Mushrooms as Aid to Recovery

Ozekat

Bluelighter
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
283
I have been debating whether to bring this up or not, but fuck it. I guess the worst that can happen is it gets moved, but I would rather it stay here because I want people struggling with addiction to see it.

Anyway, recently I ate a small dose of very potent psilocybin mushrooms and they kicked my ass, put me in timeout and all around woke me the fuck up from whatever kind of fucked up year I had been having prior. I had not tripped in 3 years, so I think this experience was made very memorable and acting as very solid therapy for me in many ways. I know there is a place for trip reports so I will not waste the SL space with that here, however I have been struggling with opiate addiction (and alcohol, pills, crack, you name it) that is talked about more in my other thread.

To get to the point, has any other BL-ers had the opportunity to use these wonderful things as a vehicle to sobriety?

My trip was done in a very medicinal framework and mindset, going into it and all the way through the middle to the end. More importantly I believe, my trip was "re-aligned" because of a very good friend (I reached out to while I was crying my eyes out tripping and scared) and my buddhist practice. I am no amateur when it comes to psychedelics and positive experiences, so I know those realizations and ass-whoppings we get (lol) will not stick with us unless we FOLLOW THROUGH. And I have been doing just that by mainly just appreciating my body and not abusing it with hard drugs.

So, any thoughts? I think this could help a lot of strung out alcoholics and junkies alike, even though it can be very difficult and even painful doing the process, in the end it is amazing how much one can appreciate life afterwards.

:D
 
Seems too risky to me. Give an addict another euphoric, enjoyable drug to try, is that really the best option?

I don't know. If it works for you then hey, who am I to judge? I've never tried using psychedelics for addiction recovery so my experience is moot.

But I've always been skeptical of reports like this. I'm sure you feel this way now, perhaps from the afterglow of the shrooms, but will it last? It just doesn't feel like a real change to me. It feels like the decision was made for you by drugs. I believe the change will only be long lasting if it actually came from within.

Stay completely clean and sober for a few months (off everything), and still claim that it was the shrooms, and maybe then I'll start to believe that it may be useful for some people.
 
Ok. I can stomach that response, its better than no response!!

Like I said though, I am not a novice with psychedelics.....and I can also assure you I totally DID NOT have "another euphoric, enjoyable" time on this trip. I was put in time out by the universe, c'mon.....lol TIME OUT!

Does that clear it up any? I know where you are coming from, but I have been following through and my experience was adjusted considerably because of things that have nothing to do with drugs at all, spiritual practice and a good friend.

Geez, way to shoot my idea down! lol, its ok but I'm not some naive kid.....I've been around the block, quite a few times.
 
I am not a novice with psychedelics.....and I can also assure you I totally DID NOT have "another euphoric, enjoyable" time on this trip. I was put in time out by the universe, c'mon.....lol TIME OUT!

That's you. Not everyone is the same.

Psychedelics can, and are, used as a tool to aid with recovery, depression and other issues. However, it's not an option for some. They won't magically cure you if you don't already have the will and intent to do it yourself.

I haven't had any experiences myself, but I don't see psychedelics as a spiritual tool at all (and this is coming from 10 years of frequent psych use)
 
sorry, didn't mean to sound so judgmental. If you are sober I am happy to hear that. I'm still a non believer though.

What if your shroom experience was euphoric and pleasant? Then what? I mean I'm sure you could cause yourself to not have a pleasant one but it just seems so dangerous to start recommending that addicts take shrooms to aid in their recovery, especially if the addict is craving intoxication. Maybe I don't understand, were you basically just trying to scare yourself shit less with this trip? I suppose I could see value in that if it makes the pain your addiction causes more clear, but I can't see the risk being worth the reward when you could do the same thing without shrooms.

I know a shroom experience would NOT benefit me right now. I need to learn how to deal with life without the "aid" of mind altering substances.
 
Psychedelics have been a catalyst for me to go into recovery in the past, but I never worked a daily program outside of rehab because the psychs made me feel like I knew better and could do it on my own now that I'd "awakened".
 
To Generic, I hadn't tripped in 3 years if that clears some of it up......and I wasn't trying to hurt myself or make myself miserable, that is ridiculous......but I had a lot of realizations, the main one being that I cannot continue to abuse my body with heroin and liquor and expect to be happy and healthy. So the experience left me very much more wise than before.

I do not support abusing psychedelics, and people who do abuse them confuse the fuck out of me.....I don't see how it can be enjoyable or a learning experience if you are turning your brain into mush and to quote another BLer something like "throwing away consensual reality" for your own little world. It is illogical and ridiculous to over-do psychedelics.

And I am not entirely SOBER, but since the experience which has been close to a month now I have Not touched any hard drugs or drank any liquor at all.....and my desire for these hard drugs has been close to zero.

I agree with caseface. It can be a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in a way, which could early fail. But its all about the follow-up after an intense psychedelic experience where things were realized and or learned.
 
