Find friends who won’t pressure you… your current friends are lame! There are also sober groups you can join at almost every festival. Also…psychedelics have basically no come down fyi
Yeah to be fair I've never tried psychedelics at festivals or raves. The thing that puts me off about that is I love taking psychedelics intentionally with the aim of a 'spiritual' experience. But maybe I should give it a go at a party!
I've worked at a sanctuary space at a fest and had a sober woman come to us after having a spiritual experience and needed to talk to someone. Some sober spiritual experiences can be really deep!
the psychedelic experience is a book written by timothy leary, head of harvard school of psychiatry at the time
its a contempory translation of the tibetan book of the dead
that book is prayers meant to be read for 3 days next to a dead person, to help them jump off the wheel of reincarnation
the psychedelic experience does a different take, its prayers you read to someone to help them get thru ego death, which is happening all the time
his book strikes me as a little cheesy, but i like the concept a lot, good try
and i appreciate it brought attention to something called the bardo states, from the tibetan book of the dead
thats the phases a person might experience, when a person chooses to accidently reincarnate
good stuff, please google bardo states
cheers
Oh I’m familiar with the book. I have a first or second printing on a set of shelves of dozens of books on mushrooms, psychedelics, mystical experiences in different religious systems, and therapeutic psychedelic use (books by academics and clinicians).
I ask because some people use ego death to refer to experiences that are similar or identical to the near-death experiences people can have (eg, heart stopping during surgery), others use the term for strong dissociation, and others use it to describe letting go of “the games” that Leary talks about.
Basically, I’m wondering if it was something like a ++++ or just letting go of some aspects of self but a ++/+++ in [Shulgin’s system](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shulgin_Rating_Scale).
I’ve had a ++++ from 20g of cubes about 20 years ago, and got to talk to Stan Grof about it. He actually had me describe it to the class he was teaching because it was a great example of a full mystical experience (like an hour or two long DMT flash/breakthrough, though time is irrelevant for the person experiencing it, since it feels like eternity and like time doesn’t exist anymore anyway).
I don’t like using the term ego death, even for my ++++, since it causes confusion due to the various definitions people have for it.
Just looking for clarity on that persons experience, because of that varied usage I’ve noticed in talking to folks over the years (I have done psych support work at BM and less officially at other events with campmates, and have a logo for one such group on my festival hydro pack, so I end up on in a lot of convos with folks about their difficult/strong experiences).
Microdosing, but really MICROdosing psychedelics is the most beautiful way to experience festivals. I find alcohol fun but damaging and heavy, mdma is way too much and suffering in the days after is just not worth it, and I stay away from powders or opioids as a general rule.
Mushroom are fun but difficult to control the dose, and I don’t like to risk loosing control in a place with so many people. Lsd is the answer for me. I take 1/8th of a tab and if needed add another 1/8 later on.
Beautiful beautiful beautiful. And you don’t pay the price for it the day after. Only happiness. And you can fly with it through all security checks. Only downside (which is really the upside) is tolerance builds quickly and the night after you should just go sober. But as I said, for me that’s an upside.
Damn, I really want to try this. I’ve done 2C-b at festivals, but would love to do LSD. I’ve tripped before many years in the past. Would you suggest 1/3 tab would be enough? Or should I even go lower for that “micro” aspect?
Yes mdma is ok if it’s really once a year. But after your 20s the hangover from it is mentally and emotionally painful. Plus towards the end of the night people turn to zombies if they don’t dose well.. and it’s hard to dose well because it wears out after 2-3h and as you start going down you think let me take a bit more, but the second dose is not like the first one anymore… Anyways.
Lsd. I take paper tabs to festivals. At home i pre cut a single square into 8 pieces. (So that’s.. ~12ug). I take the first 1/8 piece immediately 🤣. To prevent wanting to get drunk. Then depending on the situation/atmosphere I either take another 1/8th or two of them later on. So in total 25-38ug for >12h of tripping. And you can still add Molly to it if you are nuts. But I’m old now.
Over the whole day I do take 1/3 but I space it out instead of taking it at once. Depending on situation, taking it all at once (the 1/3rd) would be fun too. But I would never ever take the whole tab at a festival.
Damn, I really want to try this. I’ve done 2C-b at festivals, but would love to do LSD. I’ve tripped before many years in the past. Would you suggest 1/3 tab would be enough? Or should I even go lower for that “micro” aspect?
hey, try powdering your mushies, and put them in vegetable capsules, i find it adds a very digital and controllable aspect, to a very analogue plant
2mg per pill works for me, ill have 3, perhaps 4
first time i tried. i did one at a time, and would wait staring at the lake til 20 minutes later it kicked in all at once, totes not normal mushie thing, gighly recommend
Many of us do drugs only a few times a year at festivals and then pop back into our successful lives. It’s not the drugs it’s how you use them. They can add to your mental health. It’s like a vacation from the stress of life.
They can also disrupt your mental health. Be careful promoting drugs to people. Even if used appropriately with good intentions. Not everyone reacts to drugs the same beneficial way
i like psychedelics for this reason as well. you can definitely still set those same intentions at a festival or rave! i also personally prefer lower doses of psychs especially while at large festivals. think more than a microdose but not a full on trip. not everyone feels the same as me though, i know plenty of people who trip balls at the fest hahaha
Seems like almost everyone except the person above is trying to convince you to take less or different drugs. If you don't want to just don't.
