Use Your Brain on Drugs

Taking magic mushrooms: DO-S

(1) Start with a low dose.
Never take more than 1 gram of dry magic mushrooms. Wait for 90 minutes. If you feel OK and want to intensify the experience you could take some more.
(2) Make sure there is nothing on your head for the next 24 hours.
No work, no school, no visiting of friends or family, no care for children or pets, JUST NO NOTHING!
(3) Make sure to trip in a relaxed environment.
Busy environments with lots of people and noise may cause an information overload. Choose an environment where you are not bothered by people not involved in the experience. Choose a calm, natural, preferably rural place, where you can enjoy the wonders of nature. Choose a place that is familiar to you, a place you know and where you feel save.
(4) Make sure to trip with people you know, like and trust.
Preferably there should be someone around that is not involved in the experience.

Taking magic mushrooms: DONT-S

(0) Never take magic mushrooms when you have second thoughts about taking them.
(1) Never take magic mushrooms when you have mental problems.
(2) Never take magic mushrooms when you are feeling depressed.
(3) Never take magic mushrooms when you have a tendency to paranoia.
(4) Never take magic mushrooms when you are pregnant.
(5) Never take magic mushrooms when you are alone.
(6) Never take magic mushrooms when you are using precription drugs, especially when you are on psychoactive prescription drugs or MAO-inhibitors.
(7) Never drive on magic mushrooms.
(8) Do not use magic mushrooms as a party drug (like alcohol or XTC).

The entire wedsite is great resource for lots of information on mushrooms!

This is a short guide to recognising problems and administering help when someone is in trouble after taking drugs. Remember not to panic and to get help immediately.

Now is the time to begin planning for your experience. Here is a basic skeleton from which to design your own plan. There are some important steps here so don’t get lazy. You must safeguard both your mind and your body.

1. For what purpose will you be tripping? (Why?)

This is important for planning. A spiritual trip requires a different environment than a recreational one. A creative trip is usually found in lighter doses then the other types. Different drugs have different effects. Once you know WHY, you can then choose HOW. If you are not sure, ask yourself the question “Why do I want to trip?”, then write that answer down (or remember it) and ask “Why?” to the answer. Repeat these steps until you have a solid understanding of your reasons. This requires a good degree of honesty to do successfully but it is important.

2. What drug are you planning on using? (What? How?)
3. Who is taking the trip with you? Are you going it alone? (Who?)
4. Where will you do it? Inside? Outside? Day? Night? (Where?)
5. Additional steps

Great step by step guide to help you calm down if/when you’re having a bad psychedelic trip.

Psychedelic drugs include LSD (“acid”), psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline (found in peyote), ibogaine, salvia, and DMT (found in ayahuasca). Psychedelic substances have been used for thousands of years for religious and therapeutic purposes.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, psychedelic drugs such as LSD were considered promising treatments for a broad range of psychological and psychiatric conditions. Tens of thousands of people were introduced to them in clinical studies, as an adjunct to psychotherapy, or as part of a religious or spiritual practice. By the late 1960s, however, as millions of people experimented with them, psychedelics became symbols of youthful rebellion, social upheaval, and political dissent. By the early 1970s, the government had halted scientific research to evaluate their medical safety and efficacy. The ban persisted for decades, but has gradually been lifted over the past decade. Today, there are dozens of studies taking place to evaluate the medical safety and efficacy of psychedelics, and the Supreme Court has ruled that psychedelics can be used as part of the practices of certain organized religions.