Acid: good or bad?

[Derf]

A friend of mine told me he had some acid. I asked him where he got it, he said a friend of his knows someone or something. We had both been talking about mushroom trips, and so I asked how it compared. He said its similar, but without the nauseous feeling to your stomach, and more visuals like hand waving in front of your face... :/

He was nice enough to offer me one. I admit I'm curious about it. All you old-timers from the 60's, what do you think of Acid? Good idea , or bad mistake?

 

[AGBeer]

Well, I didnt really trip til the 90s and on (BORN in the 70s) but nowdays that shit scares the hell out of me. Not necessarily because of the 'trip' - I get off on that whiteknuckle ride sometimes, but because of whats IN it nowdays.

Acid is much more 'crispier' than shrooming is. BOTH are intense but for some odd reason, LSD had a more intense 'rush' to it than any shrooms Ive ever eaten. (Even though the scaredest ive been cause of a trip was on shrooms)

Oh, and one hit should have you pretty goofy without losing your mind completely. Just keep yourself in GOOD COMPANY and dont watch GWAR videos. You will be cool

 

[the ob]

you definitely have to want to do it, be in the right frame of mind and in a comfortable situation at least for the first time. it is similar to mushrooms so if you have done those, you would know what to expect.

 

[lwien]

The acid I took back in the 70's was very pure. It was either made by a chemist friend of ours or it was Owsley which was a liquid in small vials or windowpane. I don't know if I'd trust anything from the street unless I knew the source that made it.

We used to go to concerts every weekend and dropped acid before almost every one. Did this for about 3 years. Must have tripped over a 100 times and only one time was it a bit uncomfortable. The others were just fantastic.

Just make sure that you are in a very comfortable place that will remain comfortable without any unexpected things happening for about 8 hours and be with a close friend who has experienced it before. Super important until you know what to expect.

 

[audiodelic]

Acid is all about set and setting.

set is how you feel .... be in good care free mood.... if you have something to do which is important get it done and out of the way before the trip.

setting is where and with whom .... preferably outdoors definitely dont miss the sunrise and sunset, with some psytrance if you want to have a party .... do it with close friends who wont judge

 

[jeffp]

Set = mindset. Yes, i remember reading that in Tim Leary's "The Politics of Ecstasy," I believe.
I best not start recounting tripping stories right now as my young daughter is playing with my iPod on the sofa just a few feet away, but I agree completely with lwien in terms
of not trusting what's on the street nowadays. I do remember in the early seventies very colorful "Purple Owsley" and then the various "sunshines" - orange, yellow, double barrel.
more later..

 

[Willeh]

Acid these days is of very varying quality, and maybe if you could find a thread about psychedelics in your area on a forum more oriented around that kind of thing you could find which blotters are proposed to be dangerous Research Chemicals. Some can last for days, and have a very dangerous dose response curve so be careful.

Acid and mushrooms are very similar in terms of psychedelic effect (Introspective thought, looking at everything from the 'bigger picture' view), but acid is electric, stimulating, long lasting(12hr) and easy up easy down. Mushrooms are short(6-7hrs) but very intoxicating, affecting motor skills more, dopey-er but feel very spiritual, very connected, but definitley more anxiety and nausea prone in the come up, and a little bit so in the peak. After the peak on mushrooms is the most 'comfortable' part in my opinion, and can just be sheer bliss and connectedness to everything, with amazing colours. Acid is better around crowds and makes music sound better, though both make music more interesting. Don't drive while tripping, don't drink more than a few if you're a drinker (it clouds the experience anyway), and vape a bit to get sent into hyperspace. Be careful, and remember good set and setting, and go with the flow

 

[ZigZag]

i took acid and it was crap
iv taken mushrooms quite a few time and what i felt was similar but it just wasnt as good i thought, also after someone told me it wasnt very good acid.
i had like 4 hits though

 

[bcleez]

Just take it. If shit gets too crazy just remind yourself it's only a drug and it will stop.....at some point

Most people that sell it are not going to waste time RC's or anything, chances are it will just be fake and not work. Make sure it has not been handled much, or you will wind up like zigzag.

I always had a real good connect during the rave days and personally I would not compare them with mushrooms. Mushrooms are like baby steps. Acid is like running with Usain Bolt. Since you are in NY I would assume the quality is going to be really good or fake.

 

[momofthegoons]

The acid I took back in the 70's was very pure. It was either made by a chemist friend of ours or it was Owsley which was a liquid in small vials or windowpane. I don't know if I'd trust anything from the street unless I knew the source that made it.

We used to go to concerts every weekend and dropped acid before almost every one. Did this for about 3 years. Must have tripped over a 100 times and only one time was it a bit uncomfortable. The others were just fantastic.

Just make sure that you are in a very comfortable place that will remain comfortable without any unexpected things happening for about 8 hours and be with a close friend who has experienced it before. Super important until you know what to expect.

