was it in a certain moment, an certain age?
why did you stop?
Please answer only, if your last experience is at least 1 year ago and you are not planning to do it again.
Edit:
Thanks for all the answers. I read all of them, but don't reply to each.
It's interesting for me to know your view of the things.
And I can relate the most to the ones who had few experiences and decided to stop at a certain point.
one comment I've read: "there is no shortcut, you have to do the work" also helped me. I thing it can give you a lot, but it's a tool (what can feel unreachable amazing) but not the answer itself to everything. It's inside you!
I don't feel those who can't understand why to stop and I also didn't ask for your opinion.
People stop?
Still going at 57
I took psychedelic the last time 2-3 yrs ago.
When are you planning on doing them again?
thought about it, yes. but I didn't plan, nor I say, I'd never use them again. Although this might be the thing.
It showed me the things it had to show me. Greatfulness - very deeply. And honestly, i miss this deep feeling.
But at the same time I know, it has also side effects, it's not a fun-pill and it costs braincells for sure and also is not so integrated in our western society.
It showed me, whats important in life and it's the basics. No need to use it 10 more times to be more "elightened" or something.
It gave me also some nihilistic thoughts and I think it's also possible to worsen a depression.
So when I am doing good and am greatful, I see no reason to take it.
But to look in the truth mirror, time by time, can give you also a lot.. and its possible without lsd. If you take your time to go deeper.
Add:
I am still interested time by time to talk and read about it. But the times I was on the journey, i digged really deep into it. Also tried dmt (low) - lsd normal 250mics and V lsd 450 (felt like 200).
I think at some point its also a little danger to lose your mind - kinda not be able to live your society life.
Well, taking lsd does not „cost braincells“. It actually increases neuroplasticity which is a definitely a good phenomenon/side effect and really interesting from a medicinal POV. Still its definitely not a fun-pill and risks like psychosis are very much real. Dealing with the western culture isnt as much of a thing for me personally. Ill just stay discreet about my use. For the nihilism part: first i was really scared of those thoughts and i was angry that actually nothing is on purpose and there is no deeper meaning to existence itself. But i started to embrace those thoughts and started educating me on how to deal with it. For me nihilism is a rather freeing concept. (Even if existence doesn’t carry a deeper meaning, u can still find meaning in things u enjoy, in family etc idgaf in anything prolly) (Just my pov. I wanna try helping with nihilism cuz it sounds like u are a bit afraid of it or u just simply dislike the concept (which is ofc perfectly fine)) I dont take acid purely for enlightenment. Sometimes its just simply connecting and having fun. Ive learned a lot but i don’t pressure myself into doing acid purely for the enlightenment part. Its just fun sometimes. Idk if this should help or whatever man. Just commenting my thoughts on your post haha.
Nihilism was so scary when I was depressed but now that I’m better it actually helps me find meaning in things myself and I now view the whole world as art and find art in everything and it made me appreciate the whole world more than I ever did
Love to hear this❤️
This ^ Educate yourself OP!!
You are probably right that people don’t stop because when you go into cardiac arrest you trip sack on the brain’s natural DMT. I find it beautiful that one of my best friends, a religious teetotaler, had a near death experience that sounded like my LSD trips. Stanislov Grof said spiritual emergence is the birth right of every human being
The pinial gland isn't able to produce enough dmt to make a human trip. It only weighs 200mg itself and mainly produces melatonin.
Also, a comparison study compared large numbers of near death experinces with trip reports and while psychedelics had similarities, ketamine and salvia, so dissociatives, where closest to ndes.
Wow, I didn’t know that. So heaven is a K hole. My friend described it as objects having being their own source of light instead of reflecting light. That’s what everything looked like on LSD, like it was emitting light instead of reflecting it. K for me was just fucking ineffable. But most people don’t get a chance to describe it. I think it’s beautiful every one passes through it, at least I hope
Right? Who is this question addressed to?
I stopped for years when the DEA pigs locked my friends in cages because that was my only connection. Is that the answer that is being fished for here?
Short answer: the drugs told me to stop doing drugs.
