Here is a fascinating article on the benefits of psilocybin for alcohol abuse. It could literally be a life-saver. I find it so encouraging to see the scientific and medical worlds finally tuning into the power of these agents.
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We are in the hype-cycle of psychedelic assisted therapy. 13.9% improvement over benedryl is nice, but not really earth shaking. My concern is when the negative articles start pouring out. Destabilization effects, personality changes, etc.
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Heal the liverâŚ
Good point. I believe the same can be said about Weed.
These hype-cycles are especially dangerous for the youth, who may be still developing critical thinking skills, and end up being blinded by the negative consequences of these highly potent substances.
While there are positive effects, descriminating against the negative effects can lead to a lot of pain and suffering.
That being said, I believe Alcohol to be the most destructive substance of the 3, with weed being the 2nd, and shrooms being the least. But I have only micro dosed 3 times, so I am very ignorant of the effects of higher doses.
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It has long been known that psychedelic therapy is good for addiction but we are finally getting well designed research based evidence, Few people know that Bill W., the founder of AA, had his first âHigher Powerâ experience in a hospital that used Belladonna (a hallucinogenic herb) to treat alcoholism (donât try this at home kids, belladonna is a poison if you dose it wrong!). He then went through a period of LSD psychotherapy back when it was legal. He even wanted AA to endorse LSD therapy but they wouldnât agree to it. There was also a hospital in Saskatchewan in the 1950âs that had success with offering LSD therapy to alcoholics. Many addicts are also reporting great success with ayahuasca.
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Psilocybin is definitely not a party drug, especially for kids! Psilocybin used in therapy is a totally different matter. It has now been legalized for therapy in Oregon and this is just about to be implemented, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. Also at the National level, SAMSHA is considering federal legalization for therapy of depression. For depression it is getting much better results than traditional SSRIâs. Not that you pop it like a daily pill (although some are getting results by daily microdosing at a sub-threshold level) but through clinically supervised psychedelic therapy.
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To balance the hype I strongly recommend the first season of the podcast Cover Story:
Cover Story: Power Trip
Cover Story is a new investigative podcast from New York Magazine exposing new secrets from the far edge of how we live now.
The first season, Power Trip, uncovers the truth behind the psychedelic revolution and whatâs lurking in the darkest corners that no one wants to talk about. Itâs a twisted, deeply personal tale at the intersection of mind, body, and control. Hosted by iO Tillet Wright and guided by psychonaut Lily Kay Ross.
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Lots of people use psilocybin and other psychedelics in party settings, e.g. raves, Burning Man etc. It would probably be a bad idea to take a high dose in such a setting (though people definitely do that too).
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I know that people do, but except in very small doses, itâs probably not a good idea. This is a medicine that came from Mazatec (and related tribes) shamanistic ceremonies. It opens one up to deep psychological and spiritual work. Itâs not something that goes well with partying.
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The same misuse of LSD happened in the 60âs. Originally Leary and Alpert (Ram Dass) and associates were researching it for psycho-spiritual work (it was being used for psychotherapy in the 50s). But then Leary got carried away and started to tell every one to âturn on, tune in and drop outâ thinking that this would change the whole world. Then Ken Kesey and the Pranksters were having electric koolaid acid parties and the whole hippie woodstock trip happened. Perhaps some lives were transformed but a lot of misuse and bad trips also happened. Nixon got paranoid about the whole thing and made psychedelics illegal, Itâs taken us this long to get solid research about therapeutic uses of psychedelics back on track.
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I tend to substantially agree with you, but I also think there are different ways to use a tool, and Iâm not personally inclined to say a particular use is completely wrong. e.g. Iâm not going to tell someone taking a small to medium dose of a psychedelic at a music festival is misuse.
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OK I wonât argue with you about that. At low to medium dose it probably wonât be that big of a problem for most. Hey, Iâve done it myself at concerts that had a spiritual and meditative vibe. But I donât recommend big blow your mind doses at concerts, parties and raves. Some people may do that but itâs not the best set and setting for these medicines. But I also know of cases where people set out to just party and ended up having a big spiritual experience (and sometimes going first through a bad trip/dark night of the soul/ego death in the process. But I would never recommend it.
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thanks, I will listen when I get a chance!
I think small doses should be used with a great deal of caution as well.
This drug has the potenial to make you far more succeptible to the energies of those around you, and if you are in a crowded place, there may be people that you dont want any of their energy rubbing off on you.
Also, I go back to the warning that there is a small risk that someone has an allergic reaction, or goes into a state of panic or shock even with a small dosage.
My belief is if you are going to these potent substances, make sure you always have 1 person in the group that is completely sober, and a game plan of what to do if things head south fast.
If it is their first time experimenting with it, I would tell them not to do it it that enviornment.
Better to do it in a safe place, with a sober friend that knows the directions to the nearest hospital. Better safe than sorry.
I agree with all of the precautions you and other people are mentioning, set and setting, probably a bad idea to take in a party setting etc. etc.
To clarify: Iâm taking a descriptivist approach here. âDo people take ____ at parties? If yes, then ____ is a party drug.â
A prescriptivist approach would be: âpeople SHOULD NOT take ____ at parties.â Which could be a very interesting line to pursue, because the next logical step would be to define what properties of a drug make it a âparty drugâ or a ânon-party drug.â Iâd be very interested to hear what various Nightclubbers think are the properties of âan appropriate/actual party drug,â with examples.
If, upthread, fenwizard had said âI donât think psilocybin is a good drug to use at parties, and this is whyâ I would have been in agreement. It was only because they said âPsilocybin is definitely not a party drugâ that I essentially replied, âbut people use it at parties, so it actually is a party drug.â
In retrospect I think it would have been more interesting to say âwhat are the properties of âparty drugsâ, and what are some examples?â
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Yes that definitely clarifys your point. I think when the member said it was not a party drug, they meant that it should not be used like a party drug, I dont think they were saying that it was not abused at parties as a party drug, more so, that it should be treated with the respect it deserves.
A semi poor analogy would be fireworks. Kids get their hands on them and play with them like toys, sometimes with disatrous consequences.
All I am saying to whomever may be reading these posts is that if you treat this substance like a toy, (or any other potent substance) dont be shocked if you get badly burned.
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Not sure. But asking some questions might point to the answers:
Is it abused in social settings?
Is it used for sex?
Is it used to numb negative states of mind?
Have people overdosed on it?
What is the goal of its use?
Personally Iâd probably start with two questions:
- Does the drug facilitate or at least accommodate social interaction in a way that participants would generally assess as positive?
- Is the drug reasonably safe in a party context? (Given current social norms, I would personally probably make alcohol the standard for this, i.e. âis the drug at least as safe as alcohol in a party context?â)
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I think, like with Karma, Intention is one of the biggest factors in determining whether it is a âpartyâ drug.