Do you feel wrecked after years of semi-heavy LSD use?

[lionheart90]

I'm asking because I've had a brutal time these last couple of years and the issues started to snowball a couple months after I started using LSD every weekend or every couple weeks. This trend of doing acid every weekend lasted for like 1 year maybe. I was mostly doing acid but I did MDMA a handful of times, Ket a handful of times, and tried some other drugs once or twice. I'd say 90% was LSD tho. And all the while smoking weed, eating junk food, not working out, and in general just being a regular young adult.

I remember a bit of fogginess setting in when I first started smoking heavy weed back when I was like 19.

It was manageable but definitely noticeable. Learning was harder, memory was harder to use, vitality and life energy seemed to also diminish unless I was chronicly smoking.

That trend continued for like 8 years then I found LSD. I started to use LSD pretty regularly, then ketamine/mdma on occasion.

And where I'm at now, I feel like a shadow of my former intellect. I used to be an intellectual giant but now I feel fucking smoked all the time.

So my question is for those of you who have had a similar experience, a year or two of heavy LSD use followed by what appears to be diminished mental capacity? And just overall a feeling of being slightly retarded, lacking mental clarity, lacking higher brain functions? etc?

Where I'm at now: quit smoking weed for 6 months in the beginning of the year, picked it up for the last 3 months. Had dropped acid for about 8-9 months, then picked it up about once every month for 5-6 months. Currently on an all drug hiatus though and trying to recover.

Anybody got a timeline? 1 year of sobriety? 2 years? what kind of sentence am I looking at?

 

[heatlessbbq]

To answer simply...
It depends on who You are.


To answer lengthy... TBC...

 

[TripSitterNZ]

I smoked weed and did alot of things for years and went very hardcore on LSD. I was doing very strong doses every trip every weekend for years sometimes taking two to three week breaks and currently on a psychedelic binge right now. It will leaving you feeling drained and pretty disconnected from the physical plane. But the biggest thing that downed intellect was weed. After i stopped cannabis use and kept at everything else i was pretty fine though the mdma abuse got to me along with speed and ritalin. During heavy lsd use i could no long string a sentence together since i was so fried then i took a break cause i got totally detached from life i was spending all my free time in the psychedelic realms with no care for the physical world. But after meditation and turning to Hinduism im back on a heavy psychedelic use as i search and dedicate the rest of my life span to achieve liberation. Take a break and everything will come back to normal. Then read some RAM Dass tim leary and stanislov grof on topics on LSD to intergate what you have seen and experinced. It may take a year or even two years to finally feel like you have returned to the physical plane and can function like you use to do. I love LSD to much to ever quit for to long even a month is to much myself these days before i feel like im missing something

I also have some pretty strong and cool HPPD that i had to learn to function with in daily life

 

[Xorkoth]

I went through a period of taking psychedelics (not just LSD but a wide range of RCs too) 3 or more times per week (even 7 days in a row once), for 2 years (2006-2007 and a bit into 2008). I did crash pretty hard after that, but I never really felt that it did damage. I took a 3 year break from psychedelics and then I started using them again sometimes. These days I use psychedelics, sometimes LSD, sometimes other things, anywhere from once a month to once a week (or sometimes 2 days in a row at a music festival). I do feel like when I go a little too hard, it makes it harder to think straight, but I also feel that my heavy use period has left me some great effects, in that I permanently feel some aspects of tripping, but just the positive things, like a greater appreciation for the small things, for beauty in nature for example, and my mind is always brushing that psychedelic space which makes life more interesting and makes it easier to be childlike in my spirit, which I think is super important for living a long and fulfilled and exciting life. I do have increased visual static and sometimes I have visuals, which I guess you could call HPPD but I find it interesting and it doesn't bother me. I think it has a lot to do with how you view it. If I chose to be anxious about the fact that I feel different all the time than I used to, then I'd be anxious all the time, Chronic anxiety is very bad for you and has a wide range of negative effects on you both physically and mentally.

 

[Pfafffed]

Is there anything else going on in your life, internally or externally? Depression, for instance, can dramatically impact cognitive function.

 

[lionheart90]

Yeah pfafffed there is quite a bit of depression going on haha. Or is it actually depression anymore IDK, seems so persistent and chronic at times that it appears to be the new normal.

life has been stressful but thats life, its stressful for the majority of people.

