I planning on trying LSD for the first time...

[UndertheOcean]

but I'm terrified of the prospect of a bad trip , despite that this is something I need to do.

Any advice on how to prevent a bad trip?

[jenmarie]

1. Know your source

If you have total confidence in your source, you'll have a grand time! Seriously, that's key.

[ET Awful]

24. And have someone with you who has done it before as a "guide"

Tripping alone is not for the inexperienced :).

Personally, I'd skip the LSD and go for the mushrooms :hippie: but, I'm just a pinko hippie freak :P

[lastout]

29. DITTO

[Blue_In_AK]

41. Mmmmmm, 'shrooms....

Mmmmmm.....

[Bluebear]

2. 'this is something I need to do.' . . well, no you don't. nt

[UndertheOcean]

4. shouldn't we experience most possible modes of being before

dying...

I may have cancer , at 30 to boot .... this is an experience that I always wanted to try but was too chicken to.

[David__77]

6. Ah, I see...

...put that way, I certainly understand. I suppose I got most states of consciousness in while in high school.

[UndertheOcean]

10. I always was chicken with this stuff , touched pot only after graduation

(8 years ago), and only 3 times since then

If biopsy test returns negative (doc is optimistic) , I'll probably won't do it.

I wonder what Huxley felt like when they injected LSD into him as he died , fascinating.

[David__77]

14. Hmm...

I looked up the thing on Huxley, and I think it probably didn't make him "trip out," but rather acted as an anti-convulsant under his medical conditions.

If you didn't have a problem with ecstasy, you almost certainly will not with LSD. They are different but both involve radically altered perceptive states.

By the way, "The Doors of Perception" is a book a read out of junior high that opened my mind to a lot of things. I don't regret it at all, but I find that, once discovered, certain states may be referenced later, regardless of self-induced toxicity.

[ClintonTyree]

21. The Carlos Castaneda books were all the rage.......

back in my day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Castaneda

Whether they're actual accounts of his experiences or complete bullshit, they do make for interesting reading. They were like the Hippies' bibles back in the 60's and 70's. Hey, we weren't that experienced in the ways of the world back then. We were still trying out our wings, trying to separate the bullshit from the facts. All in all I'd say most of us did OK. ;)

[lastout]

47. I agree with your last paragraph--- but would enjoy an acid experience

at the age of 50

[lastout]

46. take 3 times as much a the dealer says----close your eyes in

a black room---the mind trip is worth it--- you cannot OD on acid---so do as much as you can handel-----

[lastout]

48. I would ride my dirtbike while doing massive doses of acid---

the fog was laying low and I rode wide open across the bottoms we had open for the cattle---it was if i was flying above the clouds----then i rode thru the cattle(not hitting any) but making it a memorial moment

[man4allcats]

3. I think it might be a bad idea while tripping

to sit in front of the toilet and flush it repeatedly. I'd hate to learn later that you jumped in and drowned.

[David__77]

5. Why is it something you "need to do?"

Just curious.

Speaking from personal experience, I am highly suspicious of LSD - not that there are not "good experiences" from it. I think, at least when habitually used, it reinforces irrational and regressed states of consciousness. While it is good to remain in touch with the childlike awe and wonder about the universe, I think this doesn't come without a price.

All that said, it's important that someone under the influence of that drug to be in an emotionally and physically comfortable environment. It would be wise to have a tranquilizer on hand in case things did go badly, or else to take the edge of coming off it - not that I advise taking it in the first place.

[UndertheOcean]

9. what sort of tranquilizers do I need to get ?

I'll need a prescription for said tranqs? no?

[David__77]

11. Ha ha

I'm sure if LSD can be had, tranquilizers can be without a prescription. Many physicians will give small amounts of them for situational anxiety - panic attacks and so forth. Ativan, valium, or xanax - any will do.

[Elidor]

7. Some random tips

Don't plan on going anywhere for 24 hours.

Take a modest dose. Don't overdo it.

It's best to have someone babysit you, someone who you trust completely who can calm you if you get overwhelmed.

Soft lighting, relaxing music. (I once salvaged a bad trip by playing "Wondrous Stories" by Yes.) You don't have to listen to relaxing music, but it's best to have some on hand in case you get freaky.

