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ANONYMOUS In my personal opinion, psychedelics are neither good nor bad. I don’t believe that you can label something as either because too much of a good thing can indeed be a bad thing. Water for example; over-hydrating can result in nausea, vomiting, and in rare cases, fatal swelling in the brain. For psychedelics, it’s a little different though. Each brain reacts differently to drugs as well as which ones are taken. Some find that they can continuously take drugs such as mushrooms, acid, and DMT and continue to have pleasant experiences. As with others, a single bad trip and it’s game over. One thing’s for sure though, these drugs permanently alter the way your brain works. In my lifetime, I’ve definitely dipped my toes into the sea of drugs, dare I say plunged into the ocean headfirst. I would consider myself a middle man regarding drug use though, because I’ve used a lot more than some people, but never to the point of no return. Psychedelic-wise, I’ve done a good amount of both acid and mushrooms. Each experience I’ve had has been different. Some trips lasting longer than others, depending on which drug I used as well. Acid tends to last a lot longer than shrooms and even though they’re both psychedelics, they have very different effects on the mind and body. 28
What are your thoughts on psychedelics? Interviews By Savanah Walser
From my experience, I’ve found that psychedelics are incredibly life-changing. I used to use drugs to escape from reality and for a while that worked for me. Whatever you’re feeling right before you take them will effect your entire trip. One time I was extremely upset, had some mushrooms on hand, and decided that they would make me feel better- horrible decision. For three hours I was tripping balls and filled with so much anxiety that I just kept clicking my heels together and said “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” It’s funny now, but back then it was probably not the best idea.
I’ve also had some very good trips though. I remember my first time taking shrooms I kept seeing neon smiley faces pop up like bubbles all over the room and felt overwhelmed by joy. it was a real one-love moment for me. Whether bad or good, psychedelics definitely affect cognitive brain function. I have learned a lot from taking different variations of them and would not be the person I am today if I hadn’t. There are ups and downs to them, but overall you never know what it’s all about until you try them. That being said, PLEASE don’t take this as an open invitation to take them. These drugs seriously alter the way you think and to decide on a whim to take some would be foolish. I would love to tell you to just say no to drugs but I’m not that person either. I used to do a lot of them in the past and though I’m sober now, they’ve deeply contributed to where I am today. My advice is that if you do, be extremely careful. Your surroundings, who you’re with, and your mental state will affect you more than you know especially while on psychedelics. C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • M AY/J U N E 2 0 2 1