 

[AutoTripper]

I just want to say that when I think about it I reckon I feel wrecked from years of not using LSD heavily actually not using it at all and suffering the strain and stress and misery of difficult living with no joy and bundles of trauma and suffering.

I think if I had been using LSD more regularly then I certainly would have had a much better and happier time over the years even if everything else has stayed the same.

Of course there are extremes, and maybe some moderation would pay off, but I certainly plan to take it as regularly as is practical and possible for the meantime, which is not nearly as often as I would like so I don't think well ever be anywhere near too much over time.

 

[Hexagon Sun]

TL;TR:

I would try quit weed, doing some microdosing regimen, all the exercise that you can (maybe yoga) and all the socializing that you can, that can be a lot a very few depending on circunstances

After 15 years doing all kind of drugs that recipe works wonders for me at least and I suspect that for most people here too

 

[heatlessbbq]

Do YOU feel wrecked after years of mild-heavy LSD use?

 

[Xorkoth]

I'll echo Hexagon Sun... I'd give quitting weed a try, many people fall into heavy marijuana use (daily) as a way to cope with negative feelings and it ends up making it worse, but it's hard to realize it's making it worse until you clear your head. It's worth a shot. Also try to figure out what's wrong in your life, if there are things that are just not working for you and making you depressed, try to eliminate those things from you life, and replace them with good things. Pursue things that make you feel happy and fulfilled. Usually when people are in a depression rut, it's because their life isn't working for them, but you can change your life, you just have to take one step at a time.

 

[lionheart90]

Right on everybody. Thanks for all the good advice. It seems that yes, heavy LSD use will fuck you up, but so will life, weed, and a whole host of other things.

LSD is hard on the body and it's not some super drug that gives all positives and no negatives, so it's best used in moderation.

thanks again.

 

[AutoTripper]

I'll echo Hexagon Sun... I'd give quitting weed a try, many people fall into heavy marijuana use (daily) as a way to cope with negative feelings and it ends up making it worse, but it's hard to realize it's making it worse until you clear your head. It's worth a shot. Also try to figure out what's wrong in your life, if there are things that are just not working for you and making you depressed, try to eliminate those things from you life, and replace them with good things. Pursue things that make you feel happy and fulfilled. Usually when people are in a depression rut, it's because their life isn't working for them, but you can change your life, you just have to take one step at a time.

Hi. This is really great, accurate, spot on and approprite advice. Can be easier said than done of course, and it can take us a lifetime to be honest with ourselves and make the required positive changes but so true though.

I myself all into this camp and I am solidly guilty of using cannabis to cope with difficult feelings and living circumstances. For all of cannabis benefits and Glory which work very powerfully I believe on a physical level almost holistically to protect and support the body in many ways over time, it does definitely work against me negatively in numerous ways.

I have been psychologically addicted to cannabis since I was aged 17 however I have also had long-term lyme disease since 2005 and my life has been incredibly difficult with very little opportunity for fun, pleasure and joy in particular.

Cannabis is the only substance I have been able to consume throughout my onus I can't even drink tea or coffee and alcohol is out of the question although I have recently been experimenting with 1plsd which I just about tolerate although I think it may be the case that these psychedelic compounds have a tendency to exacerbate mucus production within the body and this is my number one biggest symptom and problem due to multiple chronic infections and a misbehaving immune system with the most severe imaginable.

I really have struggled over the years to discipline myself and at least moderate my cannabis usage to a far more appropriate level where it does not work against me as much. I do find it extremely difficult to let go of my addiction but this would be considerably considerably easier if some doors were opened to me making it possible for me to live any sort of normal or full life with fun and pleasure and activity to fill that gap.

Otherwise I am just stewing in misery and boredom living what feels like a pointless life, literally going crazy and losing the plot.

Of course I cannot make that a valid justification for my addiction and weak will, and I totally agree with what you are saying and see the undeniable logic and sense in It.

