Pot/drugs: An all-encompassing explanation.

[BabylonHoruv]

I've never had anything other than tremendously, earth-shatteringly fun adventures on shrooms. I suppose that's pretty much a religious experience for me, because as far as I'm concerned fun is holy and having fun is a sacrament.

Other experiences with drugs have been pretty enjoyable for the most part. Except the one time I took acid, in which everything was boring and I couldn't sleep. Also, cocaine, which I hate.

Shrooms are the official sacrament in the religion I was raised in, so they pretty naturally have a religious connotation for me.  Although I have certainly also used them in ways that were fun without being religious.  I'm also not sure why that connection works for me but Alcohol is so rarely religious for people raised Christian.

[Triple Zero]

I never took cocaine.  One Erowid entry described it as "a feeling of godlike confidence", and that just sounded.. well, lame, to me.

Tried it once. It was pretty much like that, except slightly more lamer than you'd expect, still.

[BabylonHoruv]

When I tried coke it made me feel like i had drunk too much coffee and gave me a nosebleed the next day.  I di not particularly enjoy that.

[Triple Zero]

I've never had anything other than tremendously, earth-shatteringly fun adventures on shrooms.

This, too.

edit: ok except once

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

When I tried coke it made me feel like i had drunk too much coffee and gave me a nosebleed the next day.  I di not particularly enjoy that.

That's pretty much how it was for me. Brief euphoria followed by feeling all jacked up followed by feeling like shit. Lame as hell.

[the last yatto]

much better to just put it on your gums, then your nose
tho id rather have the actual leaf they chew in South America, or is it Latin America i always get the two mixed up

or if they put it back in cola for an extra kick
shits healthier for you then most energy drinks with all those chemicals i cant pronounce

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I might like it more in a less refined state

but actually, even the stimulants I like (tea) I can only handle tiny amounts of.

[AFK]

what or who is responsible for catalyzing open-mindedness? I think an external "adulterant" be it traveling, reading,  or a drug is required to dissolve your concrete opinions and assumptions.  Of course it was me that did it but  drugs have certain universal personalities and characteristics that persuade your mind to receive change.

Yeah, you are full of shit.  You don't need a foreign chemical to catalyze open-mindedness.  All you need is awareness.

That's like saying you don't need a car to get across the country, so it's more virtuous to walk.  I lived to 26 years of age without experiencing the effects of pot.  It started me on a path to awareness and self-improvement I had never cared about before that.

Um, no, that's actually a horrible analogy.  Because in that analogy the car is not a catalyst in getting you from point A to point B.  It IS what's getting you from point A to point B.  Drugs don't open up magickal doorways to the supernatural.  It screws with your brain chemistry making you think you are experiencing brand new, otherworldly experiences.  It isn't broadening your horizons.  It's just giving them a different color scheme. 

[Pope Pixie Pickle]

what or who is responsible for catalyzing open-mindedness? I think an external "adulterant" be it traveling, reading,  or a drug is required to dissolve your concrete opinions and assumptions.  Of course it was me that did it but  drugs have certain universal personalities and characteristics that persuade your mind to receive change.

Yeah, you are full of shit.  You don't need a foreign chemical to catalyze open-mindedness.  All you need is awareness.

That's like saying you don't need a car to get across the country, so it's more virtuous to walk.  I lived to 26 years of age without experiencing the effects of pot.  It started me on a path to awareness and self-improvement I had never cared about before that.

Um, no, that's actually a horrible analogy.  Because in that analogy the car is not a catalyst in getting you from point A to point B.  It IS what's getting you from point A to point B.  Drugs don't open up magickal doorways to the supernatural.  It screws with your brain chemistry making you think you are experiencing brand new, otherworldly experiences.  It isn't broadening your horizons.  It's just giving them a different color scheme. 

[Captain Utopia]

what or who is responsible for catalyzing open-mindedness? I think an external "adulterant" be it traveling, reading,  or a drug is required to dissolve your concrete opinions and assumptions.  Of course it was me that did it but  drugs have certain universal personalities and characteristics that persuade your mind to receive change.

