🌟🌟 Social 🌟🌟 PD Social Thread 2022-2026 v. Year of the Phenethylamine

[CavernsoftheMind]

Seitan is delicious. Sweet, sweet gluten. Tempeh, on the other hand, is not edible imo.

I love Tempeh. It has this mushroomy fermented taste & is very intense tasting even without salt / soy sauce.

Learned to like it after eating a "buddha bowl" the first time

 

[Cream Gravy?]

I'm really feeling out of place lately. At work, at home, everywhere. I don't think I have very many friends anymore, and it's really been nagging at my subconscious this week or something... I don't know. Spent my bday mostly alone and looked on Facebook yesterday to see that people I thought were my friends were all out doing planned social activities that day. I didn't get invited by any of them to said activities; no one even knew it was my bday and even people who I keep their birthday on my phone calendar so they always get a happy bday text from me didn't send me any wishes at all.

I fucking hate humans. They're just the worst. At least my cat hung out with me. And of course my wife, but we're going through something lately that has just... I don't know, it's not good.

 

[perpetualdawn]

Bummer @Cream Gravy?. I think a lot of us dudes let our friendships slide as we get older, and before you know it you can end up socially isolated. I think women are generally better at keeping their friendships active, and we can end up socially dependent on our wives/gfs, and then when things are off with them it can get real dark.

Anyways wishing you Happy Birthday +1 day today. I hope you can find ways to cultivate your friendships more in this year, and fulfillment in other areas of your life as well.

 

[Leprechaun]

Bummer @Cream Gravy?. I think a lot of us dudes let our friendships slide as we get older, and before you know it you can end up socially isolated. I think women are generally better at keeping their friendships active, and we can end up socially dependent on our wives/gfs, and then when things are off with them it can get real dark.

Anyways wishing you Happy Birthday +1 day today. I hope you can find ways to cultivate your friendships more in this year, and fulfillment in other areas of your life as well.

That's very true. Most of my relationships revolve around work and personal interests.

With a family, taking the time to catch up with friends on the weekends or weekdays is pretty difficult. Investing the time in such encounters is important, but through our kids we have grown our social circle a lot more broadly than through simply work related events.

 

[CavernsoftheMind]

Hey, the High Times Magazine archive is back up! I feared it was gone forever.

I really need to pay the $10 monthly & try to archive as many of the old issues as possible.
There has to be so much interesting stuff hidden there for drug nerds / historians.
And not a lot of it is archived somewhere else.

 

[Pfafffed]

I'm really feeling out of place lately. At work, at home, everywhere. I don't think I have very many friends anymore, and it's really been nagging at my subconscious this week or something... I don't know. Spent my bday mostly alone and looked on Facebook yesterday to see that people I thought were my friends were all out doing planned social activities that day. I didn't get invited by any of them to said activities; no one even knew it was my bday and even people who I keep their birthday on my phone calendar so they always get a happy bday text from me didn't send me any wishes at all.

I fucking hate humans. They're just the worst. At least my cat hung out with me. And of course my wife, but we're going through something lately that has just... I don't know, it's not good.

I'm sorry that was shitty for you. Happy belated birthday! What day was it exactly - I'll set a reminder. You're a likeable dude, and deserve to have your turns around the sun celebrated

 

[JackARoe]

I'm really feeling out of place lately. At work, at home, everywhere. I don't think I have very many friends anymore, and it's really been nagging at my subconscious this week or something...

Sorry I missed this CG, been doing duties that are killing me. Your posts so remind me of me as I get older. And I hesitate to say it gets worse. Not to many people have "true friends" although we all have someone that come close. You post described my feelings about life lately. Things are turning to shit around me and trying to muster up hope for a better future gets harder.

But we have to keep going. Take some trips to get glimpses of hope. Work your job (I am still out of work and drowning so be content with going to a job for now). I am willing to bet there are 100 people where you work that are thankful YOU are in the position rather than someone else. I tell my brother that, he manages car dealerships and the corporate machine that hurts people bothers him, depresses him, but I tell him the same, him in that position is probably a relief to a lot of people. It could be someone much worse. Jut remain a human being. That is all that is needed.

Honestly just that fact that we can still trip makes us ahead of most people. Most people would crawl into the fetal position if they examined their life with a psychedelic and are not used to it. At least we dare to look and peak in at our lives.

Happy belated birthday, glad you stop by and are honest..

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Take some trips to get glimpses of hope.

Not sure if you mean psychedelics or literally getting in a car and going somewhere, but I intend to do both.

Tonight I’m gonna take some Psilacetin with some drink and watch some movies like I like to, after the wife and I eat and she heads to bed.

And also in a few months we are going on an almost two week trip to Ireland, which is really what I’m excited for right now and keeping me going. Just scared that when I have to come back home I’ll be even more upset about where I live after seeing some of the beauty in the world.

 

[JackARoe]

And also in a few months we are going on an almost two week trip to Ireland, which is really what I’m excited for right now and keeping me going. Just scared that when I have to come back home I’ll be even more upset about where I live after seeing some of the beauty in the world.

