The Big & Dandy 'Age and Psychedelics' thread

[[éS]Infinite]

My ventures into psychedelic head spaces began innocently enough with psilocybin mushrooms, which I used exclusively from age 16 until my 17th birthday, when I first used LSD. From the single LSD trip I grew keen on diversifying my psychedelic experiences, and began exploring the realms of Shulgin's phenethylamines. Much of my psychedelic use took place before I even turned 20, at which point I really slowed things down to just 1 or 2 trips each year.

 

[Transform]

I have removed an unnecessarily abusive post and its resulting off-topic children.

We welcome discussion, debate and disagreement but if one cannot make their point in a civil and friendly manner then we would rather it was not made at all. Such attitudes will not be tolerated in PD.

 

[GreenMachine]

Point of my rant....wait until you are 18. I know 18 isn't a magic age, some 15 year olds are more mature than some 30 year olds...but 18 is the age in the West at least we all agree makes us an adult.

I think you will get so much more from a trip if you wait until you are an adult, and the smart people I value around me prove my contention to be true.

i agree with this 100% but if i could go back in time i wouldnt change anything.

i am 23 but i took my first trip on LSD when i was 16. i have tripped somewhat frequently since then mainly on L, mushrooms, 2C's, DMT and some other RCs. i feel like i can look back and tell in my memories of those early trips that my brain was still growing. it was still making connections and maturing, grasping and trying to understand the world, and psychedelics threw a wrench into it all! i wouldnt have it any other way though, psychedelics changed me for the better. i have only had one trip that most people would consider a "bad" trip, and while some of the trip was very unpleasant, i probably learned more from that experience than multiple other trips put together.

anyways if you are reading this and debating on trying a psychedelic at a young age just think about this: it will be SO much more pleasant to trip once you live in your own house, or college dorm, or apartment. you dont have to hide it from anyone or be home at a specific time. successful tripping for me is all about having the freedom to do what i feel like at the time, and when you are a teenager that can be easily inhibited by home life.

 

[StWd]

I think we shouldn't judge whether people can take psychedelics on how old/mature they are, rather we should do enough research to know for certain that psychedelic experiences, that change your brain chemistry, don't have permanent negative effects on a developing brain.
If it's all clear, we find a minimum age and then start educating people in the years/months leading up to them becoming old enough that they can try without it harming them, so they are aware of how to take it responsibly and why not to take it earlier.
If it turns out they are harmful to us, we find the age at which there is less chance of it being harmful or people not being mature enough to enjoy their experiences and just let people have access from that age onwards but keep educating people on harm reduction etc

 

[twinhawk]

n my youth I took a trip
My first initial acid trip
And it hit me like a ton of bricks

My eyes they quickly dialated
I began hallucinating
At the tender age of seventeen

As I watched the tv
My dog speaking to me
Telling me I’m going insane

I recall a scene it’s halloween
And I am dressed as a drag queen
Peaking to the point of no return

I met a man I shook his hand
He spoke I could not understand
He was covered with flies and afterbirth

yourself?

 

[my3rdeye]

I am 39 started dropping LSD at 14. I took a few years off though. Major changes since late 80s in price and availability but strangely hits are still around the same potency IMO. 14 is way too young though, if it was my kid I would say wait and start with mushrooms not LSD.

 

[TruffulaTree]

First time I did mushrooms was 14. Now I'm 15 and I've added some others to my repertoire - DXM, LSA, salvia, 4FMP, etc. They've done me a world of good, and I don't see anything wrong with usage at an early age.

 

[flat-line]

When I was 12yrs old someone gave me a half a hit of LSD I loved it... I would take all my money from mowing lawns and go buy hits of LSD and a "dime bag"

Back when I was young trips where mostly just fun sometimes we would laugh for hours and just be amazed at visuals and colorful hallucinations. Now days they are more self discovery and contemplation, deeper layers of life I guess. but I still do like uncontrollable laughter and visuals.

 

[pupnik]

I think 18 is fair,
at that point a person is righteously fed up with limitations, and has given every effort to meet or exceed the goals that society has set out.
at that point you know where you stand, and are in a good position to continue self development (university and down the road - who knows??)
at that point you are allowed to choose, vote, work, and participate in all things.
It is fair to examine the self using psychedelics at that age if you are interested in aspects of the waking dream, but it is not expected, in the same way that sex is not exactly expected, scholarship is not exactly expected, and military participation is not exactly expected - except in some countries.

before 18, I would say you have not given yourself a chance yet to give every effort into achieving the goals you could achieve (i.e. scholarship, creative pursuits, virtuosity in music, gymnastics, etc.), and you should arrange more time for these interests (including interests that relate to psychedlics, mythology, dreams, symbology, psychology, biology etc.) in an academic way.

 

[TruffulaTree]

I'll copy my post from this thread: http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/704425-Is-14-to-young-to-be-taking-Shrooms-LSD


"hey man!

