I am a patient with long-term mental health issues; though none where the described experience could exacerbate or be hurt by the use of substance in moderation. I suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as general (GAD) and social anxiety (SAD), and for me the most frightening drug is LSD; Lysergic Acid Diethylamide; better know as: acid.
I've had the opportunity to try it once, and periodic moments during the experience were fantastic; but, for the most part it was an entire, full-blown introspective nightmare/panic attack. The experience lasted 14-16 hours (I wondered at the time if it was going to end), from a single blotter (dose)!
I was told it was the best acid on the east coast, and the guy who I procured it from told me that he would give me his entire stash if I could even find him a hook-up for more powerful stuff, as he endulged himself.
The trip was so intense at times I had questioned my identity and wondered if I was still alive or not--it scared the absolute shit out of me! (I say this with a dead straight face, no laughs) The horrid visuals still haunt my mind to this very day, not to mention the utter state of paranoia accompanied by hallucinations who I believed would be taking my life as I knew it.
It was a lesson learned in respect; before that day I really never understood how powerful the human mind was, let alone other parts that were able to be accessed through stimulation of certain cells using drugs.
I know the power and show mercy to every substance this day as a result, and I believe this has helped me be able to really enjoy as well as realize the pleasures of using other drugs in smaller amounts.
This is something I will never repeat; though I am glad it happened, now that the experience is over. I in no way do I hate acid, or wish the molecule was never developed. I just realize what my mind combined with organic nature is capable of. We hold more power than we may think in day-to-day life.