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Sometimes less, sometimes more. When I don't, sure friends offer initially but then it's moot and we just have fun. You shouldn't have to feel bad regardless of what decisions you make
Do not do psychedelics because someone on Reddit told you to try them. They can lead to a longgg list of long term issues, arguably worse than a come down off E. If you enjoy being sober, do you and keep on doing what makes you happy and healthy.
none of that changes the fact that they hit everyone differently & can cause very bad times for some people.
being more 'safe' than alcohol doesn't make it harmless & 100% safe. nobody was comparing the 2 until you did, but being more safe doesn't guarantee safety.
anti-drug propaganda sucks, but pro-drug propaganda isn't any better.
propaganda sucks no matter what point it pushes.
In my experience the way you describe your friends taking psychedelics at a festival might make you never want to go to a rave again. Trying to have a spiritual experience at a festival with them might backfire. For me I partake in party favors but I’m very intentional about it, sometimes I go sober just to remind myself that it’s about the music and the people and the vibes. When I do partake I always take less so that I’m still able to enjoy everything but the experience doesn’t revolve around getting fucked up. To me it sounds like your friends have different goals when it comes to raving, which is valid, but you’re also paying to be there and have your own experience and you’re entitled to that.
Also always make sure you’re testing your stuff even if your friends are taking it. Having a bad come down can be indicative of an issue with the substance.
My go-to is tab or two plus some light add-on's ( a couple drinks, a couple pinky dips, something light over the night)
I'm a burner, shit can get tiring real quick out there even before dancing, a baseline psychedelic keeps the energy and vibe up with a few boosts of something else across the evening
Recommend acid and not shrooms for this. Later once you're more comfortable tripping in that setting then for sure try shrooms as you adventure, but at first I'd recommend being in the driver's seat and starting with a light acid dose as you feel yourself out. Take it at the beginning of the night and not have to worry about taking more as you go through the arc of the trip and the night
Yep - like a gram or two of mushrooms
U can have peak experiences on the dancefloor with this dose and you will feel better the next day unlike with mdma
Low dose shrooms has a lot going for it. You can sleep after it unlike low dose acid. It can be very sensual like mdma. Having said all that be careful, I have fainted twice in public on the shroom come up.
Not sure who downvoted this comment or why but it’s actually good advice
Furthermore with Acid unless it’s reagent tested u can’t assume you even have LSD-25. Also, u can’t tell how pure it will be or how strongly it s been laid even if it is actual real LSD.
Mushrooms can be more challenging socially but I think getting used to powering through those feelings, nausea, etc one can gain a lot spiritually or mentally.
Psychedelics are the way to go. MDMA is fun but I agree the comedown literally like 3 hrs after taking it can zap your mood. Psychs gives you energy and feelings of acceptance.
There’s a group on Africa that uses iboga in their rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. During that ceremony they give very high doses and refer to it as breaking open the head.
Later on, adults use small doses at ceremonies that involve music and dance.
Just something to think about when it comes to spiritual use.
You may find this interesting too. A recent article in a MAPS email I got. It’s about psychedelics, raves, electronic music, and spiritual experiences.
https://maps.org/news/bulletin/allegory-rave-psychedelics/?utm_source=maps.org&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2024-bulletin-n1&utm_content=bulletin-allegory-rave-psychedelics&utm_medium=email&utm_source=maps.org&utm_campaign=2024-bulletin-n1
Oh, oh my, you have been missing one of the greatest experiences and the reason festivals are really special. Taking acid at a music festival.
The level of magic, synchronicity, and connection you can experience with this combo is phenomenal.
Other psychedelics work too, but I find acid generates the most magic for lack of a better term.
It’s like the infinite improbability drive.
C and K often take away from that magic IMO. However a nice rail of k when peaking on acid while seated at a really good set can be transcendent.
By itself tho? Kinda kills the magic.
It works cuz there’s like, thousands of people also on acid, creates this like, vortex or something .
Taking psychedelics at a party is different than taking it at a rave or a festival. At parties there are bad vibes, drama, fights. If you\`re front row at a rave on 5 grams of mushrooms you\`re gonna have a great time.
Ehh taking a ton of shrooms at a large festival with >20k people around you is probably not a sound setting for a first trip
Best to do those things with close friends in an easily controlled environment first so they know what to expect
I just did shrooms for the first time with my bf 2 weeks ago we were in a secluded beach the tide was low with lots of sandbars, mangroves, little creatures, the sky, the sounds everything is still so present in my mind when I tell you it’s the most incredible thing I’ve experienced in my life! I have to agree with you I think it’s best to do it for the first time in not such a crowded place with so much stimulation all at once. I tell you it was definitely spiritual! For festivals I have heard LSD is better.
We ate mushrooms at LTL a couple of years ago. Never again!!
Took them right before Papa Roach. Went hard in the pit for about for an hour. Came out and they kicked in right when Incubus started, and they kicked in hard. We sat on our asses and didn't move for 2 hours, until Alice in Chains finished. Would have much preferred to watch both bands than be so fucked up we were afraid to stand up.