 

[lionheart90]

Weed is a medicine. If you have a legitimate problem and you want to use weed as your medicine instead of some shit a doctor in a lab developed for a billion dollar company then be my guest.

the people who have a great life and are using weed as an un-necessary crutch are the ones who should examine their usage the most. People who have severe body illnesses kind of have a free pass. Cancer, lupus, lyme disease, common man it would be foolish to say that people in those situations should try to give up weed. Sometimes for them weed is the only thing that makes life bearable.

so yeah, if weed is doing a hell of a lot of good for you, recognize that and don't try to follow guidelines set down by people in different circumstances. Like if you are 21 years old and have perfect health, but are just smoking weed and playing video games all the time, check yourself. If you are like 35, on disability, and have a lifelong major or chronic illness, enjoy the fucking weed.

 

[AutoTripper]

If you are like 35, on disability, and have a lifelong major or chronic illness, enjoy the fucking weed.

Well I'm 39, but I think I still qualify. ? Hehe thanks very much for the understanding and assurance and voice of reason. Yeah all logical arguments have been considered over time, I do try to see all angles however and be honest with myself and others in the process.

Autoflowers are coming in right now in fact, pure organic outdoor meds for my mum and I, we did GOOD this time! Some truly lovely stuff. I am allergic to virtually all fertilisers including organic, since 2005 I have not known of a single source of cannabis which I can use due to fertiliser allergies.

So the only way I can even use cannabis at all is for me and my mum to run our own specially nurtured Autoflowers once a year.

Hard work, but this year has gone amazingly well, just about done now then so much to look forward to.


All said- I need to make a concerted attempt to help myself more and an indispensable aspect of this will be moderating my cannabis use and improving my relationship with the plant, to bring about a better balance in my lifestyle.

I can do this I just have not had the will power and incentive for quite a long time.

 

[Xorkoth]

Weed is a medicine. If you have a legitimate problem and you want to use weed as your medicine instead of some shit a doctor in a lab developed for a billion dollar company then be my guest.

the people who have a great life and are using weed as an un-necessary crutch are the ones who should examine their usage the most. People who have severe body illnesses kind of have a free pass. Cancer, lupus, lyme disease, common man it would be foolish to say that people in those situations should try to give up weed. Sometimes for them weed is the only thing that makes life bearable.

This may be the case for some, but I think it's important to consider it might not be for you. One of my friends who has suffered from major depressive disorder since he was 15. He smoked weed daily for a long time, over half his life. Shit got worse and worse, the anxiety got so bad he started to experience depersonalization. He tried to commit suicide. Eventually he ended up getting arrested and was on probation and couldn't smoke weed, and after a couple of months he realized that weed was actually contributing significantly to his negative mental state. He's doing a lot better now since he quit smoking weed all the time. Weed can be a medicine but it is also a drug and it's not necessarily harmless, and I don't think it's always a good thing. It couldn't hurt to see if quitting weed for a couple of weeks helped you feel better. I mean in your original post you said this:

I remember a bit of fogginess setting in when I first started smoking heavy weed back when I was like 19.

It was manageable but definitely noticeable. Learning was harder, memory was harder to use, vitality and life energy seemed to also diminish unless I was chronicly smoking.

I'm not trying to say weed is bad, or that it's bad for you. Maybe it isn't. But if you're experiencing the symptoms you're talking about to the extent you felt the need to post about it, my recommendation is still to give quitting weed temporarily a shot. Maybe it will help. Maybe it won't, and you go back to smoking weed, then okay, at least you tried something. Just trying to help.

 

[Help?!?!]

Naw not at all. LSD is the refreshment too a mind wracked by heavy life use. Life is claustrophobic and sometimes a crushing cage. LSD allows me freedom from that entrapment and a differing view of it entirely. That's quite indispensable IMO.

 

[lionheart90]

This may be the case for some, but I think it's important to consider it might not be for you. One of my friends who has suffered from major depressive disorder since he was 15. He smoked weed daily for a long time, over half his life. Shit got worse and worse, the anxiety got so bad he started to experience depersonalization. He tried to commit suicide. Eventually he ended up getting arrested and was on probation and couldn't smoke weed, and after a couple of months he realized that weed was actually contributing significantly to his negative mental state. He's doing a lot better now since he quit smoking weed all the time. Weed can be a medicine but it is also a drug and it's not necessarily harmless, and I don't think it's always a good thing. It couldn't hurt to see if quitting weed for a couple of weeks helped you feel better. I mean in your original post you said this:

I'm not trying to say weed is bad, or that it's bad for you. Maybe it isn't. But if you're experiencing the symptoms you're talking about to the extent you felt the need to post about it, my recommendation is still to give quitting weed temporarily a shot. Maybe it will help. Maybe it won't, and you go back to smoking weed, then okay, at least you tried something. Just trying to help.