Long answer: the last five or so times I took psychedelics, I had pretty bad times. I was anxious and frustrated and wasn't learning things or having fun. That last one was a little different though. It still definitely wasn't fun, but I did come to better understand why I hadn't been able to appreciate the experiences like in the past, and that until I got some things in my life under control I probably never would again. That was a few years ago now, and while I do hope to reach a point in my life where I'll be able to enjoy them again, I'm not holding my breath. I've made a lot of progress since, but I know I'm still not ready.
Great answer.
Im in this same spot now. I think they're beautiful chemicals, but since I got sober from alcohol, i haven't been able to enjoy a trip like I used to. My life's taken on a whole new meaning since getting out of treatment 4 years ago, and I actually take my life seriously. With that seriousness comes a sense of responsibility, and the times that I have tripped since then ive only felt the weight of all of my responsibilities. Im currently waiting to trip again until my life settles out and things become a little more smooth.
I like to say that im in my "collecting phase" because ive just been steadily filling a safe with different psychedelics, as well as growing a ton of mushrooms. For when the time is right lol
For me personally I learn the most when I trip for the first time after having a bad trip, it motivates me to figure out where I went wrong and I learn much more than I plan to about myself. Just need to go into it with an open mind and to be ready to surrender to yourself
I used mushrooms twice. Got the message, didn't call back.
I used LSD twice. Got the message, didn't call back.
If I need to do it again, I will. But I don't see why I would.
What was the message?
it is all one broooooo
I doubt if I can sufficiently express it into words.
This was more part of a healing/therapeutic process. I feel like these trips unlocked or highlighted trauma that I was hiding. Bits and pieces of doubt about who I am and what I should be doing. You know, the usual perspective "reset".
In any case, I haven't felt the need to go back. I feel like I have enough tools to move forward mentally and to find meaning in creative endeavours like writing.
What was the message(s)?
I doubt if I can sufficiently express it into words.
This was more part of a healing/therapeutic process. I feel like these trips unlocked or highlighted trauma that I was hiding. Bits and pieces of doubt about who I am and what I should be doing. You know, the usual perspective "reset".
In any case, I haven't felt the need to go back. I feel like I have enough tools to move forward mentally and to find meaning in creative endeavours like writing.
What exactly you were doing wrong and what you changed to do better?
I'm not sure if "doing wrong" is the correct way to describe it. I don't think anyone ever consciously does something wrong, otherwise they would do differently.
It's more like this. Imagine you're dragging a ball and chain that you're not aware of. You just do it because you've always done it - it's normal. Everywhere you go it's really painful and slow and you keep wondering why you're always so exhausted. The mushroom stopped me and asked why I'm dragging that thing around.
After that I still carried the damn thing around, but I had become aware of how silly it is. Eventually I dropped it.
Now when I feel exhausted, depressed, useless, aimless etc I know to check if I'm dragging a ball and chain around.
Sorry for the metaphors, but it's really the only way I know how to describe this. So in short, it's not so much about doing stuff differently, it's more about increased self-awareness.
The harmful belief I've been carrying around is a very fundamental thing, rooted in lack of self-confidence. Something like "I need to do what x group of people tells me to do, instead of what my heart tells me to do." Which in my case leads to burnout, half-assed work results, and bad career decisions.
This!
When my health failed me. I used to trip all the time. But then got ill in 2020. Only just recovering now and as soon as im feeling good again im tripping balls as much as i can. Need to do some deep healing
When it's time to die. I've never seen anything that makes sense outside of the psychedelic experience, so I see no reason to let it go.
I’ve danced with Lucy for 25 years now. And during that timeframe, I’ve take several multi year breaks. And each time I found my way back with curiosity and excitement, the experience has only gotten better. Currently in an almost 2 year break right now.
Is a long hiatus stopping? I am more than half a century old and haven’t done indoles in about 15 years. I just felt like I was getting too close to relapsing with mental illness. It really didn’t matter though because I became psychotic about a week after a suicide attempt. All this public bigotry has me fucked up. So I don’t know, would tripping or even microdosing have helped me? No one can say. But the universe has told me beautiful things through the psychosis . They gave me K in the hospital so it may have booted me out of the funk I was in. All in all, entheogens were beautiful and revelatory. I don’t regret them. I still feel guilty because I had a medical card and was using it a lot. If I didn’t have a mental illness I would probably never stop. We have chaotic brains to begin with.