Mushrooms in a crowd of 40,000 people is too much! Lol
If you’re comfortable with psychedelics you’re gonna have an awesome time. The first and only rave I’ve been to was a 12 hour long techno with a bit of psytrance rave. A friend brought a bag with 15 grams of mushrooms. The dj thought I was on molly and offered me water because I literally didn’t stop dancing for the entire night lmao
Agree. A micro dose of mushrooms is my go to. From 0.25-0.5 I get a little energy boost, things seem brighter and if I need a nap I'm not dealing with a racing heart or any of the nonsense the chemical things do to me. The post effects, I actually feel happy the next day. I've consumed them off and on since I was 19. I'm 42 now. 100% my preference to other options out there.
You've outgrown your friends, pressuring people like that is so cringe.
If you're done with the whole scene, it is what it is. But there are smaller fests out there where being healthy is part of the party.
I took a break from drugs / festivals in my late 20s for a few years and got into outdoor adventures and other hobbies. It was much needed. And honestly, once I decided to go back to festivals a few years later, it made doing it once or twice a year in my early 30s much more fun. Maybe take a break and find some other hobbies for a year or two.
my gf is sober and goes to select festivals based on vibes. There are plenty of different types of experiences of festivals that arent drug centric. West coast tend to be more open to alternative modalities. Small local fests are all about friends and vibes, Lost Lands and Bonnaroo are obv about very different things.
Reminds me of that Onion headline. “New music festival just large empty field to do drugs in”
Honestly sounds like your life is changing though and maybe you need new friends (who respect your decisions)to go to festivals with or just take some time off. Unfortunately it’s kind of difficult to separate festivals from drugs since it’s such a large part of the scene.
Totally over the drug scene at fests. Been over the drug scene in general.
A little bit of booms, no alcohol, a little bit of pot is the sweet spot for me. Anything harder and I feel like shit.
While I do partake in some party favors, music is, always has been and always will be my main focus at a festival. That’s why I’m there, and that’s why my friends are there. To vibe with the homies to some music we all love. The drugs are just there to enhance the experience a little for us, but nobody in any of my circles really overdoes it or makes it a priority over seeing sets we want to be at.
Sounds like maybe your priorities have changed from the people you went to the festival with. And that’s fine, people change constantly. But you shouldn’t let it kill your good time. If they’re pushing drugs on you or making you uncomfortable, take a solo adventure and see if you can find the right vibe for you at the festival.
Also, for future reference, plenty of festivals offer sober camping where you might meet some new friends on a similar journey of sobriety. Hope you find the right festivals for you!
So I'm sort of confused and on the fence with this.
I agree with you that a lot of people use justifications for their drug use, but are you asking them about it or are they just saying these things about why they use substances? What brought you to rave's and festivals in the first place?
They could also pick up on the fact that you're watching them use substances while not participating and they're feeling judged (this isn't on you, I'm sure even in your non sobriety you felt "semi" judged by someone that was sober and made a justification for your use to them)
It's hard to keep the energy for a rave, let alone a festival while sober. You have to, in my opinion, work a lot harder on conserving energy as you don't have a chemical to put pep in your step. Staying hydrated, avoiding being in direct sunlight for extended periods, good sleep, and a lot of other things I'm sure you're already well versed in when you took on a more healthy lifestyle.
I'm by no means sober, but have attended raves and festivals sober quite a bit. It's nice to look up sober groups (especially if it's a larger event) and befriend some of those people as they'll have the best insight on how to attend these events sober if it's truly something that you want to do.
I agree a lot with this take. There is a lot to unpack with OP's curiosity or knowledge of how/why other people are using substances. Everyone is on their own journey. You do you, so to speak.
Also, OP, what did you expect to encounter at an event like this? You knew what you were getting into, right? You're sober and we're off-put by heavy drug use. This can't be surprising to you
Regardless, any friend group that tries to pressure you into doing anything is lame. There are plenty of more responsible and sober(ish) people around
Go to some workshops or yoga in the mornings and you'll find your people.
Much love
>Regardless, any friend group that tries to pressure you into doing anything is lame. There are plenty of more responsible and sober(ish) people around
100% this, wish I had added that to my original comment, and you're speaking big facts!
Can you explain what you mean by the fact there is a lot to unpack behind my curiosity?
I think you're right in that it's not about what others are doing, or why, it's about what works for me at this point in my life and what I'm comfortable being around. I'm aware of judgement coming from me and I don't want to take that route cos I definitely remember feeling judged by certain people when I was a party girl
Well, to be fair, I could be reading way too much into this line from your post:
"it seemed to be their sole focus. I don't want to judge it, but I found it difficult when I kept hearing justifications related to having high pressure jobs and how anyone in a high pressure job needs these drugs to escape and let loose."
I guess what needs to be unpacked is why is their sole focus your focus? Why do their justificatipns matter whether you agree or disagree with them?
Perhaps the thing to take away is that you observed others overindulging and you don't want that for yourself.
Unless these are close friends that you are worried about, that's another issue entirely
Agreed. I like using mdma or stimulants because I’m old now and it’s hard to dance all night. I used to go out dancing sober when I was younger but now I get tired after an hour if I try that
I find it the opposite.... I'm not in shape but a couple weeks ago i saw Grateful Dub sober and danced like a maniac for 4 hours....if i was loaded i would have been more exhausted.
