Responsible drug use

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This article is written with an emphasis on hallucinogens but is relevant for any and all drug induced experiences. It is dedicated to providing a comprehensive instructional guide on the variety of factors one should consider before experimenting with psychoactive substances in a safe and responsible manner. These individual factors are listed below:

Effects

It is important to know in advance on a detailed and comprehensive level, the duration, pharmacology, subjective effects and potential adverse effects which the substance or combination of substances are likely to induce. There are many online resources to use for education and reference regarding this aspect of drug usage. If a dedicated breakdown for your specific substance of choice has been written, be sure to find and read it within the specific substances portal. For further research on the effects of any substance that one may be considering, a combination of www.erowid.org, www.en.wikipedia.org and www.google.com can be used. It may also help to read relevant anecdotal trip reports found here on PsychonautWiki or else where across the internet.

If one knows the exact effects of the drug in advance, then they will know what to expect. This is something which significantly reduces the chances of a negative experience by a huge margin through the prevention of unexpected circumstances.

Dosage

An extremely important rule when it comes to using substances responsibly is to avoid dosages which one is uncomfortable or unfamiliar with at all costs. An inexperienced user should always be starting at very low dosages with the goal of working their way up in small increments, as they feel comfortable doing so. This should be done by slightly increasing the dosage with each separate experience and never taking great leaps into the unknown. Doing so allows people to get a feel for the substance that they are using in a controlled setting before they dive into deeper states. This minimizes the risk of an accidental negative experience enormously as although dosage guidelines exist, it is important to remember that everybody reacts differently to every substance depending on their own personal tolerance and neurochemistry.

For information on the appropriate dosage for any substance, research should be done using a combination of PsychonautWiki, www.Erowid.org, www.en.Wikipedia.org and www.Google.com.

Setting

Choosing an appropriate and safe place for a person to undergo the effects of a substance is extremely important and plays a huge factor in determining the outcome of a experience. The best place for an inexperienced user is a familiar, safe and indoors environment that is completely devoid and free of certain factors which can cause a direct negative influence. These factors include:

Ensuring that one is completely free of responsibilities during the experience and the day after as the simplest of tasks will become incredibly difficult and sometimes stressful under the influence of certain intoxicating substances. One should be relaxing and remaining comfortable, not performing chores. This includes driving and operating heavy machinery for obvious reasons.
Avoiding people who are irrelevant as they should not be present throughout the duration of the experience. This includes parents who are sleeping in the same house and close friends who are anything but extremely trust worthy and understanding. The mere presence of people can be very anxiety inducing for many individuals.
Avoiding potentially dangerous, loud, unfamiliar and public environments. This should be fairly obvious but is often overlooked, you should not be under the influence of mind altering substances in a town centre, house party or bar as an inexperienced user under any circumstances.
Avoiding general bad vibes of any sort. This may seem obvious but do not watch scary or unpleasant films and do not listen to unpleasant music. If bad vibes are encompassing the experience they can easily be escaped by quickly changing your environment. For example, if one is sitting down with the light off, stand up and put the lights on, change the music or move to a different area and any negative thoughts will immediately reset to base level.

Once a person has become familiar with their substance of choice and aware of their own limits. It becomes entirely down to them as an individual when it comes to whether or not they would be comfortable tripping in more recreational environment such as nature, social gatherings, parties, raves, etc. The inexperienced however, should always seek out a safe, comfortable room at home or a friends house. This should be with privacy, relaxing music, comfortable seating and readily available food / water.

Mind state

One of the most important factors to consider as an inexperienced user is your current state of mind. Many substances enhance a person's current mind state, emotions and general perspective on the world many times over which is a process that can go in either a positive and euphoric direction or a negative, terrifying and anxiety ridden direction. It’s because of this that many substances should not be used by the inexperienced during stressful or negative periods of a person's life and users should be fully aware of the ways in which hallucinogens and other drugs, particularly psychedelics, consistently force a person to face and deal with the personal introspective problems that all human beings are plagued with.

Throughout the experience itself the person needs to let go and allow the effects to take charge. One should be taking the metaphorical passenger seat and never try to control any part of the experience. It is extremely important that people simply relax and take things as they come. The user must understand that the act of tripping is often ineffable and incomprehensible at high enough dosages, meaning that an acceptance of not being able to understand the full scope of what is happening should be present at all times. One should be embracing the fact that their thought processes, although more insightful in places, will always be impaired along with motor control, conversational skills and general functioning. Something which the user should be sure to view as normal and not feel self conscious or insecure about within the presence of others.

Trip sitters

A sober, responsible trip sitter is strongly recommended to be present throughout an inexperienced individual or groups experiences with an unfamiliar substance. It is this person’s responsibility to assist the individual or group by maintaining a rational and responsible frame of mind. This should be done by simply watching over the trippers and calmly reassuring them if they experience any anxiety or stress, whilst also preventing them from coming to any harm. There is an obvious correlation between the name trip sitter and babysitter; this is because at many times, trip sitting can be like babysitting and it is definitely a responsibility that must be taken just as seriously.

A good trip sitter needs to be sure of a number of things throughout the experience. They should remain (mostly) sober and should be able to empathize with the group members’ situation through personal experiences with the substance, similar substances or at least considerable amount of research on their effects. Understanding that when a person is tripping, they might not be able to communicate as they usually do. Also, their balance and spatial judgement may be off so assistance in performing physical tasks can greatly reduce anxiety. The trip sitter can contribute to the conversation but should also remember to leave them to explore the experience without too much external influence.

Once a person is familiar with the experience, it becomes down to them whether or not they feel comfortable enough to trip without a sitter.

Anchors

An anchor, in the context of hallucinogen usage can be defined as an activity or physical object which keeps one grounded during heavy suppression and distortion of a person's sense of time, space, language, ego and short/long-term memory. At higher dosages, this can result in extreme disorientation and confusion. Anchors are often used to counteract this and maintain one's concept of the current situation as it is within reality. Examples of anchors include:

Familiar and uplifting music. An example of this includes our community good vibes portal.
An extremely personal and ingrained image or object.
Continuous repetition of a meaningful word or motto as a mantra.
Writing an easily readable reminder onto a large piece of paper and placing it close within one's visual field throughout the experience. Common reminders include the name of the substance along with its dosage and phrases such as "You are just tripping". The same principle can be used to write reminders on one's hand or other visible body parts.
An item of clothing or an accessory which is only worn during and therefore associated with the act of tripping.

Tolerance and over use

If a person is to use a substance responsibly, the frequency in which they use them should be monitored closely. Although many of the classical psychedelics are physically benign no matter how frequently they are used and come with a built in tolerance which prevents using them more than once a week. This is not the case with all hallucinogens, dissociatives, deliriants and certain psychedelics may come with potential adverse health effects that need to be individually researched before use. Not to mention that any hallucinogen can cause problems with a person's psychological health if over used. Keep in mind that substance usage becomes an addiction once the negative aspects start to outweigh the positive aspects but one continues to use it regardless.

It's important to note that one must pay attention to more than just making sure that drugs do not get in the way of your responsibilities. Over use of substances can be avoided by understanding that life should not be comprised of any single interest. If a person's life becomes exclusively dedicated to any one thing including drugs or anything else, it starts to become meaningless. The goal is to remain interested in these substances whilst ensuring that hobbies and interests are broadened across other areas such as personal, intellectual and creative pursuits. Drugs should be for helping one learn to appreciate the things that already exist in life, not for replacing them.