Nice! Having something to look forward too always helps. And again you remind me of me. I can be in paradise and worry that it will end instead of enjoying the moment. And I KNOW the present moment is the most important. Sometimes I mumble to myself I broke my brain, or this world broke my brain as I use to feel better when I was younger and able to be more present in the moment. I mean I still get those moments and I am thankful. but a I get older there is an underlying stress that builds and doesn't clear. Maybe that is the point of life, it gets so bad trying to maintain nature lets us die. I have already caught myself even saying God damn kids!. I turned into that guy in some ways. But I think that is what aging is. Everything breaks down and then we die, which if you look at it right is beautiful.

 

[CavernsoftheMind]

Nice! Having something to look forward too always helps. And again you remind me of me. I can be in paradise and worry that it will end instead of enjoying the moment. And I KNOW the present moment is the most important. Sometimes I mumble to myself I broke my brain, or this world broke my brain as I use to feel better when I was younger and able to be more present in the moment. I mean I still get those moments and I am thankful. but a I get older there is an underlying stress that builds and doesn't clear. Maybe that is the point of life, it gets so bad trying to maintain nature lets us die. I have already caught myself even saying God damn kids!. I turned into that guy in some ways. But I think that is what aging is. Everything breaks down and then we die, which if you look at it right is beautiful.

I'm only approaching 30, so I obviously don't have the life experience you have, but I definitely know a good amount of 50+ year olds, that are very good at living in the moment & enjoying their life.
I personally was way more stressed & depressed at 20 than I am now.

I think it has more to do with the life circumstances you're in rather than with age.
The problem seems to be our society's idea of what a life should look like for people at the age of 40+.

Being married & slowly losing contact with your friends + not having any real community has to lead to depression & feeling stuck from my point of view.
I think humans just need more than one person to cling on to.
Love gets way better if it's not focussed on just one partner. If it's in the context of a community.

Most happy "older" people I know are living in tiny house communes or are very involved in local scenes - art scenes f.e.

I hope I don't sound too naive.
Kinda difficult to get my thoughts across in a second language.

This song just came on, very fitting:

 

[perpetualdawn]

Nice tune @CavernsoftheMind

 

[JackARoe]

I think it has more to do with the life circumstances you're in rather than with age.

This is 100% of what I needed to be reminded of. You are so right. I have considered life like a train ride, some parts are beautiful and other parts through slums and bad areas. (and eventually the train pulls into port that I call home) The circumstances I am just coming out of is within one year helped BOTH parents pass on in home hospice with me a caregiver. Just me, no older sister like all my friends had to help. The added stress is I was/am out of work and it was really hard to feal peace in the moment although for sure I did, I made sure. And when I needed more mental reinforcement I used DMT, and when I needed sleep the occasional diazepam. So from there is where my current opinion comes from.

Also wife is not well. Mentally and heart issues. I have no idea what to do. And been married 22 years. Trying to be kind and understanding, but anyone who has been married a long time knows that sometimes that backfires and different strategies need to be implemented. And that may fail.

Money scared the crap out of me as I was caregiving and watching my life go into the toilet. And I can say both parents difficult and immature about it. So I am working on leaving all that in the wake as the train rides.

I had more peace at 50, but life was rolling along without issue and crisis. But we all know how hard it is to find peace in crisis, although we absolutely must!

I may come back in a year, or a few years and be much more peaceful and content. Hopefully the train heads into calmer and prettier landscapes.

I can honestly say as we get older the stresses of life does build up in the body. Much more than when we are younger. It take a week on a beach to calm ourselves at best we get to do 5 minute calming breathing exercises which don't work when the body is spun from years of stress.

Having something to look forward has always helps, But I admit I am a nervous wreck traveling and don't get calm till I am where I am going and settled. Meanwhile my loves the preparation and can't understand my stress.

Lastly as I lived off credit cards as I took care of my parents, my father had money he wanted to save. The man was months away from dying and would not dig into his investments. So while I will get an inheritance, it just makes me break even. I have heard of people getting notice out of the blue that they inherited money. Me on the other hand more than earned it and helps me catch up BECAUSE of being a caregiver.

 

[Didgital]

Not wanting to derail any convo going on, but i wanted to report back about ARIADNE. I personally still have not tried it, however my friend has twice. I am waiting to hear more details, but they said the first experience was very mild. The 2nd trip was taken 1 week after starting an SSRI, and supposedly tripped balls for 24 hrs.

My friend is curious if anyone else has heard of people having overly intense effects of 2c type drugs when combined with an SSRI.

 

[Pfafffed]

SSRIs have a reputation for blunting the effects of psychedelics. Are you sure that it wasn't a different class of anti-depressant?

 

[Didgital]

It was a very well known antidepressant. Sertaline

 

[Pfafffed]

Huh. That's really interesting. You're right - at a glance, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly unusual about sertraline. I have no idea what could be going on here.

 

[TheLastOneLeft]

I'm only approaching 30, so I obviously don't have the life experience you have, but I definitely know a good amount of 50+ year olds, that are very good at living in the moment & enjoying their life.
I personally was way more stressed & depressed at 20 than I am now.