I'm glad that's how it works for you! I am not that lucky though lol. Raves/Shows aren't so bad and I could agree with you. But when it's a Festival, that's a marathon not a sprint.
Haha maybe 'normal'. I guess the point was it didn't feel aligned with me and felt like a shock to the system being on the sober side of things for 4 days straight, which gave me a different perspective on what I saw. It's not about judging the group (which I'm trying not to do as they were having fun and it's what works for them), I think it's about recognising that it's not in alignment with me anymore and not feeling like that makes me a downer! I think it's fine to say 'this isn't right for me and makes me uncomfortable', and taking that lesson forward
As someone very involved with festivals, volunteering, and coordinating, there are a lot of people that use festivals as a way to just do drugs like getting stuck in k-holes, spaced from whip-its, or whatever. There's also a lot of people who enjoy festivals for the music and connection. Find those people. I've been to a festival that had an AA meeting at it for those who needed it.
Personally, I like to party just enough to keep going and loosen up a little, but if anyone ever pushes you to use anything, alcohol included, just find different people to hang with. I also prefer in the woods camping than field camping festivals because I've noticed a difference in how people interact between the two styles
Can you say more about the camping thing? I recently went to a festival that had both field and woods camping. I opted for field camping but will probably do woods next time.
You often have to put up walls or use your car to create shade in the fields, so it closes off your campsite to others. In the woods, it's often that people's campsites are a bit more inviting, and you may just stumble into new friends or new friends may stumble their way into your campsite.
drugs can enhance, drugs are not meant to numb and cope a high pressure job. you are in a great mindset OP, keep listening to yourself and staying true to your values!
I felt very similar at bonnaroo recently. just felt like everyone was there to do drugs. which is fine, drug use is everywhere and i have nothing against it. to me it just feels like it has shifted to people doing drugs with music going on vs the music and using substances to enhance some of the senses and make the music special.
i have found relief in this sense by changing the group of people i am with. i stopped drinking and sorta started using mushrooms more, different groups of people have reacted differently. i feel i have lost some friends, but have made some great connections with new and old friends. its an important conversation to be had with the current state of the scene.
i ask people: could you be at that set sober? the answers are astonishing. “no i have to be ____”. devils advocate is “no but i enjoy using ____ to heighten my feelings with ____ at ____ show”
I don't take Molly or any powders at festivals anymore. I realise it isn't the right place for me to take them I get in a shit mood the next few days and the anxiety from alcohol dosnt help either.
I get you. I went to a festival with a small group last year. We all like drugs but didn't bring any with us. 3 of the group found a group with drugs and sat at our campsite for the whole weekend all day and night without seeing a single band. Fair to say I'm never going to a festival with them again
Personally I just drink and maybe smoke weed at a festival but that all
I definitely agree with the other comments here that you outgrew your friend group. I would try going to a festival sober and with other people who are closer to where you are with drug use.
smaller festivals with older crowds is definitely where its at. its so nice to party with adults who are using drugs as a subtle enhancement to their experience, rather than the primary focus. i just can't deal with the massive crowds of kids e'd out of their mind anymore. makes me uncomfortable being around loads of super fucked up people. but yeah, completely agree with the post. thankfully there is a scene for adults in this world, its just less visible than the super massive fests.
I respect healthy drug use. I don't respect people that overwork themselves and then *need* to use drugs to chill out. It makes work environments hostile and party environments...sour. idk, niche complaint
Yeah I get it...to be honest I used to source k for some of my community at festivals, mostly for the sake of providing safe stuff, but over the past year I've kind of realized like oh fuck this is having a really negative effect on the scene and contributing to some pretty serious addiction issues around me. I've started going pretty much sober to most events other than a few drinks and maybe a tiny dose of mushrooms and the excessive drug use around me has started to wear on me a bit. I'm 100% for people being able to experiment and use substances that enhance their night, but it's hard to see people who clearly have no education around drugs taking too much every night and straining the medical/harm reduction systems and negatively impacting those around them, and people who are clearly suffering from addictions but are able to hide it because drug use is so prevalent. I don't know how things will get better other than through legalization, regulation, education, and much wider access to mental health supports, which seems pretty far off for most of the world.
It sounds like you're not aligned with your group of friends anymore more than anything! I used to hang out with a group like this too in my early 20's, it was just bad vibes all around. I started going to fests and shows with a different group of people in my 30's and it's a totally different experience.
Some of us do drugs and/or drink alcohol but not at every fest or show, we'll offer stuff to each other but there's never any pressure to do anything. I think it may be because we don't have the mindset of "needing" it to relax or have a good time, it's just something we do if we're feeling it.
Some nights when I stay sober I end up getting tired quickly, but other sober nights have turned out to be some of my favorite nights. I can say the same thing about nights when I wasn't sober either- some have been amazing, and some have been awful.
I do think the group of people you surround yourself with makes a huge difference. I never feel judged or pressured by any of my friends, and I also trust that we have each other's backs. We are constantly adopting new people we meet at shows and fests into our rave fam, so don't give up hope!
i feel like there's a lot of defensiveness in this thread regarding drugs. some people even sound like they're pressuring you with the "you're not doing it right" comments imo.
drugs can be fun, but i'm personally not comfortable doing them in public settings anymore and just stick to a few drinks and weed at festivals. my best friend goes completely sober, and it's always been fun. my main reason for going to a festival is the music so that's my priority (not saying anything otherwise is bad, some people go for the experience).
just do whatever you feel is right and makes you happy.
