Pharmacological adventure beckons...
| Ⓒ By Jonathan Roseland |
I'm not a doctor, medical professional, or trained therapist. I'm a researcher and pragmatic biohacking practitioner exercising free speech to share evidence as I find it. I make no claims. Please practice skepticism and rational critical thinking. You should consult a professional about any serious decisions that you might make about your health. Affiliate links in this article support Limitless Mindset - spend over $150 and you'll be eligible to join the Limitless Mindset Secret Society.
I'll admit that psychedelics are not really my thing. I haven't researched them as thoroughly as I have Nootropics. I did Ayahuasca once in the Andes mountains in South America and found it to be a bit underwhelming.
In my life, I've used narcotics recreationally very few times. I don't recommend that you ever do anything that could land you in jail, a few hours of enhanced neurotransmitters are not worth risking your freedom or spending your precious time dealing with the legal system.
I also don't particularly enjoy Cannabis but lest you view me as a total square here are some drugs I've dabbled with and lifehacks for exploring the depths of your own consciousness.
Phenibut
Is my favorite recreational Nootropic, this anxiolytic drug offers all the upsides of alcohol with almost none of the downsides.
- It's a Gabaergic so it works similarly to alcohol on your mindset and general sociability. You'll find yourself being a lot more talkative, chatty, playful, and impulsive -- it's a quintessential social smart drug.
- Unlike alcohol, it's not really intoxicating. You're not likely to act like an idiot or get into fights on Phenibut. It's not toxic like alcohol.
- It's not going to spike your blood sugar and hurt your sleep quality as alcohol does. Actually sleep on Phenibut is amazing!
- If you struggle with social anxiety it will drastically relieve a lot of the stress of social interaction for you.
- It markedly enhances the experience of music.
- Phenibut can be addictive if you use it excessively or if you have an addiction-prone personality. If you have a history of alcoholism or drug abuse you would want to stay away from Phenibut.
Legal Highs
Kratom is an opioid that many use recreationally.
- The sedative red and green strains of Kratom are anecdotally reported frequently as amazing for social anxiety and mood.
- The stimulating white strains are used by many to self medicate for depression. Some even call it a cure for approach anxiety.
- Kratom can be addictive and there are some potential downsides to be aware of but Kratom is one of the most loved herbs on the planet for its transformative properties.
Kava - Is an herb with pro-social properties. It seems to intoxicate you a little bit as alcohol does. It's reputed to be something of an aphrodisiac for women, this is primarily thanks to its subtle anti-anxiety effect. From a 2015 Australian Study
...kava significantly increased female's sexual drive compared to placebo... with no negative effects seen in males. Further, it was found that there was a highly significant correlation between [Arizona Sexual Experience Scale]reduction (improved sexual function and performance) and anxiety reduction in the whole sample.
A thread on the Kava Forums includes a number of frank user accounts of its effects on sex and the reactions seem pretty mixed. So I'm going to categorize this herb as something worth trying but not a sure shot for spicing things up in the bedroom.
Yohimbine - A powerfully stimulating nutraceutical that makes you aggressive and very horny. It could be fun to take a little before an all-night dance party as long you aren't drinking or combining it with anything else that could compromise your judgment.
Nicotine is a great Nootropic to use when you really want to socialize or party. It energizes you for a dance party and makes you extra talkative which is why at any bar or nightclub you'll see a bunch of people smoking which is obviously terrible for you (especially while binge drinking!) The smart way is to supplement with Nicotine liquid solution or Nicotine spray.
Horny Goat Weed -- This funnily named herb is a gamechanger for maximizing sexual hedonism and imbuing healthy masculine aggression and zest for life. According to one user:
"I took it before bed, 30-40 minutes before sex, and oh my god, I had one of the best sex ever :) I decided to take it only on the day when I'm sure I will have sex. I took it 3 times and I can confirm that the sex is much better due to extremely hard and long lasting erections. This stuff makes me more sensitive, but on the same time I can have all under control"
The good news is that it definitely improves the sensation of sex by 25%-50%. If you take Horny Goat Wood before having protected sex with a condom it's not going to make it feel like you are having unprotected sex but there is a difference in the sensation that is noticeable and pleasant. Order Horny Goat Weed
Holotropic breathing -- This is a method of energetic breathing that results in a psychedelic trip.
Meditation -- Exploring your mind sober with meditation can be equally interesting. It gives you an appreciation of the subtleties of consciousness. If you're going to partake in psychedelics or use drugs recreationally a mindfulness practice is a really good idea to keep you centered and mentally healthy.
Biohacking Boozing
Unless you hang out with really elitist hippies consuming alcohol seems to be inextricably linked to social life. I'm a moderate social drinker but I don't want to pay the short or long-term price for consuming poison. In this podcast, I discuss my biohacking strategy and supplement regimen (Only cost $0.15 per drink) for blocking the negative effects of booze.
Intermittent Sobriety
In a radical lifestyle experiment and self-control challenge, I spent over three and a half months completely sober in Medellin, Colombia. In these +100 days, I experienced meteoric personal development in multiple dimensions. I also partied with some of the coolest, most interesting, and sexiest people I've ever met.
As you can see I was not a monk during my sober trip. I went out and socialized 3-5 times a week with people who were drinking and partying. This article will cover uncommon motives for my sobriety, the lifehacks I employed to keep up with the drunks around me along with the unexpected (and sometimes hilarious) consequences. This article is more for lifehacking socialites, personal development junkies, and self experimenters than it is for recovering alcoholics. The ultimate message I hope to communicate is that the sober life can be orders of magnitude more fun than the intoxicated life. There's a lot of references here to Colombian culture and the adventures I've had in this lovely country but I think anyone anywhere in the world considering a sober social life will find a lot of actionable information here.
Lucid Dreaming
In the film Inception, a team of espionage agents is highly compensated by multi-nationals to manipulate people through their dreams. Lucid Dreaming is the closest thing outside of the silver screen to this. It's not hyperbole when I say that lucid dreaming can and will make your REM sleeping hours the most vividly exciting part of your day.
Several supplements enhance the experience and frequency of lucid dreaming.
Live Fast. Die Young
Perhaps the reason why I haven't explored further with psychedelics, narcotics, or various other drugs that significantly enhance or change consciousness is that I lost someone to vice. About a decade ago my best friend, business partner, and roommate was a Wolf of Wall Street type of character who was amazingly talented, productive, and creative but had an incredible weakness for vice. Here's our story...
Psychedelics are Problematic
Thanks to Joe Rogan and different pop culture personalities psychedelics have become very popular. You’ve probably heard about them and are curious if a psychedelic trip or ceremony could be a shortcut to mental health or transformative personal development.
I remain a bit skeptical of psychedelics as a true tool for overcoming depression and personal development because that effect from them is so inconsistent. Sometimes people do have an amazingly transformative experience and gain some deep insight but a lot of times it’s just a recreational experience and there’s a chance of a terrifying bad trip resulting in Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder.
The main reason why I don't think I'll do psychedelics again is the chance of having a bad trip. It's impossible to quantify what proportion of trips are bad. The majority of trips are good which is why people love psychedelics but nearly every repeat user of psychedelics has a harrowing tale of a bad trip.
The experts will tell you that you can mitigate the chances of a bad trip by optimizing set and setting, being in a comfortable, safe place with trustworthy people there to assure you that everything is ok but even the most experienced sometimes have bad trips.
Read: Biohackers should be skeptical of Psychedelics
Please respond...
Either below in the comments (or for privacy, send me an email or social media message)
Are you interested in using psychedelics? Why? What would you hope to accomplish using psychedelics?
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