Life holds me back… but nothing has stopped me… yet
Having a family, responsibilities, businesses, a home and all that can make it a bit hard to carve out 12+ hours where I can melt face and not just be worried about life stuff vs having a fun time. Maybe it’ll get better later on, but I think it’s pretty natural to back off the lifestyle the older you get
However, I feel that if I ever hit a trip where the overall message was to hang up the hat and say goodbye to the fractal void - I’d heed the message and fuck off happily.
When i met my current partner who is the wisest human being in my area and who has never done psychedelics before which amazed me so much that I decided not to take them anymore. because he didn’t need some mushrooms to think this wise and deep and i thought all my heavy life lessons came after i tried psychedelics so he debunked my theory. Obviously i miss “the feelings” but all those seem less important now.
I realized I used them to process bottled up feelings. They released a lot of trapped sadness, anger, what have you. But ultimately, I want to stop the pattern of pushing away these feelings in the first place. So I figured it was time to learn how to do that in sobriety.
I took a prolonged break after I had a kid and lost two friends to overdoses within a year, I’m back to tripping a few times a year and I’m glad I stepped away when I did.
Never
I stopped for almost two decades after being an idiot about drugs as a teen/young adult. My last experience at that time was tripping with my sister while she still lived with my mom. What an awful and boring trip, and it left a lot to be desired.
I found mushrooms and tripped balls with my now-husband early in our relationship. We had the absolute best time (still do. Fucking love mushrooms).
L and I have a unique and close relationship. I try not to dose too often, but a tab is really the only effective migraine abortive I’ve found. I always make sure I have some on hand should a gnarly migraine start settling in. I rarely trip off just L just for the sake of tripping, fun, or enlightenment because I use it in a medicinal manner. Occasionally I’ll let loose.
I stopped for 30 years once.
They stopped doing me.
this is a true story. i got hit by a car and got spinal arthritis. my back is super weak. i felt like LSD was healing it and making it stronger.
so i had some extra money and a good connect. i started dropping LSD analogues very frequently... i would dose 100 or so ugs one day, and then a second day dose like 225 to 250ugs, and then a third day i would dose about 500ugs... i found that i could trip pretty much the same strength days in a row with these doses.... although some people with stronger tolerance development probably aren't going to believe it, i would stop dosing for 4-5 days and then repeat the cycle of tripping.... i could pretty much trip the same strength and get a ton of relief and healing feelings in my spine... i got convinced this cycle could heal my back, which i think it actually did help, but it's never going to heal... anyways, i went a little over three years doing this...
i am one of those people that gets strong bowel movements from LSD. i was shitting a ton on the days i was tripping and constipated on days i wasn't (no matter what i would eat.)... after some time i began to notice blood in my stool... my bowel movements were insane on the days i was tripping. the serotonin in my stomach goes crazy, whatever it is scientifically, when i take that stuff.... anyways, this went on for like half a year with the blood, so i decided to go out and get in trouble because i couldn't stop taking lsd. i got some weird beliefs that acid was eating away at my GI tract... lol. i got put on anti-psychotics.
anyways, if you don't believe it's possible to get blood in the stool from lsd, read the "over-dose" section of wickipedia. iit happened to people from taking extremely high doses. it's never been documented with low doses like my story... really think it's possible. i heard a lot of people say it wasn't really the LSD, it was the shitting too much that caused me to get internal hemorrhoids and that's what the blood is from, but i have no idea...
i haven't tripped in 7 years, because i know if i pick up again, i'm just gonna take all the acid in a short period, and i don't know if it's messing with my stomach.. i kind of doubt it's that bad, and i'd probably trip anyways regardless of my health, but i have a ton of HPPD from weed and hear schizophrenic voices, so i get pretty high anyways... i wouldn't really have enough money to take as much acid as i did before, so i probably wouldn't really encounte those stomach problems, but i would just really have no reason to... i don't know if i'd start wanting to feel that way as much as possible cause my spine feels pretty irritated with out it, so i just don't do it as to not even think about when i'm going to dose.
