Can you control yourself on acid

Look for a chill-out room, a DanceSafe booth, or other supportive group. If connecting with someone by phone is your best option, contacting a drug helpline could help, but they may not give you the support you need. They are geared towards dealing with drug addiction rather than intoxication. They are a harm reduction organization and are very skilled at supporting people who are having negative drug experiences.

If you are feeling really out of control, you can always call or go to the emergency room of your local hospital. Emergency rooms are not great places to be spending time when you are having a bad trip. They are full of sick and injured people who are upset and frustrated, so calling might be a better choice. Be sure to tell the paramedic what you have taken.

If you haven't eaten for hours, and particularly if you have been overactive, your low blood sugar may be lowering your mood. Make sure you have had enough fluids—although don't overdo it—and try to eat something. The process of eating can be difficult while under the influence of hallucinogens, so if you can't handle chewing, choose something soft and easy to eat and digest, such as pudding or ice cream.

It is unlikely that you will be able to get restful sleep , particularly if you are within the first few hours of the trip. But sitting or lying down and resting can help. Listening to soothing music is often very calming. There are many myths involving self-medication when you are having a bad trip. But generally, taking more drugs will make you feel worse, not better.

Adding any psychoactive substance , including alcohol, to a bad trip is likely to increase your feelings of anxiety and being out of control followed by the comedown while you are still feeling wide awake under the influence of the hallucinogen.

If you need to call or go to the nearest emergency room, try to do it with an understanding companion who is not intoxicated. And let the professionals decide what the best treatment is for your current state. Be sure to tell the paramedic what you think you have taken and bring a sample if possible. Do not handle drugs such as LSD with your bare hands as they can be absorbed through the skin and intensify the experience.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure whether you'll have a bad trip on acid until you experience it. However, researchers have identified a number of factors that contribute to a person's experience. Those who are less familiar or experienced with acid may be more likely to have a bad trip.

You may not be familiar with the purity of the drug you're using or the optimal dosage. It's best to start with a low dosage until you know how your body reacts to the drug. It's important to note, however, that anyone can experience a bad trip, no matter their experience level with LSD.

Your environment has a lot to do with having a bad trip. One study found that participants who had more positive acid trips tended to be in indoor settings with warm light not too bright and not too dark. They also avoided large crowds and any "potentially adverse stimuli. For instance, music will likely have a more intense effect on you when you are under the influence of acid.

You may want to avoid any styles of music that you normally don't like. Try not to blast the music too loud, either. Participants in the study who mixed acid with other drugs such as cocaine or benzodiazepines were more likely to have bad trips. Remember, it's not safe to mix drugs. If you are already taking medication, you may want to avoid psychedelic drugs altogether. Your mindset can also contribute to a bad trip. For instance, if you are coping with a traumatic experience or dealing with anxiety, a bad acid trip might put your worst fears and anxieties front and center.

While some people see this as an opportunity to cope with their fears, others find that they don't like the loss of control. If you have a preexisting mental health condition, you may be more likely to experience a bad acid trip. Some people find that even bad acid trips benefited them in the long term, in that they had a positive spiritual or life-changing realization afterward—but this is certainly not the case for everyone. Remember that there are other ways to have profound realizations that don't involve drugs, such as using meditation practices.

Though everyone's bad trips look different, there are some common symptoms that many people experience. These include:. Participants in one study reported having side effects for months after they used acid including anxiety, depression, and dissociative symptoms, which are out-of-body feelings often experienced by people who've been through trauma. Some people in the study also experienced acid flashbacks , where they vividly remembered and felt what their acid trip was like after the fact.

There are many factors that contribute to a bad trip, including taking a high dosage, being in an overstimulating environment, and the state of your mental health.

There is no way to know for sure whether you will have a bad acid trip, even if you've taken acid before and had a pleasant experience. However, we believe in providing accessible and accurate information to reduce the harm that can occur when using. There are a few ways to use LSD. The most common way is in the form of a blotter tab.

These are tiny pieces of paper that have been infused with LSD. In its original form, LSD is an odorless crystal. The combo of effects varies from person to person, and even from one trip to another.

The effects of LSD typically kick in within 20 to 90 minutes and peak around 2 to 3 hours in, but this can vary from person to person. It depends on the same factors that influence when the effects will kick in. A typical acid trip can last from 6 to 15 hours.

Depending on whether you had a good or bad trip, the afterglow can involve feeling energized and happy or anxious and unsettled. This phase lasts around 6 hours, but it can last days or even weeks if you took a lot of acid, according to some research. Some people experience an LSD hangover or comedown instead of or after the afterglow. For most people, the entire experience from trip to comedown lasts around 24 hours. While coming down, you might feel nauseated, agitated, and anxious, all of which can make it hard to get some sleep.

How long LSD hangs around in your body, and can be detected by a drug test, depends on a few factors. The liver quickly metabolizes LSD and transforms it into inactive compounds. After 24 hours, you excrete only about 1 percent of unchanged LSD via your urine. But blood tests can detect LSD for up to 8 hours , and hair follicle tests for up to 90 days. But it still carries some risks. Combining LSD and alcohol reduces the effects of both substances.

Not feeling the full effects of either makes you more likely to reach for more, increasing your risk for overdoing it. Some people may enjoy the effects they get from partaking in both, but your chances of a bad trip and rough comedown with nausea and vomiting are higher when you mix the two. But these traits are just as ephemeral as moods.

They ebb and flow like waves in a pool, greeting and then leaving me without my consent. My affections wax and wane, too. I can no sooner escape that cycle than I can intellectualize my way out of an acid trip. Because it always comes back, unfortunately and fortunately. Some time between the bumper car freckles and the cool grass, my friend Thos and I were standing in a sandy nearby parking lot, preparing to walk to the concert venue. I stared back, confused and unsure. Later, we laughed about the moment.

But in time, that surprises me less and less. And treating ebbs and flows as marks of animation rather than proof of an unreliable self. Being high, in the end, is not so different from being sad or happy or fulfilled. Each is its own small unit of insanity, showing us parts of ourselves, blinding us to others, and then slotting in as another step on the road to being us, and being alive. Animation by Madeline Montoya. By Nora Taylor. By Harling Ross.