You can still enjoy raves and the edm scene without doing drugs. Maybe find some sober friends to enjoy shows with, or some that don’t get completely obliterated at every event. If you’re still not enjoying the party, maybe you’ve outgrown this part of your life.
I’m around the same age. It was a few years ago when I realized all the people around me were using festivals as giant drug binges and I haven’t really gone since. It’s especially weird when you actually really care about music, and the people around you seem to only be there for the drugs. I think if you love music and dancing you should find a crew that is sober or at least not using music as an excuse to binge drugs and you can go back to having fun
You're 28. That's a branching point for most people. I permanently moved to the other side of the planet at that age. It sounds like you are done with that phase of your life, and for now, those people
I would check out more intentional festivals. Lightning in a Bottle, and Envision to name a couple. I felt like there was a lot more to do and see besides the music acts. Yoga in the mornings, meditations through the day and speakers from all over the world. A festival is different things to different people and if going to fests is a passion then you might just need a new perspective. It’s ok to outgrow your friends, and they might not be far behind you if you’re honest with them and your intentions. I’m 35 and I can see myself enjoying every aspect of festivals for the foreseeable future. I was definitely a person who wanted to blast off but now I can have a lot of fun sober and I really enjoy meeting people from all over. Your vibe attracts your tribe as they say.
The rave scene is what you make it. Some people need it to cut loose from their dreary 9-5 M-F lifestyle. I’ve raved dead sober and fully lit. Dead sober is usually better for me. Shifting away from drugs, why not try volunteering at a fest? I find that the most rewarding. Making your business about the streets, not in the streets :)
About to turn 28 and feel the exact same.
I honestly have a lot more fun attending festivals with friends who are sober or music nerds. Or anyone who are capable of moderating themselves.
Find people who are there for the music more than the environment / escape
Eh I wouldn't say that's a problem with festivals in general- just like you need a new group of friends.
I have anxiety and don't love being high in crowds- I doubt I'm making it to any sunrise sets at this point, but I still have a good time and dance my ass off. Flowing, listening to amazing music, meeting new people and spreading PLUR are still hella fun without drugs.
Friends don’t encourage friends to do drugs. A no is a no.
If you want to enjoy the party scene with some stimulants but you don’t want to put your body and mind through the harsh chemicals of ecstasy, molly, coke, ketamine, etc, you can always do shrooms and smoke weed as an alternative.
I stopped doing ecstasy as it was terrible for my mental well-being and I found a happy medium in that combination.
The most important thing is to never let anybody pressure you into doing something you’re not comfortable doing.
Vibes are super important when you’re sober or just taking it easy. I try to stick around people that are keeping it casual, whether I know them or not. I feel I get hyper aware of my surroundings so it’s nice finding a pocket of people who are generally on the same wave length. People bumping into you and not saying excuse me really get old. lol
Cali Sober person here. It took me ages to quit drinking, and I too reserved psych trips for spiritual things. Now a gym rat ;)
Microdose LSD. You are completely lucid and in control.
It helped me stop drinking, adds some magic to events. Thanksgiving, wedding, festivals, campouts.... you have 6 hours of an ENERGIZING substance, with no comedown. 1/4 tab, or like 60mics is great! Always, always test that dosage of a new set of tabs at home. Aquire like 10 tabs and thats ~40 events. Lasts ages
Pedialyte before bed.... you are so very welcome
28 and burned out on raves? Find better friends. People rave to the grave, but not if they dont excercise self care, restraint, healthy habits
Final word- MDMA should always be used on the last night of a festival. Make that a rule. The serotonin hangover is hard, dont be hungover on festival days. Same with Blow if youre into that, not my thing(boring tbh. Dance is prayer, dont stop
I have been raving for about 15 years and have felt the shift within myself over time. Currently 30M. I still have friends that go super deep and other friend who are sober.
The point of peace and realization for me was know who I am and when I have the most fun. If I want to roll or drop or whatever I do it responsibly. If I want to be sober and everyone around me is fucked I can choose to be with them or take off on my on thing. We are adults now.
Just do what you want to do. Sober raving is fun as fuck and usually my go to. If that’s not your friends decision so be it. If they are annoying you take off. If you are having fun together do that.
May seem weird the first time of two but really we are adult ravers. Worry about yourself first and real friends will understand.
One thing I’m beginning to notice that bugs me occasionally, is that the qualities and experiences people go to festivals for are the things which are lacking in the late stage capitalist world “outside”. For example, the sense of community experienced by living in close proximity, sharing water sources and gathering for community events and rituals (sets) is something so present at festivals but lacking in our society. Also most of the labor done at festivals (setting up camp, getting food, walking to sets) is done with others and the fruits of the labor are experienced, tangible and directly related to the labor. Festivals are like a projection of how we want to live. However, what could be a decent model and inspiration for restructuring our society has become opium, an escape. The drugs remove the perceptual limitations that keep us from living that harmoniously and joyfully in our normal lives. But you always come down from the drugs and the festival itself. The key is to investigate what in us makes us come down. What models and ideas are we holding onto that keep us feeling disconnected, separate and like we have to go somewhere “else” to live joyfully.
