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If I hadn't taken LSD, I never would've started my recovery from alcohol. Nothing in my life is as valuable to me as my sobriety is and has been, and I don't se

by jrq 8y ago

If I hadn't taken LSD, I never would've started my recovery from alcohol. Nothing in my life is as valuable to me as my sobriety is and has been, and I don't see myself ever making the painstaking effort to get sober without that trip. I don't want to turn this thread into a trip report, however I will share that my trip led my thoughts to my last actions, some bad decisions and some bad habits I had formed. Real talk, I tripped my nuts off. Obviously. But the real impact was during the several days after that, nothing seemed to be the same, every little detail seemed laced with a new tinge of awareness, and the drinking I was doing at the time suddenly revealed itself to me as incredibly dangerous and unhealthy. Now, LSD didn't work my program for me. It didn't get me sober, it didn't stop my cravings, it didn't bring my family back or apologize to previous employers or pay my tickets or talk to my mentors or any of that. It's not a wonder drug by any means. I'm definitely no expert, but I think hailing lsd in particular could have bad consequences for certain people. A trip can go south sometimes if you're not meticulous and exerting some fortitude against your emotions during the trip. Also, who says I'm a better person? That's a hard thing to measure. I've done a lot of awful things in my drunk past. Choosing better behavior doesn't make the consequences of those things go away. Understanding who you are and who you were doesn't magically wipe the slate clean for the old you. And that's humbling, to go back and clean up all those messes and face those people with the new knowledge and growth, but on behalf of the toxic person I was. Anyways, LSD definitely changed my life for the better. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Honestly, most people would say I AM a better person now. But to claim that as the effect of LSD is crazy. For people just wanting to justify their psychedelic adventuring, give up on it. If you like to trip just for fun, just accept it and do it. Be glad you're not hurting yourself!

deleted 8y ago
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alchemism 8y ago
The entire Alcoholics Anonymous regimen is the result of the insights gained on an LSD trip.
- Denzel 8y ago
  Please don't spread unsubstantiated claims. You'll need to provide a source for this claim. This sounds genuinely interesting. However if it's not backed up by evidence then you're just spreading misinformation.
  - alchemism 8y ago
    Here's a few links to explore further: "This is some rare TV footage of LSD research conducted in Los Angeles in 1956 by Dr. Sidney Cohen, which included an interview with Gerald Heard, an Anglo-Irish philospher who turned on a number of influential Americans in the 1950s. Among them was AA co-founder Bill Wilson, who thought LSD could help some drunks have a spiritual awakening. Wilson's first trip was in this very room in summer of 1956 and was supervised by Dr. Cohen and guided by Mr. Heard. The whole story, and much more, is told in "Distilled Spirits -- Getting High, Then Sober, with a Famous Writer, a Forgotten Philosopher, and a Hopeless Drunk" by Don Lattin, the author of the bestselling "The Harvard Psychedelic Club." The "Famous Writer" in this blend of memoir and group biography is Aldous Huxley, the author of "Brave New World" and "The Doors of Perception." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeO2BOdmkEg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeO2BOdmkEg and https://aabeyondbelief.org/2015/10/21/the-lsd-experiments/ https://aabeyondbelief.org/2015/10/21/the-lsd-experiments/
  - whatyoucantsay 8y ago
    > However if it's not backed up by evidence then you're just spreading misinformation. Do you hold all comments to that bar, or only the less-pedestrian ones?

by jrq 8y ago

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

alchemism 8y ago

The entire Alcoholics Anonymous regimen is the result of the insights gained on an LSD trip.

Denzel 8y ago
Please don't spread unsubstantiated claims. You'll need to provide a source for this claim. This sounds genuinely interesting. However if it's not backed up by evidence then you're just spreading misinformation.
- alchemism 8y ago
  Here's a few links to explore further: "This is some rare TV footage of LSD research conducted in Los Angeles in 1956 by Dr. Sidney Cohen, which included an interview with Gerald Heard, an Anglo-Irish philospher who turned on a number of influential Americans in the 1950s. Among them was AA co-founder Bill Wilson, who thought LSD could help some drunks have a spiritual awakening. Wilson's first trip was in this very room in summer of 1956 and was supervised by Dr. Cohen and guided by Mr. Heard. The whole story, and much more, is told in "Distilled Spirits -- Getting High, Then Sober, with a Famous Writer, a Forgotten Philosopher, and a Hopeless Drunk" by Don Lattin, the author of the bestselling "The Harvard Psychedelic Club." The "Famous Writer" in this blend of memoir and group biography is Aldous Huxley, the author of "Brave New World" and "The Doors of Perception." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeO2BOdmkEg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeO2BOdmkEg and https://aabeyondbelief.org/2015/10/21/the-lsd-experiments/ https://aabeyondbelief.org/2015/10/21/the-lsd-experiments/
- whatyoucantsay 8y ago
  > However if it's not backed up by evidence then you're just spreading misinformation. Do you hold all comments to that bar, or only the less-pedestrian ones?