So, I quit drinking

[Teenwolf]

I would not recommend doing heavy psychedelics habitually, but mushrooms are not necessarily that heavy (actually I would consider them the 2nd lightest hallucinogen, after THC). And doing them alone I have no problem with. Usually there comes a time during a trip where I can no longer handle being around other people.

Hornsby, I'm curious why heroin is the one thing you haven't done? I too have pretty much done everything except those things I've never encountered (peyote, mescaline, pcp are the only 3 that I'm aware of) and heroin is one of the more pleasant highs I've experienced.

[Gregg]

I would not recommend doing heavy psychedelics habitually, but mushrooms are not necessarily that heavy (actually I would consider them the 2nd lightest hallucinogen, after THC). And doing them alone I have no problem with. Usually there comes a time during a trip where I can no longer handle being around other people.

Hornsby, I'm curious why heroin is the one thing you haven't done? I too have pretty much done everything except those things I've never encountered (peyote, mescaline, pcp are the only 3 that I'm aware of) and heroin is one of the more pleasant highs I've experienced.

On the Heroin; shoot, smoke or snort? How many times? How many more would you consider?

I never messed with Heroin because way more experienced players than me couldn't handle it.

I did experience peyote, mesc, and pcp. Liked all of them. But then again I ended up with that not so little problem. For the addict it is all or none. For me the none is better.

If you talk to anyone who came to understand that they have a problem, they never truly see it coming until it is too late.
It is good to deal with addiction issues before there is no turning back.

[DMT]

On the Heroin; shoot, smoke or snort? How many times? How many more would you consider?

I never messed with Heroin because way more experienced players than me couldn't handle it.

2x, once smoked, once snorted. Not a big fan of needles. It was cool but I probably won't do it again. The likelihood of me coming across it is slim and I have no intention of searching for it.

I did experience peyote, mesc, and pcp. Liked all of them. But then again I ended up with that not so little problem. For the addict it is all or none. For me the none is better.

If you talk to anyone who came to understand that they have a problem, they never truly see it coming until it is too late. It is good to deal with addiction issues before there is no turning back.

Having had my fair share of problems with alcohol, as well as an extensive family history of substance abuse/dependence and mental illness, I'm quite fortunate that it never got so out of control that it destroyed my life. With a child now, my substance use has dropped dramatically and that is a good thing.

[Hornsby]

I would not recommend doing heavy psychedelics habitually, but mushrooms are not necessarily that heavy (actually I would consider them the 2nd lightest hallucinogen, after THC). And doing them alone I have no problem with. Usually there comes a time during a trip where I can no longer handle being around other people.

Hornsby, I'm curious why heroin is the one thing you haven't done? I too have pretty much done everything except those things I've never encountered (peyote, mescaline, pcp are the only 3 that I'm aware of) and heroin is one of the more pleasant highs I've experienced.

Pretty much the same reasons that you and Gregg outlined. I'm not a big fan of needles, and simply can't imagine cooking up the stuff to inject. Give me the willies. To top it off, I have a very addictive personality, and while I've battled booze and cigarettes, I never wanted to try to take that heroin monkey on.

I do agree about needing to separate from people at some point during a trip...but I would always recommend that someone be close by just in case it all goes south. I've had a few of those and will always be indebted to the folks who helped me out.

[Fresno Bob]

I do have limits with drug usage. I've done ecstacy a few times, and I'll never do it again, mostly because of the brutal depression hangover. I've never done coke, and never will. Same for other "hard" drugs. I've had LSD recommended to me, but don't think I'll ever try that either.

If mushrooms help me feel better about not drinking, and I'm only taking a gram or so once every couple of weeks, I think it's a good thing.

I'm just trying to say that I love a few aspects of not drinking. Extra money, less stupid decisions, better for my health, and more control over aspects of the night. I don't need to move to 3 different bars in a night, trying to hit last call at each of them. Friends were getting antsy last night at the house party saying "we should head to the bar before last call..." and it was really nice to not have to worry about that.

At the same time, being at a show or a house party and drinking orange juice, 100% clean/sober, is kind of tough.

hopefully this calms everyone down....personally, I wouldn't recommend mushrooms 2X in a week either.

[Gregg]

hopefully this calms everyone down....personally, I wouldn't recommend mushrooms 2X in a week either.

Well it sure did for me....I was really worked up....man that was a close one... whew...

Now all kidding aside, why wouldn't you think that mushrooms a couple of times a week is a bad idea?

I know why I think it is a bad idea, just wondering your thoughts.

[Gregg]

LOL, you guys are classic. Pretty sure it's impossible to be physically addicted to mushrooms, but hey I'm no doctor.

Have fun, dude. You're young. Mushrooms are pretty fun unless you have a weak psyche, imo. If you start getting too into your head when you're tripping, back out.

You guys and your fears.....mushrooms, Mexico.....

Do you have any friends who are addicted to alcohol or drugs? If your answer is yes, do you think that it was their intention to ever let it get that far? Do you have any friends that you know have a problem, but they don't know it (or won't admit it)?

[Fresno Bob]

Well it sure did for me....I was really worked up....man that was a close one... whew...

Now all kidding aside, why wouldn't you think that mushrooms a couple of times a week is a bad idea?

I know why I think it is a bad idea, just wondering your thoughts.