I'm 15 and I first started experimenting with psychedelics when I was 14. Mushrooms were my first experience, and it was absolutely wonderful - truly a life-changing experience. However, I had the perfect set and setting. I didnt know enough about them to be scared (I thought it was going to be like in the movies where you prance around on daisies and shoot leprechauns haha), so I was very excited and didn't have any apprehensions. I was in my room alone at night with soft music playing. If I had done more research and discovered the horror of bad trips, my experience might have been wrought with anxiety and it wouldn't have been as successful...I find that one of the most important parts of having a good trip is letting the drug into your psyche - if you resist it, it might not result in a bad trip persay, but it definitely wont be as pleasant as an experience. It will probably be stressful.

And you have to prepare yourself for the experience that bad trips really suck, dude. like, really fucking suck. I've only had two - one on salvia (my first and only time with salvia, thank god it only lasted for about 10 minutes) and one with mushrooms. I've never tried acid and I'd recommend trying mushrooms before acid because bad trips on acid can take you much further down the rabbit hole, so I hear (you can have a psychotic break and end up in the hospital - I've never heard of that happening on mushrooms)

anyways, it sounds like you have some experience already - morning glory seeds are generally much gentler than more intense tryptamines like mushrooms, but they are a good intro to the world of psychedelic experiences. It's ultimately your call!

I have trouble believing that psilocybin causes any issues with a developing brain, but I'm no scientist. I remember seeing that Sacred Science documentary where a kid our age talks about how he first used ayahuasca when he was 6, and he's an incredibly intelligent and eloquent young man...go figure. Psychedelics have given me a lot of things, but they have taken away from my life as well. A truly transcendent ego-dissolving psychedelic experience is life-changing. You witness a complete uprooting of everything you held to be common knowledge, and that can change your outlook on life significantly. Since I started messing with psychedelics, I've had trouble feeling motivated to do schoolwork, and I don't feel as much connection to a lot of my peers. I also reject a lot of things that my family and teachers tell me, and I question everything. You could write this off as typical adolescent behavior, but I firmly believe that there's a deeper underlying part of me that has been changed by psychedelics and makes it difficult for me to behave like a normal 15-year-old. Beware."

 

[pupnik]

In forming opinions about the right age to do things I think that people should take into consideration more than fears, desires, peer pressure, and personal history, up to that point.
some forward thinking perspective is important to bring it into balance.

 

[Solipsis]

Some info:

While psychedelics are not found to be addictive like a lot of other drugs, and in my opinion there is no one "gateway drug" leading to others... I believe that starting experimenting with drugs in general may likely make a person curious about other drugs. Although the causality that makes the most sense is that starting to experiment in general is an effect of being curious in the first place.
When considering if you want to try drugs, even psychedelics, it is important to realize the following.

This graph shows that age is an important factor in addiction, and my conclusion from it would be that you should wait until you are at least 17, if not 18, 19, or older... until you start trying all types of substances. If you just cannot contain yourself, just stick to the softer drugs like cannabis.
I *think* I have expressed my opinion earlier about the particular factor of identity development or spiritual development that may be initiated or associated with psychedelics use, although I'm fine to answer any question people might have about my perspective.

 

[Yeetbeat]

Not counting alcohol, my first drug use wasn't until I was 24 (and even then with alcohol, I didn't actually drink until about 19).

I believe the older (and therefore hopefully more mature) you are, the better you understand the potential for substances to take hold. Helps with self control, and in the case of letting go a little, fighting urges and addiction.

 

[Xorkoth]

I agree with the above... and also I think it's a bad idea to mess with the developing brain. 24 is s great age, although I'd think 21 would be fine too. I started smoking weed at 17, and I took my first psychedelic at 18. I think it was too young for any drugs at 17 and I had very little self-control (which persisted for a long time and still is something for me to deal with and understand about myself). I believe I was mentally and emotionally ready for a trip at 18 and in fact I had a +4 which has shaped everything since then, on that first trip. So depending on the individual I sometimes say 18 is old enough, and sometimes I don't.

 

[tryptamine-tripper]

@TruffulaTree everything bad LSD can do mushrooms can do just the same. While there are certainly psychedelics lighter on the mind, mushrooms are not among them. Psiloc(yb)in is one of the strongest mind-fuckers at the right dose- and I'd actually consider a hefty dose of mushrooms a much rougher experience then a heavy LSD dose, as well I'd say LSD is generally far more clear-headed, euphoric, gentle, easier on the body, & "intelligent" than mushrooms by far.

Anyways, my first psychedelic trip I was 16 (did salvia & DPH at 15 each a number of times) on extracted psilocybin in a tootsie roll, had a great time but I was far from ready to learn anything at that point. Didn't have regular or even semi-regular access to psychedelics until 19 (just shy of 21 now), which is probably for the best. Generally I think it's better to wait for your brain to develop a fair amount before using drugs, especially psychedelics, but everyone's different.

 

[Transform]

I believe that psychedelics should only be used by those mature enough to be independent. A useful marker for this is not living at home. For most people this coincides with age 18-20.

I do not think that age is the important factor here and I disagree with the use of that graph to discuss this because I think it is a prime example of a case where the correlation does not indicate the cause. I think that children who are able to get drugs are more likely to be the ones who end up with problems down the line as a result of their upbringing, the same upbringing responsible for allowing early access to drugs.

 

[Xorkoth]

Bump for prune