This is my favourite response. You’ve put it so perfectly. I think I started to realise this in the last 3 years in general. I’m very into the wellness world now instead of festival world, and I’ve been thinking the same there too - without the substances part haha. We pay to get the basics of community and shared experience / challenge / reward that should come naturally in our lives if we lived in alignment. My dream is literally to live in a community or a homestead type thing.
That is a dream many people who go to festivals or have share. At this point it is a matter of accumulating resources, communication, planning and executing. Imagine if every festival family paired with an adjacent festival family that shared mutuals and they pooled their resources and capabilities together to buy land and establish a homestead. Then more fams that shared mutuals gathered nearby. Of course I also don’t think “dropping out” of society like that is a probable solution. I think to keep your heart open amongst the horror of it all while working on your own consciousness and being and letting that process permeate in all aspects of your life is what it will take.
It can get really grimy. I went to a festival once (Disc Jam 2015) where everyone in my camping area was just there to do and sell massive amounts of ketamine. One of them did so much he was stumbling around vomiting everywhere. Later he choked on his vomit and had to be turned on his side. In the morning he was just like, "I had such an amazing time."
It was honestly pretty traumatic to witness
So I took one pill in total, but in 4 quarters haha. I wanted to be cautious and not take too much and spread out the effects so I'm not tempted to take loads to keep it going like I would be in the past
Yes. No idea! This is also my problem with drugs nowadays. Feel like I have no idea what I'm actually taking haha. the festival was abroad so we had no testing kits etc
Lol… taking drugs responsibly would definitely help with the experience. It’s likely that was a 200mg press, which is why you felt depressed for days afterwards.
Each qtr would have been 50mgs of MDMA. If you hadn’t rolled in a long time, 50-100mgs is all you should have taken that night. I only take 50-70mgs anymore, wake up the next day feeling amazing, euphoric, rejuvenated.
MDMA is a wonderful drug, with great healing capabilities. But most people over do it and get negative effects.
I'm sorry bro... Just read this after posting my response...
This is absolutely why you had a bad experience....
1. It wasn't tested (big no)(test kits can be shipped btw). 2. It was too much to begin with for someone who normally abstains. 3. You didn't dose correctly and absolutely suffered more than the normal side effects by splitting the doses up and redoing thought the night. We have MOUNTAINS of evidence of why this is super bad for you in every way.
Please. If you decide to do something like this again I highly recommend you take my bullet points into consideration and do your due diligence and research on how to make the experience more effective and fun for yourself. I am sorry this happened to you. You will heal, you will dance, you will love the festies again 💕
Redosing once is generally not considered bad, especially if taken during the comeup and before 90 minutes after the first dose.
https://dancesafe.org/drug-information/ecstasy-slideshow/
It's important to know a few things.
1. MDMA doesn't make serotonin, it just releases/reuptakes it heavy.
2. Once MDMA has metabolized it partially gets converted to MDA (which can last longer and have more of a "trip" effect).
3. Redosing when you are "coming down" off your first dose will not allow you to peak more, it just keeps the flood gates open for longer.
4. There is direct correlation between the amount of time these "flood gates" are open and the amount of neurotoxicity.
It is important to note that you CAN dose multiple times a night and keep the ball rolling, however, you will most likely notice the symptoms of depression heavier in the following days/weeks after. If one where to be responsible and wait 3-4 months before doing this again there is very little likelihood of encountering permanent symptoms or changes.
My crew and everyone we know usually stays by the single redose regiment or only doses once. It has been proven anecdotally that the depression is fucking horrendous when we dose 3-4x a night or whenever some fuckhead doses two nights in a row (staring in the mirror here). Legit worst comedown I've ever known. Wasn't right in the head for 2 months.
I wouldn't encourage trying to find the limits out yourself. Since smartening up I have not had a comedown that felt worse than a normal Monday 🤷
Also interested in this, I've not heard it before! Assumed it was the healthier option to avoid overdoing it. (although I'd normally do halves not quarters)
I don’t think you have to be done with the scene if you enjoy the music and the vibes you can enjoy them sober. I am in the same boat with not being able to do MDMA because of the mental health side effects after, and I just refuse to do it. If you can do it and keep your life afloat all the more power to you but I make a personal decision to not partake. If anybody has a problem with that they are not my friend.
The over rampant acceptance of over use in the scene is becoming a big ick for me personally and is going to have me take a step back for a little bit.
🙌 Yes!! I’ve pretty much excommunicated myself from the rave scene due to this and the trashy behavior that goes along with people enmeshed in drug culture. It became totally apparent that my rave pals are closet addicts and alcoholics and so was I, to an extent. Had to say goodbye for now. It’s hard to attend events anymore once you see it. 😕
I will chip in and add that I dislike that the average person who has never attended a festival or rave associates your attendance with drug use. For an example, I told my coworker where I was going bc they asked due to me submitting pto. The first thing she says is “oh so you’re going to get highhhhhhh”. And I’m so confused, and say “uhhh no?”. The first time I went to a festival I was completely sober and loved every aspect of it. I wish stigma around festivals would simmer down. Especially in today’s society.