If you look at what Teenwolf wrote, he's talking about doing mushrooms once every couple of weeks, not multiple times per week, that's what I figured would calm things down....back in the day, I watched as my then future wife did LSD a couple of times a week. That was a mess, with slurred speech being the most obvious side effect.

[Wonderboy]

He had a $7,000/per year drinking habit. He is struggling to kick that habit, in part, by using mushrooms. I'm not saying he's going to get addicted to mushrooms, but it baffles me that you don't at least see a possible issue here.

I'm legitimately asking here because I don't know the answer: Even if he can't get physically addicted to mushrooms, can he develop a psychological dependence on them? And even if he sparingly uses them as a crutch, could that hinder his kicking his drinking problem?

I don't know, but it doesn't seem like we are crying wolf here by asking those questions.

[Gregg]

The next person who is addicted to mushrooms will be the first. I know you've had your own demons with addiction, but I think some of you are painting with too broad a brush.

Sure, I know lots of people with addiction issues, to answer your question. I'm assuming the other questions are rhetorical.

So then you know the point isn't the mushrooms. It is the "need" to get high. The problem with substituting say pot for alcohol is that eventually most come back to their drug of choice. So the real problem is never dealt with. This allows the person to remain in denial and continue down the path of addiction making recovery more and more less likely.

Just a side note that some may find interesting; In 1971 cocaine was considered non addicting.

[Gregg]

He had a $7,000/per year drinking habit. He is struggling to kick that habit, in part, by using mushrooms. I'm not saying he's going to get addicted to mushrooms, but it baffles me that you don't at least see a possible issue here.

I'm legitimately asking here because I don't know the answer: Even if he can't get physically addicted to mushrooms, can he develop a psychological dependence on them? And even if he sparingly uses them as a crutch, could that hinder his kicking his drinking problem?

I don't know, but it doesn't seem like we are crying wolf here by asking those questions.

Yes you are correct. See the post I was typing while you were posting.

Then again what kind of advice should I expect to get if I walked into a bar and told the patrons I am thinking about quiting drinking?

[Wonderboy]

Yes you are correct. See the post I was typing while you were posting.

Since you've been there, I think your input is invaluable.

Then again what kind of advice should I expect to get if I walked into a bar and told the patrons I am thinking about quiting drinking?

Or walked in to a grocery and told the produce guy you were thinking about quiting mushrooms!

[heyelander]

i don't see where teenwolf was saying that he quit drinking because he was concerned he was becoming an alcoholic, or that it was messing up his life/relationships/health or anything... he said it was getting expensive, and he's voiced concerns before that it might be messing with his trying to lose weight (over in the weight thread). So he quit drinking and he's saving lots of cash. He misses the feeling of being high sometimes when he's out with friends though, so he's found a couple of cheaper substitutes for that, that he's doing much less often than the drinking he was doing.

I don't know if it's a great life decision or what not, but you all are arguing a point that was never made. he didn't quit drinking to end a dependence on it, he quit drinking to save money. If he said he missed the high and was making up for it by burning cash in his fireplace, then maybe we should all be saying "whoa, whoa, don't you see what you are doing?!?! You are substituting one waste of money for another," but that's not the case.

Comments to be careful of how much/often or how alone he tries his new drug of choice are probably useful.

[Gregg]

i don't see where teenwolf was saying that he quit drinking because he was concerned he was becoming an alcoholic, or that it was messing up his life/relationships/health or anything... he said it was getting expensive, and he's voiced concerns before that it might be messing with his trying to lose weight (over in the weight thread). So he quit drinking and he's saving lots of cash. He misses the feeling of being high sometimes when he's out with friends though, so he's found a couple of cheaper substitutes for that, that he's doing much less often than the drinking he was doing.

I don't know if it's a great life decision or what not, but you all are arguing a point that was never made. he didn't quit drinking to end a dependence on it, he quit drinking to save money. If he said he missed the high and was making up for it by burning cash in his fireplace, then maybe we should all be saying "whoa, whoa, don't you see what you are doing?!?! You are substituting one waste of money for another," but that's not the case.

Comments to be careful of how much/often or how alone he tries his new drug of choice are probably useful.

As posted by Teenwolf:

"I tried cutting back on my beer drinking, buying a 6 pack to go out to a house show. It didn't work out very well, as I downed 4 at home, 2 on the walk to the show, and was calling my friend to buy more and bring it. I just can't hit the off switch with drinking."

This is one of many signs that there might be a problem.

I do not know the man other than in here. It doesn't matter what I think about his drinking. It matters what he thinks. I can relate from my own story and literally thousands of stories over the last 25 years. I can speak to what I have experienced or what others have experienced. What one does the the information is up to them.

I have never met one person who thought they would become an addict, ever. We all thought we were above that and could handle it. Many of us were champions of consumption. We thought we were indestructable....we were wrong.

[Wonderboy]

As posted by Teenwolf:

"I tried cutting back on my beer drinking, buying a 6 pack to go out to a house show. It didn't work out very well, as I downed 4 at home, 2 on the walk to the show, and was calling my friend to buy more and bring it. I just can't hit the off switch with drinking."

This is one of many signs that there might be a problem.

And he was spending $6,000 a year on alcohol. If someone is spending over $100 a week on drinking, week in and week out, then it's reasonable to think that he may have a problem.

Maybe he can chime in, but it seems to me that he was indicating that there could be more than just weight or money issues involved with his decision to quit. I mean, he flat says he can't hit the off switch with regard to drinking. Now if that doesn't indicate a problem, I don't know what does.