Yeah, you are full of shit.  You don't need a foreign chemical to catalyze open-mindedness.  All you need is awareness.

That's like saying you don't need a car to get across the country, so it's more virtuous to walk.  I lived to 26 years of age without experiencing the effects of pot.  It started me on a path to awareness and self-improvement I had never cared about before that.

Um, no, that's actually a horrible analogy.  Because in that analogy the car is not a catalyst in getting you from point A to point B.  It IS what's getting you from point A to point B.  Drugs don't open up magickal doorways to the supernatural.  It screws with your brain chemistry making you think you are experiencing brand new, otherworldly experiences.  It isn't broadening your horizons.  It's just giving them a different color scheme. 

I never said anything about magic, the supernatural or otherworldly experiences.

At age 26 I thought I had the world pretty much figured out.  The day after I smoked pot, I realised that I didn't.  It's as simple as that.

I didn't realise that an "open mind" quickly fills up with bullshit, too.  If I hadn't tried pot then I would likely have just settled down into a world of comfortable conclusions.  I can't think of anything which demonstrates more efficiently to an individual that their reality tunnel is an entirely optional construct.  Where that individual decides to go from there is up to them, and I did not change overnight but the journey started then.

Certainly if I'd tried it at the age of 16 instead then I expect that my youthful know-it-all-ed-ness would have found a way to encompass the experience, and I likely would have gone around in smaller circles instead.  Perhaps I would have escaped but I'm sure it would have been much more difficult.

I smoke pot infrequently.  When I do I always discover new ways in which my behaviour patterns are reactions to certain triggers or loops of thought.  We talk about sheep/monkeys/robots but I rarely notice my "programming" when I'm not high - I can analyse a pattern I've previously noted but I don't naturally come up with new ones.  The car/walking analogy was to do with the speed at which I reach those milestones - I don't expect my perspectives are something I couldn't surpass with years of mind/body exercises.  But time is short, and I'm an impatient motherfucker.

I don't experience paranoia, psychosis or even "the munchies", and if I did then I'm sure it would not be a useful tool for me.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Human beings are specially adapted to certain mind-altering drugs; it's part of our biology. The ones which help trigger the realization that we do NOT, actually, know everything can be helpful in making us both more introspective and more exploratory, IMO.

We're not unique, among animals, in this respect. Other animals use mind-altering drugs as well, and have receptors in their brains to make them effective. Nature is a wondrous thing.

[AFK]

what or who is responsible for catalyzing open-mindedness? I think an external "adulterant" be it traveling, reading,  or a drug is required to dissolve your concrete opinions and assumptions.  Of course it was me that did it but  drugs have certain universal personalities and characteristics that persuade your mind to receive change.

Yeah, you are full of shit.  You don't need a foreign chemical to catalyze open-mindedness.  All you need is awareness.

That's like saying you don't need a car to get across the country, so it's more virtuous to walk.  I lived to 26 years of age without experiencing the effects of pot.  It started me on a path to awareness and self-improvement I had never cared about before that.

Um, no, that's actually a horrible analogy.  Because in that analogy the car is not a catalyst in getting you from point A to point B.  It IS what's getting you from point A to point B.  Drugs don't open up magickal doorways to the supernatural.  It screws with your brain chemistry making you think you are experiencing brand new, otherworldly experiences.  It isn't broadening your horizons.  It's just giving them a different color scheme. 

I never said anything about magic, the supernatural or otherworldly experiences.

At age 26 I thought I had the world pretty much figured out.  The day after I smoked pot, I realised that I didn't.  It's as simple as that.

I didn't realise that an "open mind" quickly fills up with bullshit, too.  If I hadn't tried pot then I would likely have just settled down into a world of comfortable conclusions.  I can't think of anything which demonstrates more efficiently to an individual that their reality tunnel is an entirely optional construct.  Where that individual decides to go from there is up to them, and I did not change overnight but the journey started then.

So, I suppose someone like myself, who has never used marijuana or any other illicit drug, is closed minded?  Would you then assume that I am only coming to "comfortable conclusions"?