You just took me on a trip in the way back machine. We had great connects back in the 60's and 70's, also Owsley and Sandoz. Jeff, I remember the sunshines well. I also tripped and concerted every single weekend for about 3 years, and loved it until the connect with the labs stopped and I started doing street variety. There was a phase where it was rumored that strychnine was being put in it. I had some horrible trips and pretty much stopped. Mushrooms are wayyyy more mellow. I never had the intensity of tripping with shrooms that I had with acid. I never "freaked out" but have seen many do so and have talked many down. It's not pretty.

The answer to whether you should take something like this can only be your own. If you have reservations, don't do it. I agree with all the statements on safety and mind set, but the mom in me also worries about purity in the drug. Are you really taking acid, or is it some other crap being sold as acid? I would hate to see someone go through what I have seen others go through on bad stuff, especially their first time.

 

[Raf007]

I think everything has been said.
I m glad I tried acid when i was 18, now that I am 30 I am afraid i d get some anxiety attacks coz I think over things way more than when I was younger.
If you feel good in your inner self go for it, if you feel bad, don't.

Anyway, I don t regret at all to have,tried and would do it again if in the right mood and conditions.
way stronger than shrooms in my opinion too.

 

[Derf]

The answer to whether you should take something like this can only be your own. If you have reservations, don't do it. I agree with all the statements on safety and mind set, but the mom in me also worries about purity in the drug. Are you really taking acid, or is it some other crap being sold as acid? I would hate to see someone go through what I have seen others go through on bad stuff, especially their first time.

Thanks guys. I've done mushrooms a couple of times. It was a very nice, introspective time full of some visual effects, but mostly it just felt like my mind was opened up to the universe. I don't regret doing them and look forward to a free weekend when I might be able to do some again, but these days those seem to be few and far between.

I'm 31 now, and I agree with Momofthegoons- basically I think too much at this age compared to my twenties, and the first thought I had (as I tried to ascertain where my friend got it) was the quality of the source. I'm sure that it could be real or fake, but that argument isn't what worries me. Its that only people who know what they're doing should be making this, and I don't want to get dosed with strychnine!

Also, I wanted to know how LSD compares with shrooms, and it sounds like shrooms are more mellow, and LSD is a little more hairy. I was comfortable with shrooms (aside from the stomach pains), so I guess I don't need to push the limits further. I think what I liked about mushrooms was how my brain worked differently, and how I felt like I understood everything and was part of everything. I don't know if acid will do that, but I guess I still have a twenty-year old in my who's curious what it's like.

 

[lwien]

You think 'shrooms are bad on your stomach? Give Peyote a try. Not bad after the first hour but man, that first hour is blechhhhhhh. Funny, remember as if it was yesterday when we were camping out in Big Sur. Shit tasted awful, and on the verge of puking but then when that eventually went away, things got pretty nice. Then the bats came out.......... .

 

[indigal]

Thanks guys. I've done mushrooms a couple of times. It was a very nice, introspective time full of some visual effects, but mostly it just felt like my mind was opened up to the universe. I don't regret doing them and look forward to a free weekend when I might be able to do some again, but these days those seem to be few and far between.

Also, I wanted to know how LSD compares with shrooms, and it sounds like shrooms are more mellow, and LSD is a little more hairy. I was comfortable with shrooms (aside from the stomach pains), so I guess I don't need to push the limits further. I think what I liked about mushrooms was how my brain worked differently, and how I felt like I understood everything and was part of everything. I don't know if acid will do that, but I guess I still have a twenty-year old in my who's curious what it's like.

I've done acid a handful of times, all decent trips- strong visuals that are very different than shrooms- more shifting/buzzing type if that makes sense, I just hated the racing feeling, and that you cannot sleep until it's over.. and it's not over for hours!! I always felt wrung out when I was done on an acid trip.

Mushrooms (as you've had) are nice, happy, can be mellow- but I've also taken many grams at a time, and it was fantastic- everything was swirling colors and buzzing sound. I always try to take either in a natural setting away from phones and drop in friends.

I never got that "connectedness" feeling from acid, only mushrooms.. I don't think I'll ever do acid again, I'm 37, have too many worries, and just plain feel wiped the next day. Mushrooms at a low or high dose I'd do easily (if I could get some again!!)

 

[AGBeer]

You think 'shrooms are bad on your stomach? Give Peyote a try. Not bad after the first hour but man, that first hour is blechhhhhhh. Funny, remember as if it was yesterday when we were camping out in Big Sur. Shit tasted awful, and on the verge of puking but then when that eventually went away, things got pretty nice. Then the bats came out.......... .

You sound like one of the lucky ones then. Every story Ive heard about peyote is (it tastes like shit of course) but puking is to be expected.
Rumor has it that people see God on mescaline.
Awesome for the spiritual factor.