Beer and pot in abundance.

I don't care for acid. Mushrooms are nicer and you don't have to wait 15 hours to come down.

[tridim]

8. I was afraid each time I tried it (about 6 times total), but the effects were nice.

I also never took more than one tab. As long as you're in a relatively good mood and not depressed, give it a shot.

Just don't take it on Friday night if you have a Saturday morning physics lab. ;)

[Dogmudgeon]

12. Don't give it more credit than it deserves

Most people approach LSD as if it was some magical elixir of life-and-death.

It is not.

It's just a drug; a tool of sorts.

Bad trip? There is no reason to be terrified of a bad trip. Most "bad trips" are mainly drug-fueled experiences of dwelling on things that make a person unhappy. They're pretty rare. Put on some music that makes you feel happy if you have a "bad trip".

And add my voice to those who say that you don't "need" to take LSD. All decisions are always optional. YOU make the choice; YOU are the pilot.

Use your head. Have fun.

--p!

[Journeyman]

13. This may help. . .

Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/lsd/doors.htm


Thus it came about that, one bright May morning, I swallowed four-tenths of a gram of mescalin dissolved in half a glass of water and sat down to wait for the results.


Stay close to family or friends, those you have no cause to question, and remember -- as we must everyday of our lives -- its only one possible perception, one of many, and the world (as Ellison showed) is "a world of infinite possibilities."

And if you'll permit a seasoned soul with more experience here than I care to recall to give advice, know that in the infinite possibilities of life those experiences we treasure most are those we meet with our eyes wide open, our senses attuned, undulled and undiminished.

[Socal31]

15. Hmmm...

From my experience, you are much more likely to have an intense and/or bad experience from Mushrooms than LSD. I was 18, ate an 1/8th in my bedroom alone, and had the worst experience possible. As far as LSD, it was just pure fun. However, in retrospect, all mind-altering drugs have permanent effects and are not worth it.

[ClintonTyree]

18. Just the opposite here......

there was always that unnatural chemical edge to LSD that creeped me out. Shrooms, Peyote, Mescaline and such were always a more clean, natural trip for me. Peyote was the Big Kahuna. Nothing holds a candle to it.

As for the OP, I never took any acid that I couldn't drink my way through. If things started to get weird, alcohol (in copious amounts) could overcome the weirdness everytime. I'm not advocating the ingestion of multiple substances, but it always worked for me. ;) Just make sure you're somewhere safe, make sure you don't have to travel anywhere. Being outdoors is a big plus, away from people and situations that could cause undue hassles. Have someone experienced with you if possible, someone who's been there and done that.

I haven't taken any of that stuff in 25 years or more (I'm 58). We always had a ball, the smallest thing sending us off on laughing jags that were almost unstoppable. I can't vouch for today's LSD but we sure had some kick-ass stuff back in the 60's and 70's. Have fun, PM me and let me know about your excursion, will you? :)

[wake.up.america]

16. You might want to avoid drugs in trying to reach a "higher" level. I try

to do that all the time.

Try love! Don't expect anything in return. Just love - that's a heavy trip.

[UndertheOcean]

17. been there , done that......

[Kindigger]

19. Definitely

have someone not under the influence with you!

[avrdream]

20. My advice:

1) Surround yourself with cheerful people.
2) Give yourself lots and lots of time to come down.
3) Don't drive - you'll either go too slow, too fast, or get distracted by the colorful trees flying by.
4) A bad trip isn't all bad - it'll stop you from doing LSD again. (Advice from many friends.)

[Blue_In_AK]

42. Not necessarily true

I had a few absolutely hair-raising trips, but I kept coming back for more. I just loved, loved, loved that altered state of consciousness. Even from the bad trips I learned a lot about myself.

[bluerum]

22. Do something your really like doing instead. Paint, run, watch movies,

hike, walk, swim, garden, read, volunteer at a charity organization in your town, start a business, stop a war.

I guarantee you won't have a bad trip.

[tridim]

26. Swimming is the best!

But that's actually probably terrible advice because it's kind of dangerous. Have a sober friend there as a life guard.

