How young, is too young to trip.

[Motifoner]

Hello there!
I did a quick search and couldnt find anything. I find this to be an interesting topic so.. Yea

As the title suggests, i am wondering what age is too young to take lets say, 120-250+ ug lsd.
I'll further iterate this, with something like alchohol, its proven its very bad for the developing brain.
From older trippers ive spoken to, lsd abuse in late teenhood doesnt seem to harm growth rate intellectually, if not accelerating it.(assuming you didnt have bad trips or psychosis/depression etc)

But i am asking your opinions, at what age would a drug like lsd do actual harm to a developing brain?
What would the harm be even?
Like if you gave a 1 year old a decent tab(or ten) or something.

 

[polymath]

When it comes to protecting children/teens, it's normal to partly give up objective thinking in favor of just being extra safe. I had a tonsillectomy operation done when I was 7 years old, and objectively thinking there's no reason to believe that the general anesthesia used in such procedure would be any less harmful to the brain than drinking vodka to the point of passing out. But you still don't hear many people say "Oh, it's OK for elementary schoolers to get shit faced every now and then, it's not that harmful", do you? It's best to say that any drugs shouldn't be used by people under 18 years old, just to be sure.

 

[terarc]

I think you should be at least 18 if not 21 to try psychedelics.

There is no proven physical damage done to the body or brain by psychedelics but there is always a risk of psychological harm even to an experienced adult tripper.

When you are young and are still developing your personality an intense psychedelic experience could interrupt this process. I myself can attest to having experienced some intense ego loss from psychedelics at age 18 and subsequently have had problems with sense of identity.

Psychedelics are not toys, sure they can be fun but they need to be respected. They are certainly not something for minors to be toying around with. Even cannabis has been shown to be harmful to developing brains, psychedelics are not likely going to be safer. As for other drugs like alcohol, stimulants, MDMA which do actually cause some neurotoxic harms, these are obviously a no-go too. Being young is like being on drugs anyway, just enjoy it while it lasts, save the drugs til you're more mature (I know you probably feel mature now, I felt like an adult at 18, but now at 21 I know I was still far from it and probably still have a little way to go)

 

[Ziiirp]

As long as you inform yourself beforehand instead of open bragging threads like "I'm 12 and just snorted a gram of 2c-e", you should be mature enough to at least not producing a trainwreck-experience.

Besides that I am against taking psychedelics before graduating high school. I smoked weed (not a classic psychedelic, but still harmful in a growing mind) with 13 and retrospectively it did more harm than was useful.

If we meet in the middle then 16 should be the minimum age to make first steps with psychedelic substances IMHO.

 

[Solipsis]

I don't think it's exactly the damage to a developing brain as much as speeding up developments prematurely or overcomplicating things when not yet prepared. The mind should first mature enough - which is often achieved well enough at adolescence. But it varies per individual just like moving out and living independently varies.

For similar reasons people shouldn't live on their own at too young an age because it's important to first develop identity (and healthy self-reflection), responsibility and that sort of stuff... before taking on adult life.

There are many things about tripping that undermine, question and mess around with things you thought were 'certain' or fixed until that point. It takes a mature mind to have enough of a grip on things to be able to process wildly confounding experiences.

I mean, a child can get nightmares from scary movies - there is still some unclarity about what is real and what is fantasy... similarly I don't think it's wise to start tripping before some proper maturing >> adolescence.

That would mean ~18 I think. So many people believe they are mature for their age, that it becomes statistically impossible for everyone to be as 'special' as they think they are. So if you are young and you think that, just remember that it is normal to fully believe that but it is truly wise to just assume you are average on that front because you yourself cannot really judge it.

I started at 18-19 and am very intelligent, but it turned out I am less mature for my age on other important aspects - tripping had a huge impact on my life and I am absolutely glad that I didn't start at a younger age. I'd advise everyone to just stick to minor things to try and experiment with until adolescent. LSD is minor when generally rating harm to people and harm to society, when compared to other drugs but that is assuming one is mature enough. Other drugs are more toxic or addictive which are other reasons to be careful and/or wait with them..

Yeah I smoked weed and drank alcohol occasionally before 18, and I often didn't react in a great way, didn't know yet how to handle it well and had to learn it. Something like drinking too much alcohol can go very wrong mind you, and too frequent weed can hamper some psychological development - but if you stick to only once in a while, there is less direct danger in cannabis.

 

[Motifoner]

I like your answer i feel it is pretty onpoint, i am 19 and started my psychedelic journey at 18, by chance thats when it became available.

I think atleast half knowing what to expect is a huge factor. But your point also about kids not perceiving the difference between fantasy and real as strongly as we do is very valid.

Ide imagine you could get some scary mood swings and slight psychosis symptoms going in a minor quite quickly if they either werent ready, spiked, mislead, overdosed and a few other factors.

Thanks everyone who replied ?

 

[Clocktower]

I first used LSD when I was 19. I think under 20 is too young to start (I think the existing science agrees with me on this point, at least if you want to adopt a high standard of safety). Now that I'm a little older, I've introduced it to several people in their mid-20's. Based on what I've seen over the years, I think mid-20's is really the best time to start using psychedelics.

LSD is physically non-toxic, but the most compelling risk of harm seems to be that teen LSD use might accelerate the onset of some latent mental illness. It's true that some people can use LSD as teens and never have any problems... but you never know if that's going to be you, and a few years of waiting is a small price to pay for peace of mind. (as you get older, the years will seem to go by faster.)