I think it has more to do with the life circumstances you're in rather than with age.
The problem seems to be our society's idea of what a life should look like for people at the age of 40+.

Being married & slowly losing contact with your friends + not having any real community has to lead to depression & feeling stuck from my point of view.
I think humans just need more than one person to cling on to.
Love gets way better if it's not focussed on just one partner. If it's in the context of a community.

Most happy "older" people I know are living in tiny house communes or are very involved in local scenes - art scenes f.e.

I hope I don't sound too naive.
Kinda difficult to get my thoughts across in a second language.

This song just came on, very fitting:

I like the music. Cheers.

 

[Cream Gravy?]

I've been seeing adverts lately on local tv stations and on my Roku streaming services for esketamine nasal sprays. Never in my life did I think I would see such a thing.

Is it 50 state legal now or something? Do you gotta go through 50 different SSRI/SNRIs before you can get it prescribed? My wife has been suffering from source-less depression for about two decades and I really, really don't want her to go onto conventional "anti-depressants" because they're honestly some of the most evil drugs that I know of... but I recall my MXE days were the happiest of my life. I would just like for her, and really both of us to be contented in life finally. But I'd especially like to avoid her ever trying SSRIs and the like. The side-effects are crippling.

 

[Pfafffed]

I've been seeing adverts lately on local tv stations and on my Roku streaming services for esketamine nasal sprays. Never in my life did I think I would see such a thing.

Is it 50 state legal now or something? Do you gotta go through 50 different SSRI/SNRIs before you can get it prescribed? My wife has been suffering from source-less depression for about two decades and I really, really don't want her to go onto conventional "anti-depressants" because they're honestly some of the most evil drugs that I know of... but I recall my MXE days were the happiest of my life. I would just like for her, and really both of us to be contented in life finally. But I'd especially like to avoid her ever trying SSRIs and the like. The side-effects are crippling.

I can respect your reluctance to ever try SSRIs. I wouldn't rule out trying other classes of prescription antidepressants. Some doctors will allow you to bypass SSRIs as a first line if you say that you tried them years before and had a severe adverse reaction, but really feel the need to try something even though you will never try SSRIs again.

It's wild to see ketamine everywhere, and I have mixed feelings about it. Yes, it's legal in all 50 states and basically always has been. It just needed to be prescribed (off-label for depression.) Esketamine was approved as a monotherapy for depression in January of 2025. In principle, it should be cheap, but we know how the world works.

But yeah, we're still in the early days of the ketamine boom. My understanding is that it's a lot like the early days of oxycontin. Plenty of pill mills will prescribe lozenges and sprays direct to consumer with minimal fuss. On one hand, I'm thrilled that a fast-acting and frequently effective antidepressant is now widely available. On the other, I'm deeply suspicious of ketamine. People can and do become addicted to it, and if they can't get it legally, they can get it the way familiar to all of us. I've seen plenty of people's lives derailed by dissociatives, and I don't just mean the ketamine-induced bladder/kidney cystitis (which so far seem to have been absent from prescription k.) I mean the delusional thinking that takes over some people's lives.

So basically: yay miracle drug! But it might destroy you like it has so many others before you.

 

[Vastness]

I really, really don't want her to go onto conventional "anti-depressants" because they're honestly some of the most evil drugs that I know of... but I recall my MXE days were the happiest of my life. I would just like for her, and really both of us to be contented in life finally. But I'd especially like to avoid her ever trying SSRIs and the like. The side-effects are crippling.

I gotta say... I think some of the extreme SSRI-aversion I see is overblown. Some people do experience quite negative effects but this isn't really typical and most of those effects aren't exactly crippling, even if they are undesirable... it's not nothing but the biggest issue with SSRI's IMHO is that they just aren't really very effective most of the time at doing much of anything. In this light in the context of already depressed people being handed another bunch of even minor problems and disappointment at the medicine not working I kinda get the perception but I just find it a bit hard to believe the side effect profile of "hard dissociatives", like ketamine or MXE, so to speak, is gonna be lower than sertraline or citalopram.

I'm not gonna go deep into researching my instinct just this second hah but I did actually look up at least one source to check if I was way off before typing that, and I don't think I'm way off...

[Side effect magnitude reported by ~266 patients] on data for citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2719451/

I mean there's a few ways to look at that, on the one hand that's a ton of bothersome side effects, but on the other, eh fuck I dunno what do I know about anything. Anecdotally sertraline actually was total dogshit for me but not traumatically so and I wouldn't necessarily write off the entire class to fix my unfixed generalized issues.

I am considering recently making a lil DIY racemic spravato, the problem with ketamine for me usually is I tend to just do all of it haha and that ruins any potential benefits for sure but I'm thinking perhaps if I make it all into solution right away and keep it refrigerated, ready for decanting into the lil spray bottles that'll stop me hoofing the giant spangly lines and let me keep things a little more measured, you can't put too much liquid in your nose before it just starts running out again, after all.

Anyway, Happy New Year everyone! May your 2026s be happy and free.