 

[lwien]

Never saw God, but one trip on Acid really stands out. I had a very close friends who had a house right on the beach in Malibu. Used to party there a lot. Anyways, I remember standing out in their driveway one evening about 5 hours into an acid drop. Was alone kinda of leaning against a car with their two dogs as company, and just standing their staring at a full moon on a very clear night and then all of a sudden, there were these connecting lines, going from me, to the moon, to one dog, to the other dog, to a tree, to the other tree, to a star, to another star, and then back to me, and all of a sudden I had this epiphany that ALL of these things are interconnected and TOTALLY dependent on one another for their existence. It was as clear as can be and something that I'll never forget. Those connecting lines were as clear as day. Bright orange against a dark sky. And they lasted for what seemed like a minute or two, and all I could do was nod my head and say to myself and my two canine companions................"Yeah, I get it" and then walked back into the party with a big ass smile on my face.

Is that seeing God ? Kinda.

 

[steiner666]

Q: Acid: good or bad?
A: True

lol, i know its not a true/false question, but an acid trip can really go either way. As others have said, it depends on the quality and purity of it, basically how well you can trust your source. Also, I think that it really just depends on you as a person and what you've been through in life. My life, for example, has been relatively calm, with no great trauma or drama or anything. Acid trips are a just crazy and fun in my case. My friend went through a lot of hardships in her life like witnessing traumatic deaths of family members first-hand and other stuff i wont go into too much detail of, but it was horrible for her and she freaked out.

I think a good way to judge is by just looking at what you dream about on normally. I rarely remember my dreams if i have any, but when i do, they are good dreams. If you're someone who has nightmares, or any sort of mental conditions that give you a proclivity towards feeling anxiety and paranoia and such, i would steer clear. The subconscious thoughts and feelings just seem to come to the surface when your tripping. If you have scary ugly shit inside somewhere, it might start manifesting itself in what you hallucinate, making for a horrifying experience.

 

[jeffp]

This is such a major discussion and it could go on for years and I hope that it does. There is so much to say about it, at least in terms of what *used* to exist on the street market.
Do I recommend it? No. My "no" is a knee jerk reaction because it's dangerous and scary - it's the real deal and it's supposed to be dangerous and scary. Read McKenna's "The Archaic Revival" for an explanation on why it is supposed to be scary. Read "Be Here Now" by Ram Dass to learn how it changes you, and a viable direction to where to proceed from the psychedelic experience. It can open a door but it can't give you a room to live in - that you have to cultivate for yourself.

I will tell you that in my opinion it does change you forever in subtle but meaningful ways. I don't think you actually ever "come down" from it.
By that I believe that you do obviously "land" after 12 hours but I don't believe you land in the exact same place that you took off from.

Stay with mushrooms if you're insistent on taking the trip - don't buy the poison on the street made by bathtub chemists and don't trust your friends who will "verify" that it's good acid.
They really have no idea.

 

[lwien]

By that I believe that you do obviously "land" after 12 hours but I don't believe you land in the exact same place that you took off from.

VERY well said.

 

[jeffp]

Thanks. I have non sequential thoughts I'll throw out as I go along, thinking about this based on my own experiences in the early 70's.
I think you transcend both life and death in the experience. "Death" seems trivial and "silly" by comparison.

 

[indigal]

Never saw God, but one trip on Acid really stands out. I had a very close friends who had a house right on the beach in Malibu. Used to party there a lot. Anyways, I remember standing out in their driveway one evening about 5 hours into an acid drop. Was alone kinda of leaning against a car with their two dogs as company, and just standing their staring at a full moon on a very clear night and then all of a sudden, there were these connecting lines, going from me, to the moon, to one dog, to the other dog, to a tree, to the other tree, to a star, to another star, and then back to me, and all of a sudden I had this epiphany that ALL of these things are interconnected and TOTALLY dependent on one another for their existence. It was as clear as can be and something that I'll never forget. Those connecting lines were as clear as day. Bright orange against a dark sky. And they lasted for what seemed like a minute or two, and all I could do was nod my head and say to myself and my two canine companions................"Yeah, I get it" and then walked back into the party with a big ass smile on my face.

Is that seeing God ? Kinda.

In my book, that counts in the best way possible.

I love the direction this thread has taken..
I've had similar moments, on larger doses of mushrooms. I didn't see anything so much as feel everything. It was like your normal moments of empathy just exploded like a supernova. Had me in tears. Psychedelics are first seen as sacred in cultures for a reason, the flashes just outside our normal experience just seem to be allowed in when our brains are being flooded with these chemicals..

 

[indigal]

I will tell you that in my opinion it does change you forever in subtle but meaningful ways. I don't think you actually ever "come down" from it.
By that I believe that you do obviously "land" after 12 hours but I don't believe you land in the exact same place that you took off from.

I've tried three times to say something to this, wholly agreeing, and trying to put what it did change (for me at least) and I can't find the words.. I am very thankful for the trips I've had, and think I landed with more than what I jumped off with, if that makes sense.

 

[jeffp]

The interconnectedness of everything is something that I've fathomed looking at the moon in a park as well. I think I know what lwien is expressing.
Another thing that I recall from the experiences is that all of the revelations were more like rememberings rather than revelations. All of this I always knew
all along and the psychedelics just revealed what was inside, obscured by thought, ego and desire.

 

[indigal]

Yes. Very yes.

 

[jeffp]

ABV brownies seem a little trivial by comparison, does it not?