You will be amazed by how much you change and grow as a person in your early 20's. It's the first time in life at which you're mature enough to remember what you were like a few years ago, compare that version of yourself to how you are now, and process the difference. Having a few years experience in that makes you MUCH better prepared to appreciate and integrate a LSD trip, which can trigger an incredible amount of personal growth overnight.

 

[polymath]

Remember that Timothy Leary and Alexander Shulgin were both over 30 years old when they tripped for the first time. And John Lilly was over 40. That didn't stop them from becoming real "gurus" in the field.

I was 16 when I had my first drug induced hallucinatory experience, and it was some kind of delirium caused by sniffing toluene-containing glue. It was a bit scary to experience a temporary total loss of sense of time and place. I also tried DXM at a dose of 300 mg at the same age.

 

[treezy z]

I started at 14 don't do that.

 

[Motifoner]

I agree, although i feel that 18-20 could be a prime time to aswell depending heavily on the individual.
I started at 18, it has only pushed me forward in good ways.
I think this is a heavily situational topic really. Seeming as though everyones different in their own perception.

 

[Erikmen]

I first used LSD when I was 19. I think under 20 is too young to start (I think the existing science agrees with me on this point, at least if you want to adopt a high standard of safety). Now that I'm a little older, I've introduced it to several people in their mid-20's. Based on what I've seen over the years, I think mid-20's is really the best time to start using psychedelics.

LSD is physically non-toxic, but the most compelling risk of harm seems to be that teen LSD use might accelerate the onset of some latent mental illness. It's true that some people can use LSD as teens and never have any problems... but you never know if that's going to be you, and a few years of waiting is a small price to pay for peace of mind. (as you get older, the years will seem to go by faster.)

You will be amazed by how much you change and grow as a person in your early 20's. It's the first time in life at which you're mature enough to remember what you were like a few years ago, compare that version of yourself to how you are now, and process the difference. Having a few years experience in that makes you MUCH better prepared to appreciate and integrate a LSD trip, which can trigger an incredible amount of personal growth overnight.

I totally agree with you.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

I was 16 when I first had a psychedelic experience, and I do not regret this at all even if it was an extremely high dose. I know others who also had a psychedelic experience at 16, and we are all doing well and feel as though this was the perfect age to take LSD for the first time.

I realized that at 16 it was not good for anyone to constantly be using drugs with any sort of frequency including cannabis, so I used it only once a month until I turned 18, and I waited to turn 18 to use Psilocybin mushrooms.

 

[Motifoner]

I was 16 when I first had a psychedelic experience, and I do not regret this at all even if it was an extremely high dose. I know others who also had a psychedelic experience at 16, and we are all doing well and feel as though this was the perfect age to take LSD for the first time.

I realized that at 16 it was not good for anyone to constantly be using drugs with any sort of frequency including cannabis, so I used it only once a month until I turned 18, and I waited to turn 18 to use Psilocybin mushrooms.

I guess its a little situational though, ive seen 20 year old take a half tab(a weak tab at that) and get sent to a mental ward.

I also had my first trip at 16 and found it came at a perfect time :D
And then was perfectly unable to get it till 18. XD
Its mindstate(broad term), with set and setting as additives in my view, excluding mental illness or depression or something that could catch you midtrip and go rotten.

 

[psystim]

my first trip was at 15, took a 1 hit of some really good acid, had a wonderfull time however i can see how it can fuck u up at this age when u havent developed a stable, strong mind-set.
after my first trip i thought i was invincible and i can handle any amount of lsd. boy i was wrong.
went to this rave (16 y/o) took like 5 hits and just flipped the fuck out.
next day all was good of course, but it surely did something to me as i stayed away from pshycs for the next year or so.
in retro spective it was a good expirience, cuz u learn most out of your bad trips, but it was too much for a teen for go through.
so yeah i feel like the right age for trying out psychs is at 18+ or 21+ even better IMO. its also important that u will trip with people u trust, and at the right mindset.

 

[Solipsis]

I don't think the question is: have others done it at age 16 or younger and had good results, but is it worth taking the chance and not just wait an x number of years? Of course that is not exactly agreed on either (though I am reading a pretty clear range here! i.e. 16-20), but the point is you cannot predict whether you are 'ready' at 16 or turn out not to be, which is why if there is that "range" you should not be impatient and push the envelope by starting at the youngest somewhat reasonable age.

 

[Motifoner]

I don't think the question is: have others done it at age 16 or younger and had good results, but is it worth taking the chance and not just wait an x number of years? Of course that is not exactly agreed on either (though I am reading a pretty clear range here! i.e. 16-20), but the point is you cannot predict whether you are 'ready' at 16 or turn out not to be, which is why if there is that "range" you should not be impatient and push the envelope by starting at the youngest somewhat reasonable age.

Yea true that!
I have strongly felt for a while now that psychedelics will make their way too you if you are ready, especially dmt.

 

[treezy z]

My first psychedelic experience was at 14. I drank an z bottle of robitussin max cough (the good dxm-only shit they used to make I stole at a mall and walked around like a zombie muttering and shit, ended up getting banned from that mall for being so high. 3 months later I was institutionalized for 2-4 months for being delusional.

I'm not gonna sit here and say they were connected, no fucking clue but food for thought.

 

[TheBlackPirate]

Answering that question I say 21. Psychedelics medicines have the potential of giving people another way of viewing the world. Nothing backbreaking worth mentioning here. A good effect. Even with the positives some people exist who shouldn't take psychedelics until they are older. ~20 years allows ample brain development first. Hence if people are younger than 21 my answer is no.

Alcohol also has strong effects on brain chemistry. My opinion is the same with alcohol. Thats been my opinion for awhile and I doubt my opinion will change.