I'll never forget my first LSD enhanced swim at the local lake. We found a muddy shoreline and spent hours slip-sliding into the lake on our butts. I never had so much fun. :)

[MichaelHarris]

23. I

saw iguana's in a urinal once. It was very cool.

[iamahaingttta]

25. My advice?

Stay away from caterpillers!
"Put the caterpiller down, Jim! Now!!!"
(words from my first trip)

And don't freak out when the trees start breathing.
Oh, and be sure to take a shit. There's nothing in this life as interesting as taking a shit when you're tripping.

Other than that... be careful and have fun!

[bamacrat]

27. Remember Leary's words, set and setting, very important.

Dont go in worrying about a bad trip it might cause you to have one. just be in a familiar place that is calm and be in the right mindset, not stressed or scared. if the set and setting are there then it will be awesome.

[Joanne98]

28. Was Timothy Leary Right?

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1612717,00.html

[lastout]

30. do only one dose---- if it is too much lie down and turn your body off--

play it out in your mind-
After trying it in the 70's/80's I would do a hit--analyze the high and then do 10 to 50 hits of acid depending on the quality (as I saw it)--- you can't die from an overdose--- you go to another plane of reality-- be ready to accept it-----It was like a Lightning storm in my Brain----I let off energy that was stored in the body and mind----
And for the record I took about 100+ trips
Good luck on yours

[lastout]

31. after seeing your post below I offer the folioing---

Be in a positive comforting setting--and do the one dose thing--- one dose of acid will produce feelings of giddiness and music will be brighter --colors will be brighter---that may be as far as you want to go---one who went the distance

[Ariana Celeste]

32. I will say only this.

If you have a personality disorder, or a mood disorder, or anything like that- chances are you want to avoid LSD or any other hallucinogen.

I have some.... issues. And I got through my past trips just fine. But not everyone has a fun enlightening time.

[datahead]

33. Well.............. Hmmm...???

Wow! How does one answer this question?
I would love to say "Party on Dude" but I don't recommend doing LSD. Being somewhat knowledgeable about chemistry, not to mention a child of the late 60's and 70's, today LSD is not the same as it was back in the day. (So to speak.) Today the stuff is totally full of crap, not to mention probably full of strychnine. Back in the day there was sugar cube, and 624. That was pure LSD. Now there are so many names and different mixes I wouldn't trust putting the crap in my body.

But if you must.. Check your sources... and if you already have psychological problems such as bi-polar etc. Good luck!

[Bennyboy]

43. Sorry you are wrong. so wrong....

For one thing LSD is purer than ever. It is almost always in liquid form now. PURE LSD. It is put on paper or some type of carrier but it is almost pure. Very seldom is it in pill form now which is where the story of strychnine comes from.

Today the dosage is NO WHERE NEAR as high as it used to be. For good reason. most of the "bad trips" as are described are results of way too much of the drug. Very seldom does that happen in todays world.

Yestedrday's dosage WAS 1000 TO 1200 MGS. TODAY IT MORE LIKE 100 TO 125MGS. Big difference.

today it is made by way fewer people than back in the day. Now there are only a handful of committed people making the drug.So the chances of bad acid is less likely now.

And back in day as you say there was LSd and LSD 25. Owsley acid. I have been in the scene for ever and ever and have never taken a hit on a cube or heard of 625.

For you my explorer frined, don't worry about it. just have some fucking fun. Take a hit and do something. The high will only be intense (and on one hit not that) for about two hours. So watch a movie. go hiking or go to a concert or something.

Listen to some String Cheese Incident or Phish or the Grateful Dead. You will understand why people are into them.

Stay away from mirrors they always freak me out.

[Ariana Celeste]

34. Oh, and check this site.

http://erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd.shtml

[Dragonbreathp9d]

35. You cant go into it with the fear of a bad trip

while I myself have yet to try it (though, like you am edging that way) I have tripped on many other things, and you have to be completely certain you want to with no fears or hesitations. A guide and some good music will help too. For great trip music, check out www.dnumbers.com

[sdav9883]

36. Advice

DONT TRIP BY YOURSELF!!! YOU'LL GO CRAZY AND PROBABLY KILL YOURSELF!

