Shrooms: Will age affect the physical and mental effects

[Zebracake]

I am 13. I've smoked weed countless times since I was 11. I know the benefits of smoking weed, and have first hand experience with herb helping depression and physical pain. I am new to shrooming and someone told me that if I were to take shrooms at such a young age, since our brain isn't fully developed, at it can permamently my brain. Same concept with boose. Could someone confirm/deny this statement? Also would the same be for LSD?


Thanks, first post BTW so if I fucked up, please give me a break

 

[Lee55]

I don't believe that it would do any real damadge (psychs can alter your perception of life though), BUT I would wait until you are ATLEAST 14, maybe even 15. By the looks of it you've done your research and know your stuff, but yeah, maybe
try and hold it off till you are 14.

 

[greenmeanies]

Psychedelics will be more useful to the mind of an adult. Many people here will say "as a guideline keep psyches for the 18+ crowd" but there are always exceptions. Personally I don't think you will have the ability to create the proper set and setting for yourself. See numerous threads of people trying to trip in their parents' house at night. Tripping in dorms (guilty here) is only marginally less stupid. The psychedelic experience, to be experienced to its fullest, will use all of your senses so take that into account.

That said, you do seem articulate and bright despite your early introduction to cannabis, so the only advice I can give you is : you still have many things in your life path ahead of you (school, work, friends, relationships, family, and possibly more school) so you are even less "life prepared" than most college kids who try their first shroom. Psychedelics may force your mind to grow up faster than your surroundings allow, and you may hit some kind of personal crisis (becoming an adult) while grappling with the ideas that you find. I would strongly suggest you stick to reading trip reports and maybe keep the weed to special occasions. You don't want to get chronic bronchitis (smoker's cough) before you lose your virginity

 

[swilow]

I think most people here would say that you are too young. I would tend to agree, even if there isn't any actual evidence suggesting mushrooms can damage any mind, young or old. Its more about the implications of psychedelics, the way that they can break down fixed ideas of society and humankind. These effects may do little but negatively disturb a mind not yet done fixing ideas of any sort. The ego most likely continues to develop into our twenties, but at 13, it is barely in place- psychedelics can remove the strongest of egos, but generally, the more you know yourself and your own mind, the 'easier' it is to deal with the ego shattering of psychedelics. The older you are, the more time you have spent with yourself, and so returning from a psychedelic trip and integrating the experience into your self is easier. Its easier to break down a small tree, with its weaker bark, shallower roots and slender trunk, then an old tree that is fully integrated into its environment.

Why do you want to trip?

 

[Ismene]

I think you're a bit young. Perhaps one or two trips just for the experience might be fun and they won't "permanently" harm your brain but they can be very emotional and intense - probably too intense for a 13 year old child.

 

[thoughtsUnThought]

Honestly a few trips in a safe setting will be better for a ripening mind than alcohol imo.

But it never hurts to wait a bit. I first tripped at 16 I believe, and it felt beneficial to evolve in that way before my brain finished its primary development. Though it will vary from person to person.

I think psychonautical use of a psychedelic will be less derranging to a developing mind than recreation ue of the same substance. But that's just my 2¢

 

[Zebracake]

About the setting, my friends mom doesn't care what we do as long as we do it outside and there's a porch with a tv where we can chill. Would that be an appropriate setting to do them? Also, would acid or shrooms be a better starting trip? And at what dosage should I take them? But thank you for realizing that just because I started smoking at such a young age doesn't mean that I'm stupid. I'm at the top of most of my classes and people just assume I'm dumb because I roast a bowl on the side of the school with my buddies during lunch break

 

[Zebracake]

When you say "it can break down fixed ideas of society", does that mean 1 trip could totally change my personality? My friends are my friends because of my sense of humor and I wouldn't want that to change. If I didn't have a sense of humor, my computer building/modding would mean nothing to them, they would view me just as a nerd. But I've heard stories of people killing themselves when there high and have the mentality of a car, are these statements true? I assume that you have first hand experience and I know about the visuals, but how are the subtle effects? Like with weed, I always liked the numb, painkilling feeling throughout your whole body?

 

[jakejake678]

i first tripped when i was 14, i ate 2.5 of good mushies, but i ate them before the phish show then crashed at my friends crib who parents were out for the week so i really couldnt ask for a better setting. in my opinion, if you were to eat them at such a young age i would start low if like anywhere from 1.5-1.7, to kinda get a feel for them without having a "too intense" experience which even as much as 2.3 can create. mushroom trips are accutly dark and creepy compared to lsd. i would hold of acid until 15 though, that really changes your prespective on life.