[AFK]

Human beings are specially adapted to certain mind-altering drugs; it's part of our biology. The ones which help trigger the realization that we do NOT, actually, know everything can be helpful in making us both more introspective and more exploratory, IMO.

We're not unique, among animals, in this respect. Other animals use mind-altering drugs as well, and have receptors in their brains to make them effective. Nature is a wondrous thing.

Umm, no.  It's not that our brain has receptors made for mind altering substances.  It's that our brain was outfitted with receptors designed for our natural brain chemistry, but when you introduce foreign chemicals, you experience the highs of the drugs.  Or, the drugs breakdown into components that mimic our natural brain chemistry, and amp it up.  No matter how you slice it, it is not natural.  And no, we aren't unique.  Anything with a brain can experience the results of having that brain altered with chemicals. 

[Pope Pixie Pickle]

the problem with psychosis is caused my the natural balance of the plant being out of whack and to some extent, improper curing and flushing out of the plant before it is dried. THC is he stuff that makes you high, the CBD is the stuff that helps with pain relief and actually contains some anti-psychotic qualities.

Some growers spray the plants with nasty stuff such as Ketamine which can really fuck you up. No one expects a K-hole when your having a joint yo.

Skunk was my poison of choice for a very long time, these higher THC bred strains are the out of balance types I refer to. The process of making hash turns out more CBD than THC, and some skunk strains have about 16% TCH and 1 % CBD. Psychosis is caused in people who are prone to this kind of mental health issue, and smoking high grade skunk may be fun, but it will exacerbate any pre-existing mental health problem.

Humans have known for a very long time how to make pot stronger, and to some extent the massive imbalance now is a contributory, but not the definitive answer to why i got all fucked up. Insomnia massive stress and opiates can also cause psychotic episodes and I was using co-codamol to try to not go sick frm work, the stress of the last 6 months has been  (i consider, I've had no expert help on this one) the major contributory factor to why I got all fucked up in my poor heid. (Work, Douchebag ex and poor lifestyle I think were the major factors, but my cannabis use was not helping in the reality filter department.


It is doubtful that low quantity occasional users will ever suffer serious health problems as a result of the occasional joint. If my psychosis is temporary I'm taking a very long break from Mary Jane, and wont ever go back to caning it on the daily if i ever smoke again.

the analytical thinky side of using pot can be useful for some people, as FP described, and actually the stress of quitting outright in the need to remove it as a variable for my medical team actually made some of my symptoms worse... but hey, I'm over halfway to getting it all out of my system now, so I'm not going to fuck it up now I'm over the hump.

[Captain Utopia]

I never said anything about magic, the supernatural or otherworldly experiences.

At age 26 I thought I had the world pretty much figured out.  The day after I smoked pot, I realised that I didn't.  It's as simple as that.

I didn't realise that an "open mind" quickly fills up with bullshit, too.  If I hadn't tried pot then I would likely have just settled down into a world of comfortable conclusions.  I can't think of anything which demonstrates more efficiently to an individual that their reality tunnel is an entirely optional construct.  Where that individual decides to go from there is up to them, and I did not change overnight but the journey started then.

So, I suppose someone like myself, who has never used marijuana or any other illicit drug, is closed minded?  Would you then assume that I am only coming to "comfortable conclusions"?

No, because I was describing my own experiences.  You would only be close-minded if you dismissed, out of hand, that any pot can play any positive role in the journey an individual takes towards a higher awareness of what it means to be a sentient creature.

Umm, no.  It's not that our brain has receptors made for mind altering substances.  It's that our brain was outfitted with receptors designed for our natural brain chemistry, but when you introduce foreign chemicals, you experience the highs of the drugs.  Or, the drugs breakdown into components that mimic our natural brain chemistry, and amp it up.  No matter how you slice it, it is not natural.  And no, we aren't unique.  Anything with a brain can experience the results of having that brain altered with chemicals. 

I don't believe in intelligent design.  Your usage of "natural" is strange to me - virtually nothing about our environment is "natural" - if we used that for our yardstick then we wouldn't have even started living in caves or using tools.