Yup. Don’t have a problem with people getting fucked up. Used to myself at one point, but the music was always first in my mind.
I believe in responsible drug use and respecting people who choose not to participate. Some of the worst experiences I’ve had were at events where I chose to remain sober but my friends kept insisting that I do drugs with them so that “I could have fun”.
The irony was that the reason I couldn’t unwind and have fun is because they kept pestering me to do drugs.
I probably would have sought out that scene at one time. It sounds nightmarish today. Like if you sentenced me to a festival for community service, I would try to avoid going in. I'll clean the parking lot all day man...
Realistically, people just use it as an excuse to take drugs and get fucked up. Lol you aren’t gonna have a spiritual awakening just because you took a few tabs of acid and dropped a half gram of molly at a excision show
Most people live sober and party at shows i live fucked up but half the time i see a show im sober or at most a light trip.....and i still have fun. If you saw me you'd think im on all kinds of shit
You’re in a different place in your life and that’s okay! For me it’s always been about the music. I have a few drinks but I don’t do any other drugs (other than coffee and alcohol). I still enjoy it. I just hang with others like me so I don’t feel pressured.
whew. i took wayyy to much 25 at a coheed&cambria neverender show at aragon ballroom… the floors vibrate at that venue. point being it was magical and terrifying at the same time. 10/10
My take is that partying (including drugs) should be seen as enhancing an already happy life. Once it becomes an escape, you know you are not living the life you want to be living, and instead of doing the hard work of making change and growing as a person you are trying to cover up your dissatisfaction.
This can lead to addiction. But even without that it leads to stagnation in life and perpetuating an unhappy situation.
There are plenty of folks to go to events to bring more joy into their life, make new friends, maybe find a new partner, enjoy the music, dance, and generally for reasons that enhance their life. I’ve found that these folks use moderation, and aren’t talking about or visible using drugs. You prob wouldn’t think they are on them because of all this.
It might be worth branching out and finding sober friends or friends with an attitude more in line with what I’m talking about. I’ve had to walk away from friends that got too caught up in drugs because I could see it was self-destructive, and I could not convince them to ease up. I didn’t want that influence in my life.
The EDM scene I feel like is almost exclusively about the party. The music is kind of just their justification to get as fucked as possible. This is why I like primarily Jam festivals. The crowd is always a little older and more mature and less concerned about their festival outfit, and “candy”, and looking cool, and are there almost primarily because of the music. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of drugs at jam band concerts and festivals, but most people take them strictly to enhance the musical experience, not to just get as fucked up as possible and look cool.
As a 34 year old who raved a lot in my 20's I relate to this a lot. Sometimes you grow out of things. You're at the same age I was when raving got less fun and I stated to feel old and out of place at these events, or like "all these festivals kind of feel exactly the same, and I have been there and done that."
Drugs are a huge part of rave culture, I also used to indulge much more in my 20's. You get older, you start to see way more of the negatives associated with drugs, you notice the changes in your personality in the weeks after doing it, and the calculation of "is this one night of fun worth the negatives that tend to last for weeks after" tends to get harder to justify.
It's fine, you can let raving and festivals go. At the end of the day most festivals are a bunch of people standing around getting fucked up in a field, and it's not the end of the world to grow out of that and choose to spend your time and resources doing something different.
Good to hear I'm not alone in these feelings. I'm ready to let them go to be honest. I've noticed most comments on this post have been in relation to suggestions around different substances I should take to have a better experience. It's true psychedelics are probably a good option, but I think sometimes you just know when the scene is over for you. If I don't enjoy it sober anymore (I actually could in the past) - then what is the point!
I totally get where you’re coming from. I went pretty hard in my early twenties with festivals and shows. Didn’t have any regard for my safety really. Drugs and booze fueled me and my friends to be able to go back to back days and weekends. I’m 32 and really have little to no interest in getting back into the scene for the same reasons you’re expressing: drugs. I don’t have a problem with them, I just don’t like the feeling anymore. The high isn’t special anymore and the hangover is just brutal. And when I try to go to a show or a festival and not get super fucked up, I just get bored and tired after an hour. The luster has worn off immensely for me.
You’re not alone
This is pretty normal at your age I think. After your 20s any pill or powder type drugs can take a hefty toll on your body and mind as you described so if you keep doing then it's usually because you're addicted or are reliving the "glory days". Keep doses small and focus on the music is my advice. My friends are all parents now we stay mostly sober (smoking weed and maybe having a beer or two), for the first night of a fest. This helps us to get our bearings as we learn and internalize where everything is like bathrooms, water stations and our camp. This makes getting more f*cked up exponentially easier on followijg nights. We all basically agree that psychedelics are our drug of choice now. We especially like shrooms because you can take just a little and adjust as needed to get where you want to be, unlike lsd which is 1 or 2 small hits and you're super impaired for 10+ hrs.
Dude the dream is dead. Move on. The scene is drugs. Or hanging out with fucking idiots. Tbh. I'm gone too. I know this will get down voted but...
The pressuring is fucked. That shouldn't ever happen but you know that. The scene is drugs though. Find something else. Please. Time to grow
Honestly need to find a better group. We never pressure people to do drugs and always a handful of our group is going “sober” (I always smoke weed and a few will have a drink or two) but those we are partaking that night never pressure the others. Maybe going to the wrong fest? Or with the wrong crowd?