I just revisit when I feel like I’m losing myself to work and life. It brings me back to the beauty that’s right infront of me. Sometimes it stays and doesn’t go away
Sometimes the world absorbs me and I lose track of the beautiful colors in my backyard.
I’ll quit completely if the feeling of love for nature and my life stays. Right now with everything going on, I plan to revisit again during the new years and watch the fireworks shoot in my mind, and the sky.
I haven’t ventured in several years.
Life’s gotten busy. Setting aside at minimum 6 hours for a trip with how busy life has been isn’t feasible.
Still get natural psychedelic experiences through yoga and meditation. Plan to revisit eventually when life feels more appropriate.
After fentanyl took over >.<
I only stopped bc i couldnt find them anymore
I haven’t done any in a few years but never decided to stop. It seems to find me when I need it
It's been 12 years (with one exception to try an ayuhuasca ceremony when I was in South America just out of curiosity) but I just don't see the need anymore, plus bad trips were becoming very common for me
Had a really bad trip sent me into a wk long panic attack
when the pain of self-reflecting and having photorealistic memories about everything at the same time became unbearable
My mental and physical health weren't in the right place to keep doing them and I was having more and more bad trips.
I'm quite enjoying relative sobriety and just having drinks with friends every now and then.
I'll probably revisit again in the future.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LSD/comments/1o96t61/lsd_increase_cortisol_and_prolactin_which_can/
https://www.reddit.com/r/LSD/comments/1mwclia/have_you_experience_any_physical_health_issues/
https://www.reddit.com/r/LSD/comments/1j2obzt/lsd_adverse_effect_on_the_immune_system/
Did not stop, once you have tuned deep enough you can't untune it. As I have aged I do see more benefits in micro trips
I stopped completely shrooms, which were my personal favorite psychedlic, because of a bad trip which happened 8 years ago (at age 22). I took 3,5g, and whilst trying to tell a close friend something terrible which had just happened to one of our closest friends, I started to feel very bad. Made it back with difficulty (blurred vision, hallucinations) to our camp ground in the forest and just fell apart. I couldn't stop crying and felt helpless, which, as you can imagine, made everyone's trip kick off to a pretty bad start.
Overall, I was at a really bad place in my life. Hopefully, this happened in a safe environment, with three very close friends who were there to help and listen to me (after all the crying we talked and I felt much better, not tripping balls but just very peaceful).
This trip was helpful and made lots of emotions come out, but it did leave me scarred. Afterwards I feared going back to it would make me go back there again.
Anyways, the following 2 years, I prefered therapy to shrooms, and for years now I have been happy. I like to think I'll eat shrooms again somewhere down the road, when I'm retreated or what not. But for now, there is not much room for them (nor for LSD or any other drugs, for that matter; reached 3 years of weed-sobriety last november) in my life.
tiredness from work stops me.
Why on earth would I or anyone want to do something silly like that?
Been taking the gift of the gods since 15 58 now and hopefully can do like Huxley a5 my final moment on this reality.
Take more than your brain can handle you’ll seriously debate ever taking it again
I guess i grew up, i am 33 now, in my 20's i ate a ton of lsd in raves at home, with friends and lovers, i felt enlighted i was learning so much according to my trips but when at home alone i used to ask to myself who am i , very soft and quite but persistent thought, shit developed into a frenzy thought of who am i, this brought me major anxiety like i was expose without any armor to the evil world.
but then suddenly realize that the real teachings of lsd was only to be present, to be thankful , to love to appreciate the small things and boom me again, i know who i am now.
I wouldn't change a thing my time with acid was great.
This molecule is an entheogenic, a master, a teacher, the light. Once you get the information you want, respect it, this is a respetful sitation, if you respect the molecule it says a lot of your evolution, people get stuck in psychedelics when they dont understand the why, why it came to their life, and instead of respecting the molecule, they just play with it, of course everything has a reaction, in this case if you do not respect entheogenics and psychedelics you will regret it, psychosis is real when you abuse.
Psychedelics are just chemicals. Mind altering drugs. They're not "teachers", even though you can learn things about yourself on these drugs. But they don't know or care if you respect them or not. They're not sacred. They're just molecules.
That said. You should always use drugs in a responsible manner so you don't hurt yourself or others.
Am I supposed to stop? 😛