 

[Ecstuhcy]

I remember i had a friend i met on this fps we were playing and he told me all about psychedelics. He told me he wiished he diden't mess with LSD at such a young age(15) because it clowded his judgement very much so and looking back he wished he enjoyed his child hood a lot more. He suggested i wait till im 18, not because the age but because thats when you're a young adult and can control your life.Messing with drugs at such a young age, im not so sure about because if i felt the way i feel now(im 17) when i was your age i prolly would not know what to do with it. Enjoy your child hood, you have all the time in the world to explore the mind.
EDIT: Im 17 and havent touched shrooms or LSD yet and i only had 1 DXM trip. Im only going to try DXM 2 times a month, as for now smoking weed is always good for any age as long as you focus on the important things in life and dont let it get in your way. Stay safe.

i first tripped when i was 14, i ate 2.5 of good mushies, but i ate them before the phish show then crashed at my friends crib who parents were out for the week so i really couldnt ask for a better setting. in my opinion, if you were to eat them at such a young age i would start low if like anywhere from 1.5-1.7, to kinda get a feel for them without having a "too intense" experience which even as much as 2.3 can create. mushroom trips are accutly dark and creepy compared to lsd. i would hold of acid until 15 though, that really changes your prespective on life.

Yes after my experience with DXM, my whole perspective of life changed and if i were younger i prolly would not know what to do with it.

 

[Flickering]

Hey Zebracake. I'm sorry to hear you're struggling with depression and physical pain, I can relate at least to the former as a motivation to try psychedelics. To answer your initial question: magic mushrooms will not directly affect you neurologically, though there is some evidence to suggest marijuana will at this stage of your brain's development. So you might actually be safer with psilocybin than with cannabis, in terms of physical effects. However, mushrooms are much more powerful than weed, so there's a guarantee that yes, it WILL affect you psychologically. Will it change your entire personality? This is very unlikely. But you can expect to have a different outlook on things on the other side of each trip.

I've advised 15-year-olds against using psychedelics so I can hardly condone it for a 13-year-old, but it's always going to depend on the person. I always used to consider myself intelligent and mature, though this self-image has changed of late, partly due to psychedelics... but I'm glad I started at 20, and not a year sooner. 'Tripping' is a very intense and confronting process and I'm sure it will have a far greater effect on younger minds still developing their preliminary worldview and sense of self than it will on adults. Please don't take this as condesencion, nothing pissed me off more when I was 13, but once you take a psychedelic drug, you'll understand the enormous gulf between a cruisy drug like cannabis, and an incredible six-hour mindfuck like psilocybin.

There are places where they give peyote and ayahuasca to 6-year-olds for shamanic training, and maybe that works for them, but that's a very different environment and they're given a lot of guidance and training for it. For a 13-year-old westerner, I can only advise that you wait, not for neurological but for psychological reasons. If you're determined to go ahead, the best course would be to start with no more than a half gram, likely to cause the equivalent effects of being mildly stoned, and work your way up very gradually from there.

A bad trip can scar you for life or drive you permanently insane. That's what you're dealing with here. Usually they result from taking too much in the wrong place and with too little experience. I've had two, and I'm lucky on both counts that I didn't completely fuck up my life, or lose my mind for good. One of those was on a mere two grams of mushrooms.

For your first experiences, a porch and TV with your friends might be okay, but shrooms are best experienced in daylight in the glory of nature. A sober friend and a long bushwalk would be your best bet. Choose wisely, hope it all goes well.

I remember i had a friend i met on this fps we were playing and he told me all about psychedelics. He told me he wiished he diden't mess with LSD at such a young age(15) because it clowded his judgement very much so and looking back he wished he enjoyed his child hood a lot more.

Zebra doesn't sound like he's enjoying what's left of his childhood all that much, if 13 can indeed be considered childhood. Devil's advocate, but I know someone with a heavily traumatic past who started with shrooms and LSD at 14; she hasn't regretted it. Different story for everyone.

 

[J.Wallace]

You're a little young, honestly. But that's just my personal opinion. In my experience, one needs to develop a sober perception of reality for some time before getting involved in chemicals. While I have no problem with people smoking Cannabis, I'd consider you too young for even that. Sure, it's practically harmless, but it's the idea of getting high that you should not be exposed to until you have matured and have a good understand of what reality in a sober state of mind should feel and be like.

I'd advise you to wait until you're at least 15, maybe 16 years old. You are still very young, and you're brain and body are in a crucial stage of development. It's best to let things be, and just hold off until you are older and have a better understanding of how life and reality itself is.

 

[alive1]

Doesn't anybody else think that a child will be better suited to handle a psychedelic trip than adults? As willow11 said, psychedelics are all about shattering the ideas we have set in our minds. A young person like the OP doesn't have too many of these "set ideas" in mind, therefore less to shatter, therefore less potential for panic as his sense of reality slips away.

I don't think a few experiences with psilocybin will deal any damage, but neither do I think it'll give any benefit. It'll just be "fun and games", which is just as easily had for him in other ways. Regarding to the depression, psychedelics could help, however I am doubting whether the ideas revealed in the trip will have any kind of effect, as they will barely be comprehendable at this stage.

Zebracake, I can't advise you to do or not do whatever you'll want to do, just make sure that you DO have a psychedelic experience when you are in your twenties. It is important that you do not judge the experience by what you may or may not know and understand currently, as the experience and understanding will be extremely different from now, as you live through more good and bad times in your life.

 

[bluedolphin]

Yes I think it's true in many cases a child or teen can handle psychedelics better than adults. Many teens or young teens start off tripping and it's all fun and games, and then when they get older become more wary of psychedelics because the drugs are more likely to shake them to the core.