[stressfulreality]

37. read this before you take LSD

a good friend of mine is really messed up from just one trip.
maybe he had a weak mind.
he was a cool guy in high school... after taking some strong acid he now talks about how he thinks he's gay and possibly an alien.
we no longer hang out with him because he's so F*CKED up.

do something natural.

[caucAZN]

38. coming from a seasoned tripper

i would recommend drinking about 45 minutes after you eat your hits. the combination of LSD with alcohol produces intense body sensations that are reminicent of an orgasm. this will take your mind off anything bothering you and keep your head in a good place. i would also suggest you trip in your house or somewhere else you feel comfortable. if you have a cell phone turn it off so that nothing can interfere with your trip. do it with someone you trust who has also tripped cid before. follow these suggestions and put on some grateful dead and youll have a fantastic time.

[nostalgicaboutmyfutr]

39. Make sure it is not folded - DAMHIKT....OK, ask.....

I was in Austin once and a couple friends and I found some and partaked....apparently the paper that I and a friend had under our tongues....was folded in half....and was actually two hits.....

everything worked out....but...if it is your first time....you don't want to find that you had accidentally taken double what you had expected.

[Blue_In_AK]

40. Know your source is excellent advice

Also make sure you're in pleasant surroundings. I haven't done any acid in years and years, but back in the old days, I always found it was an excellent idea to CLEAN MY HOUSE before getting high. Nothing scarier than a bathtub ring coming alive right before your eyes. :rofl: For the first time, it's probably best to be with someone you know and trust who won't try to mess with your mind. I used to like tripping alone out in nature the best, but that was after I was familiar with the drug and how it affected me. For a first-timer you should definitely be with someone because you don't know how you're going to react. It's good to have someone around who can remind you that "it's only the drug."

[clixtox]

44. No one has mentioned the therapeutic possibilities...

Of conscious LSD use. LSD is a confrontation with yourself, particularly in the early "coming on" phase of the experience. Many "bad trips" are the result of the fact that under the drugs influence it is impossible to lie to yourself. If you are insecure or fundamentally flawed this realization/confrontation can be devastating and could possibly cause/trigger many different personality problems like "acting out", irrational behavior, even being suicidal or regressing to a fetal state. It is important to be with a trusted "guide" with the experience to answer questions and shape your "trip", if necessary.

I have used a LSD experience myself, more or less inadvertently, back in 1981 to quit habitually using an expensive, time wasting, formerly chic substance, "Dummy Dust", "Peruvian Marching Powder", "Dandruff of the Gods", etc. for ever after. I realized deeply and persuasively during this "trip" that I had reached, or gone right by, the point of diminishing returns and it was (high) time to reclaim my life.

LSD was found to be the most effective therapy ever used to reform or rehabilitate alcoholics as long ago as back in the 1960s! Look it up... (Google: LSD, therapy, alcoholism)

Try <http://www.psychedelic-library.org/lsd1.htm>, dated, but timeless, information. Wikipedia has a good overview of LSD. Knowledge is power...

LSD is so powerful that our masters have systematically stymied all research in the USA and elsewhere for decades.

One has only to take some once to understand why that has happened, it is impossible to put the genie back into the lamp. That is why it was made a crime to possess in 1966.

LSD can actually MAKE you think and nothing is more dangerous than that!

[Pius Verum-i]

45. Say it again

you couldn't be more right about the nature of the drug, and why it is controlled.

i like to take the previous day, getting my head in order... being as blunt and harsh as i can, so that i won't be filled with any depressive thoughts, that are revealed when you self-introspect...

it makes you think, so just have your head clean, and set up a great day

[rachel23]

49. DO NOT TRY IT!

You might think you can fly or scratch your face off!

[Quantess]

50. Pretty sure meth is the one that makes users scratch their face.

And I think you'd need to take a huge whopping dose of LSD before you think you can fly.

But I will say, that the LSD can make you feel out of it for days after. Don't do too much or you could end up needing psychiatric help.

[RedCappedBandit]

51. Some advice:

Do it somewhere you are comfortable and with somebody you feel safe around.
And don't go into it worrying about having a bad trip.. do it when you feel happy and confident.