Thank you everyone for all the responses thus far, I'm pleasantly surprised at all the feedback.....:D
 
I agree with caseface. It can be a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in a way, which could early fail. But its all about the follow-up after an intense psychedelic experience where things were realized and or learned.

Yeah, people fail with rehabs and meetings as well.

What is learned by psychedelics? It's not like information is obtained through chemical ingestion, which would be neat, but it's not happening. Even though I'm a believer in everything you'll ever know or learn is already in your mind, it's just a matter of connection, but I still stand on psychedelics not being anything more than a recreational experience. If it's not recreational, than there's just issues of yourself that antagonize the experience. Getting spiritual isn't obtained through anything else other than your own self will. Give yourself to something outside your own selfish motives. You'll replace addiction to drugs with something, be it meetings, exercise, sports, etc..

You'll get some "pffs" at the whole not using hard drugs thing from meeting clones, but I'll give you props. I think going a month without anything period was easier than going a month with something that just reminds me of what my brain really wants.
 
Glad to hear tripping has helped you so far, Ozekat :)
I've had a similar experience as I used aMT to help me through the early stages of quitting heroin. In the beginning it really did help give me the motivation and courage to quit but no matter how much experience you may have with psychedelics, do be careful when it comes to trading addictions...it's a very fragile moment to be relying on other drugs. I found myself tripping two or three times a week very quickly and although I've finally managed to stop (thank god :|) it really did mess my head up a bit for quite a while. It's easy to get caught up in 'no but this is all part of my recovery, it can't hurt'-type thinking. But if you're extremely careful I do believe tripping can be of great help to some people when it comes to overcoming addictions. In any case, good luck!
 
Hello peeps,
First thing is that you might be able to trip your way out of addiction but Dr Mike McPhillips says it's rubbish and he doesn't offer ibogaine or that kind of therapy (don't worry about libel alll public record).

I'm currently detoxing a pal off smack, which is hard. He's staying with me, I got him 60 mg dihydocodeines (loads), subutex 12x8 8mgs) and a whole load of paper acid. Given the number of substances you've had problems with, I doubt (but hope) you can trip away from them. Taking acid or whatever, might help in short term but physical addiction will come back to bite you.

I reallly hope it goes well. I've taken dope for (gulp) 13 years and I have a method that works for me. Subs short term,xanax for a while, then go and relax somewhere. As for booze and crack,only benzos can help that tbh. But I sincerely hope it goes well and if you want to swap war stories,PM me.
 
As you stated I wouldn't ever look to a psychedelic to "cure" or "fix" addiction but used as part of a well developed recovery plan I believe that it helps facilitate glances through the illusions that addiction uses to try and convince us that we want to use or are missing out on something.. also it aids in promoting a healthier more rewarding life for me.. it helps me from getting caught up in consumerism, jealousy, and other things that hamper or threaten my recovery. I like to use it as a tool to examine and purge my system with the passing of the seasons.
 
Above ^ as much as I loved Bill Hicks and his thoughts about consumerism, it's true. Don't let it get it you, you want the revolution. We all do,even those whose who have benefited from it. (me massively)
 
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If it works and people are honest with themselves, I'm happy to hear it helps. Wouldn't work for me.

I think in my case my addict brain wants to get fucked up so that'd be my reason to trip. Not saying everyone is like that! I'm just saying it's important to be honest if you are going to go about taking shrooms be honest about the reason. Not trying to imply everyone who trips as an aid to recovery just secretly wants to get fucked up.
 
Yeah, thanks for the replies. A few of these posts are pretty interesting.

Yeah Pagey, I'm not of the mold to abuse psychedelics....not only has it been 3 years since I tripped last ,I could say "been there done that" but it sounds kind of elitist or something but I have no desire to trip that often. I think even 4-6 times a year like nsanymore says is a lot. I have tripped a lot in my life, I also think small doses are criminally underrated....hey nsanymore how much do you dose when you are partaking? I like the philosophy of your approach a lot, and to integrate it so seamlessly into your experience of life does sound intriguing.

to caveman, yes I would love to swap stories I will throw you a PM sometime, and what is with the random numbers?
 
Don't know what those numbers were. Oh yeah someone phoned and was giving me a number at the time and I didn't have a pen! Can't believe I did that. What a nob
 
Lol. Captaincaveman, you are an interesting nob and I like you! Keep up the good work, sir!
 
I would say it has, though there was an "afterglow"<3 that lasted a LONG time imo (like weeks!) but that has now subsided, HOWEVER

truth be told I still have not had a drop of liquor since the event......(the trip) lol, its interesting but yes I have actually turned down liquor a few times. and the times I have had beer were very lackluster and dull.....alcohol is quite shitty of a drug imo......

I don't know.....I haven't "taken things too far" or even fantasized much about scoring a bag or anything....and when I have cash I'm spending it on food, and weed which is still a step up from frantically grasping for precious millies (nick name me and a friend have got for mgs) of any opiate I can get my hands on.

And this beats the hell out of the days of little blues (30s)!!!:! and having to go to the 30-man's house and be around all that bullshit and drama. =D

I'm not perfect, but I see progress. %)
 
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