That said, I don't recommend a 13 year old take shrooms or acid. But I know a couple people who tripped regularly at that age and they are absolutely fine and very well adjusted people now in their late 20's.

My primary concern would be that the psychedelic experience becomes an early obsession, distracting a young person from enjoying much else that youth has to offer.

As for taking shrooms or acid first, do a little research and see which one sounds better to you. But please do not experiment with research psychedelics until you are at least several years older and with some traditional psychedelic trips (shrooms, LSD, mescaline) under your belt.

 

[swilow]

Doesn't anybody else think that a child will be better suited to handle a psychedelic trip than adults? As willow11 said, psychedelics are all about shattering the ideas we have set in our minds. A young person like the OP doesn't have too many of these "set ideas" in mind, therefore less to shatter, therefore less potential for panic as his sense of reality slips away.

Theres sort of no need for a young person to use psychedelics if one of the main effects is going to go unnoticed. I think psychedelics have much broader uses then mind-blowing, such as fun. Psychedelics are probably safer then skating, in a physical sense. But I think that "panic" is one of the least worries with tripping, things like posible social alienation and spiritual confusion strike me as being more destructive and more implacable the panic. It depends where you want to go; I'm pretty much seperate from "normal life" in many ways and have an inabiility to do constructive things but I am somewhat fortunate in that I can afford to do this financially as well as practically, so I don't need to work and talk anymore shit then I choose to....

When you say "it can break down fixed ideas of society", does that mean 1 trip could totally change my personality? My friends are my friends because of my sense of humor and I wouldn't want that to change. If I didn't have a sense of humor, my computer building/modding would mean nothing to them, they would view me just as a nerd.

Well, your personality won't change, but all life experiences can emphasise different parts of yourself. Psychedelics seem to be able to highlight the bizarre and pointless games that many humans get caught up in, and this realisation is truly depthless.

Your friends should be your friends because you mutually like an trust each other. I would just wait. Psychedelics will be there when you are older and might enjoy and be able to use them better.

Kudos fo asking fo advice man, that displays a certain maturity that I respect. I hope you check back in here to let us all know what happens...

 

[killroy134]

Please wait a couple years before getting into anything this heavy. I think my first trip was at 15 and it was great, but I think that is even too young. 13 is VERY VERY young to be experimenting with very powerful mind altering drugs. Mushrooms and pot have absolutely nothing in common. Please stick to the easy stuff for a couple years. Also, some people really dig shrooms, I however NEVER liked the feeling of them. It has a bit of a dark edge and confusion that goes with it. If I was going to try a pysch for the first time it would be LSD, methylone or one of the 2c compounds. Something very uplifting and fun! Shrooms can cause a real mindfuck and I have seen it many times. I have also had a few great experiences on shrooms, but the dark ones greatly outweigh the positive ones. Just my 2 cents...

 

[Ismene]

I think there's a bit too much being made of the "shattering" effects of psychedelics. Above all, they are fun and the best laugh and euphoria you will ever experience.

 

[greenmeanies]

Seems like Zebracake is pretty well-set on doing this. Just know that "numbing and painkilling" effects of weed will not really show up if you decide to smoke herb while tripping. Weed is truly psychedelic (racing thoughts, dissociation, depersonalization) when combined with a drug like shrooms or LSD.

If you do decide to trip, I would suggest mushrooms not LSD. Mushrooms you can always judge the mass yourself on a scale (i'd start you with about 2g of cubensis, or less if you find yourself in possession of more potent species like cyanescens or azurescens) where you can never be sure of the dose on a blotter paper. Also mushrooms is usually a 4-6 hour trip, while LSD can become a 8-10 hour event.

If you do decide to trip, save the weed for AFTER the trip. Many a psychedelic experience have been blasted into the deep end unwittingly by a couple of tokes of a joint. The memory issues also make it more difficult to get something useful out of the trip.

 

[Sadner]

It's all up to you. If you feel confidant about them and want to do them, then don't waste time thinking about it and munch those bad boys. If you're having second thoughts then maybe not. Complete and utter confidence is a necessity for these things.

Just do not smoke weed with them for your first time. weed+psyches= super crazy high

 

[s_scott0420]

to be honest I do not think your read, but I wouldn't say around the age of 20+ would be appropriate. I'm 16 and have done shroom's once and it was fantastic. Just make sure you are with a good group of friends in a good environment. You do NOT want a bad trip. I do believe that it will not hurt your brain but the OPPOSITE. Joe Rogan does a really good job explaining at: http://www.youtube ( dot ) com/watch?v=JUTgPOUdcLE. I recommend you watch but don't go thinking you'll become a super genius in the making. It's dangerous stuff and with everything it's better safe than sorry. I hope all goes well with your trip and don't feel forced into doing so. Please be careful too. Me and some friends were walking on a collapsing building and could of died along with climbing a cement tower. My recommendation would be to go outside and just go on an adventure. And remeber PLEASE be safe. I hope this helps bredrin.

Spencer,