it wants. Your subconscious will direct it wherever necessary. You won't see or experience anything without some sort of purpose. A bad trip doesn't mean a negative trip. There is always something to take away from it. I know you're worried about mejtal health and things like that. But with acid at least, if you do 'lose your mind' it'll always be waiting for you when you come down. Don't forget set and setting. I highly reccomend doing it in a secluded spot out in the woods. I also really think you should do LSD. Shrooms are much more likely to turn uncomfortable or hell on earth all together. Acid is very beneficial and really unlikely to cause 'bad' experiences.

 

Thank you very much NovexusPrime! Truly helpful...!

 

should you trip is no longer question, it seems like you've already talked yourself into it, and you're going to do it psychological problems and bad trips damned.

this is where we come in with the harm reduction advice.

1. pretty much everything written by old posters before me is true follow their advice
2. be in a comfortable place when you trip
3. trying to think of some fun activities to do while you're tripping
4. don't drop your doses until u know the time is right
5. don't have anything important on your schedule for the day

well there you go there's some very good advice, remember set and setting, start small, and RELAX! your first time is probably gonna be a terrific experience- think about how many people have taken acid more than just once! Its pretty incredible!!

Oh, and if it were up to the shrinks we would all be diagnost as some kind of crazy =p

 

Some good advice posted here for you Peter. I'll throw in my $.02
There's no saying if it will bring back these "visions". You mention therapy, have you been diagnosed with anything and have you been doing antidepressants?
I agree, you don't want to be on those for life. LSD can change your life, but it's just a catalyist. Cherokee gave you some good advice about that.
You mentioned you've done some reading, and, apparently you're gung ho to do this.
There were mentions of set and setting but not much more.
I'd like to suggest you read more. Give some thought to what kind of environment you'd like to be in (nature, indoors, ect) and look into having a trip sitter your first time. As many have said LSD is exceedingly safe, the dangers lay in making bad choices while tripping. This is one reason a sitter is good your first time.
Then, pay attention between now and then to your set. Your general moods, feelings, etc. If you're in touch with your mindset on a regular basis, then you can make the judgement when the time comes if it's a good day to trip.
You don't have to be ecstatic... just in a positive space, and crush any anxiety about tripping because as many have said, odds are it will be the most amazing experience for you.
Take a look at this guide from the 60's
http://www.luminist.org/archives/session.htm
And then, here is a bunch of links directly related to what you're interested in with LSD and personal growth.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/lsd/persmenu.htm

Hope it helps.

 

Thanks a bunch AcidConspiracy and Voyage!

AcidConspiracy - can you give examples of GOOD things to do while under the influence? Me and my friend (oh, by the way, I'm going to take it with another acid virgin while my sober friend is 'watching' us) had just planned to listen to music and kicking back, see where it would take us.

Voyage - Great links! I'm in the middle of reading all of it...


I still am nervous about doing LSD, but I guess that's normal?

 

One last thing, I've read all your great replies - you all mention that if I get into a bad trip, I need to STAY in the trip and not try to escape it. If I do get into a bad trip and I keep saying to myself that it's just the drug that's doing this to me and that it will go away eventually, it it's most unlikely that the bad trip will fuck me up, so to speak?

 

It's a myth that a bad trip will make you go crazy. Just remember that it's the drug that is doing this, you're not crazy, and it will end. However the frequency of bad trips is exaggerated by the media. You will have a great time seeing the four sides of the eternal triangle.

 

^^^that's a good thing to keep in mind if things start to get weird or uncomfortable - "i just took acid...it's only the drugs."

i would say that if you get into a "bad trip," it's good to change your surroundings a bit. changing the music or moving to another room in the house can make all the difference. i don't really think that's trying to "hide from the trip," though i can't really explain what would constitute trying to escape your trip. just know that you will be tripping for around 8 hours or more, so just ride it out. but that's not to say you'll have to ride it out - it will most likely be very pleasant and 8 hours will seem to both last an eternity as well as fly by too fast.

music is a great idea for LSD. i would also recommend going for a walk if you feel up for it, spend some time outside if you can.
don't worry about having too many activities to do. when you take LSD...it is the main event

 

A word of advice to give your trip sitter, you don't want him doing anything to fuck with you or trip you out, or asking you if you're tripping every five minutes. These are things that a lot of people who are inexperienced with acid like to do when they're around people tripping, and sure the first couple times it might be mildly amusing, but I find that it's very easy for the sober sitter to create negative vibes especially if they don't know what you're going through. It's easy to get bored after 8+ hours just monitoring friends tripping.

If it's a good friend you shouldn't run into too many problems, but you should inform him of the three things I said first because it can get really annoying.

 

"are you tripping yet?"