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> So don't do it unless you're sure you dislike yourself. This is, in my opinion, a terrible reason to stay away from LSD. You're effectively saying avoid any

by toolz 12y ago

> So don't do it unless you're sure you dislike yourself. This is, in my opinion, a terrible reason to stay away from LSD. You're effectively saying avoid anything that may have bad results. Not liking yourself has never been a prerequisite for being curious. I've seen people have panic attacks on roller coaster rides that almost certainly altered their chemical balance for a significant period of time with permanent fear of heights tagging along, but once you start staying away from things that are on that scale of 'danger', at what point does it become relative to now say, "Stay away from playing sports, unless you don't like the way you function". I realize this is a slippery slope fallacy, so I'm not asking you to consider that exact scenario seriously, I'm just asking you to consider there could potentially be worse consequences to having that mindset than taking LSD. I'm not advocating taking LSD, at all, mind you. I ignorantly (having never taken LSD) presume the social consequences of taking 'real drugs' outweigh the potential benefits.

sillysaurus3 12y ago
The video of someone jumping out a window was the main point. While LSD's effects aren't as acute as salvia, they're both psychedelics. A bad trip can get you into a freakout frame of mind. The situation is that LSD usage has been suppressed and denigrated by authorities, and now we're seeing a backlash against draconian drug restrictions. But it's easy to swing the pendulum too far the other way and downplay the negatives. Drug usage should be a personal choice, and the only way to make good choices is to be fully informed. So I was trying to make sure everyone is informed about the risks. Specifically, you'll see things which aren't actually there, and if you freak out, you may make some decisions which turn out to be embarrassing at the least. That's where your responsible sitter needs to do their job. There's nothing wrong with doing LSD. It sucks that there's a social stigma and it's hard to find a responsible sitter. But why go through all the trouble when there are some seriously scary downsides? The goal was simply to remind that there are pitfalls to watch out for. All of this is just what I wish someone would've told me when I was a teenager. They warn everyone about peer pressure, but you tend to ignore those warnings as a teen. Anything your parents or teachers warn you about is de facto cool. So if they warn against peer pressure, you naturally want to rebel. "And besides, it seems so fun and harmless." But peer pressure is very powerful. For example, whenever LSD threads pop up on HN, everyone talks about the wonderful experiences they've had, along with some impressive people who did LSD, like Jobs. And people often want to emulate Jobs. That's a powerful distraction. It makes you forget what should be obvious: this is a personal choice, so make sure you're making the choice for the right reasons. Ignore what other people are doing, ignore the list of people who have done LSD, and weigh the risks appropriately.
pyre 12y ago
You pull an excerpt from a quote that I included from the parent comment to my post. I'm not sure if the "you" is generic or directed at me, but I didn't say "don't do it unless you're sure you dislike yourself."
- toolz 12y ago
  No, I've actually just clicked the wrong reply button. My apologies.

by toolz 12y ago

sillysaurus3 12y ago

The video of someone jumping out a window was the main point. While LSD's effects aren't as acute as salvia, they're both psychedelics. A bad trip can get you into a freakout frame of mind. The situation is that LSD usage has been suppressed and denigrated by authorities, and now we're seeing a backlash against draconian drug restrictions. But it's easy to swing the pendulum too far the other way and downplay the negatives. Drug usage should be a personal choice, and the only way to make good choices is to be fully informed. So I was trying to make sure everyone is informed about the risks. Specifically, you'll see things which aren't actually there, and if you freak out, you may make some decisions which turn out to be embarrassing at the least. That's where your responsible sitter needs to do their job. There's nothing wrong with doing LSD. It sucks that there's a social stigma and it's hard to find a responsible sitter. But why go through all the trouble when there are some seriously scary downsides? The goal was simply to remind that there are pitfalls to watch out for. All of this is just what I wish someone would've told me when I was a teenager. They warn everyone about peer pressure, but you tend to ignore those warnings as a teen. Anything your parents or teachers warn you about is de facto cool. So if they warn against peer pressure, you naturally want to rebel. "And besides, it seems so fun and harmless." But peer pressure is very powerful. For example, whenever LSD threads pop up on HN, everyone talks about the wonderful experiences they've had, along with some impressive people who did LSD, like Jobs. And people often want to emulate Jobs. That's a powerful distraction. It makes you forget what should be obvious: this is a personal choice, so make sure you're making the choice for the right reasons. Ignore what other people are doing, ignore the list of people who have done LSD, and weigh the risks appropriately.

pyre 12y ago

You pull an excerpt from a quote that I included from the parent comment to my post. I'm not sure if the "you" is generic or directed at me, but I didn't say "don't do it unless you're sure you dislike yourself."

toolz 12y ago
No, I've actually just clicked the wrong reply button. My apologies.