I like the intention but in all fairness nothing you could have ever said would convince me to stop smoking lol. My desire to quit has always come from my own experiences when smoking and after smoking. I'm currently on day 9 of no weed and for the past couple months I've probably only smoked a couple bowls, usually just a few hits a day on fri/sat.

anyways thanks man, just wanted to let you know that I already am well on my way to getting rid of it from my life.

 

[Xorkoth]

Nice, for some reason I was thinking you were smoking all the time right now. Probably because SO many people have posted threads in here over the years about how they have DP/DR/anxiety/thinking problems after LSD but are smoking 24/7 to try to combat it. I smoke every so often these days too. I think weed is a great drug, I just think sometimes people tend to think of it as completely harmless or even as medicinal when it is actually a strong drug that CAN be medicinal but can also be detrimental to some people in some situations.

 

[AutoTripper]

I just think sometimes people tend to think of it as completely harmless or even as medicinal when it is actually a strong drug that CAN be medicinal but can also be detrimental to some people in some situations.

Indeed, fully agree. And the irony is that it can be both, simultaneously.

Both supportive and protective on a physical level, helping the body maintain homeostasis on various levels and in many cases suppressing and keeping various specific health conditions in check....

While at the same time reaping negative effects upon the user and having a harmful effect on one's life which can be different for different people of course.

Again I am guilty of this and while I do strongly believe that my regular cannabis intake plays a huge role in supporting my nervous and immune system to minimise the long-term damages of my Lyme disease, and that it goes a long way towards keeping my general organs and body free from any serious harm or additional conditions, my cannabis use unquestionably works against me and has numerous negative impacts upon my life and mental and physical well-being.

So I have to be honest with myself at least. Moderation and an improved relationship which I'm prepared to put work into now is where my focus is to improve the situation because abstinence can be extremely dangerous for me regarding the severity of my depression and anxiety, even if my cannabis use is actually making this worse, trying to ride out the psychological withdrawal and general experience of being t total in my life situation kanbei and unbearable hell where more damage is done which can carry lasting consequences if I am not careful.

 

[LandsUnknown]

Honestly, I am completely wrecked and definitely in the category of "permafried" according to most people I know. According to others, my intelligence has definitely declined dramatically as a result of my use of various drugs, but more as a result of dissociatives like DXM and PCP than proper psychedelics in my case. Though, to be honest I think everything has contributed to my current state of being, which I feel is for the better. And no, I am not exactly "stupider" now. It's just that my mind and ways of expressing and experiencing my intelligence has shifted. Which I feel is for the better. People often have told me that they think I seem like I've declined mentally. But honestly, the "stupidity" that I have felt at times and other people have noticed is an illusion. At least, it is in my case. The "intelligent" version of me as kind of a mask honestly. The version of me now is the real me. Prior to my drug use, I just didn't let the mask slip even to myself. The thing is that I am still intelligent in a sense of being a smart person in a sense. I can still understand concepts and understand how to do things.

I just no longer act like what society deems a "smart" person, nor is my thinking necessarily in line with what society deems "smart" anymore. But I am still the same person. People just think I am a complete idiot because I no longer have respect for the social rules that define what a "smart person" looks like. You are probably still smart as well, but perhaps you're like me and have just broken out of the mold that society told you personally to be in. And perhaps that new you, that real you, just doesn't feel right to you. And even if I have gotten stupider or drugs have fried my brain, I really don't give a shit honestly. Because the version of me that is here now is the best version of me. The version of me before was a puppet. A puppet of everyone else. A puppet of authority, a puppet of my family, a puppet of those around me, but the version of me that's here now is the real me. And I really don't care if other people think I'm stupid or if I fried my brain. Nor do I care if drugs have caused me some sort of actual brain damage, that's not going to stop me from doing whatever the fuck I'm going to do. Fuck that. Intelligence is not a measure of a person's worth.