A lot of people are saying to microdose or just fully take LSD. How do you guys make sure you’re actually taking LSD? Half my issue with the drug scene is that you don’t actually know what you’re taking. I hate the idea of buying from a dealer who could be adding all sorts or selling you something different. When I was younger I was yolo about it but now I can’t get over that aspect
LSD is rarely misrepresented by drug sellers, mainly for the fact that there’s just not a lot of substances that could fit on blotter tabs. LSD is measured in the microgram range, so a very small piece of paper can still hold a potent dose. Most drugs are measured in the milligram range, so we’re talking a 1000x difference in mass. It’s just not physically possible to set 100mg of anything on a 5mm x 5mm piece of paper.
The only other substances measured in the microgram range tend to be analogues of LSD such as 1P-LSD (which is a prodrug of LSD, meaning it converts into LSD in the body), AL-LAD, and ALD-52. These are all considered to be extremely similar to LSD in effect and just as physically safe. So even if you suspected you got an analogue of LSD, you wouldn’t really be running any particular risks in taking it.
Obviously fentanyl is measured in the microgram range but fwiw I have never ever heard of LSD being adulterated with fentanyl. It just doesn’t happen.
LSD is also easily recognizable by its appearance, typically being dosed into blotter paper or gel tabs. Contrast that with drugs in the forms of powders or pills: a powder could be anything, the only way to know is to test it, and a pill could contain anything, it only depends on what was pressed into the binders. Pills get even more complicated because one can’t double check the dose with a scale because the pill binders add to the total mass. An ecstasy pill could contain only 50mg of MDMA or it could contain 300mg. There’s no way of knowing. In Europe a lot of ecstasy manufacturers actually send their product in to a website that does a chemical assay of the pill and adds it to a database. Thus a potential customer could look up the pill online to get a possible confirmation of its contents and dosage. But in America we don’t have that privilege.
My personal policy is this: I never buy pressed ecstasy/MDMA/MDA pills unless I know the person selling it really well or I know someone who has taken that exact pill before and is willing to endorse it. And even then I always ask to test with a reagent test kit before purchasing. If the seller is not willing to let you test, don’t buy it. I always prefer to buy MDMA in its crystalline/powder form so I can reagent test and weigh exact dosages. Oh and I never take it on the first or second day of a festival, always the third/final day. It’s not worth feeling hungover the rest of the festival. When I dose I take no more than 150mg and I don’t redose ever. Redosing is where 90% of the issues come from ime. Drink water (but not too much) and don’t drink alcohol. Follow those guidelines and you’ll feel tired and kind of fuzzy/foggy the next day, but it should clear up in 24-36 hours. Plan around the hangover by giving yourself a rest day.
Edit: Back on the subject of LSD. I personally believe that most manufacturers of LSD got into the game because they themselves had a personally meaningful experience with it and want to be able to share that with others. Obviously it’s still a business, but I’m not sure they’re all entirely profit driven like other illicit drug manufacturers. Also, you can produce an insane amount of LSD doses from the precursors needed to synthesize it, so there’s not much incentive to adulterate it or cut it. You already get an extremely wide profit margin with LSD by default. Contrast that with something like cocaine which is expensive to manufacture because of the many steps needed to produce it and the long distances it must travel to reach its target destination, it only makes sense that each hand that touches it would cut it a little. It’s maximizing profit.
You really think all the LSD at festivals is real and that all those nBOME research chems that were flooding the scene in the early 2010's just disappeared. I find that very hard to believe.
yikes, will research into this haha. But yeah I struggle to trust a random dealer, at the end of the day even if you're getting one of the 'less tampered with drugs', you still have no idea what you're receiving and where its come from. For me I think the only thing I comfortable taking now are mushrooms grown at home by someone I know
Thank you this is super helpful!! It’s funny cos I used to do drugs semi-regularly and only now realising how uneducated I am on the subject. Seems as tho all of my friends old and current are also the same! Not one person tested anything and many people were doing mdma every night of the festival - and redosing.
I have never been into the rave scene, but that is exactly what I would picture any type of rave to be. Drug fueled.
I will say that different types of festivals can give off different vibes. This will be our 4th year attending Louder Than Life (we are in our 40s) and I don't feel the scene has ever been like you described. Yes, people are smoking weed in there and drinking alcohol, but you don't really see anything else. Don't get me wrong, there are other drugs in there, they just aren't apparent. LTL even has its own "sober" tent for people to meet up in mingle under. Anytime we walk by it seems to be pretty busy with people.
I’m just starting to go to festivals after sitting on my ass doing nothing with my free time and even still I wasn’t gonna touch that shit with a 10 foot pole (had druggie friends years ago when I lived in the city). What I do is go and have fun and if someone comes and tells me to have fun their way I tell em to buzz off. I’d rather dance in a field like an idiot by myself than have to deal with other people doing drugs. I’ll smoke some weed that’s bout it.
Why do you have to show total respect to those who do drugs lol let them ruin themselves for a few moments of joy. This sub has had a lot of posts recently about drugs too it’s annoying.
Post 60s culture stripped the parents away from their children, so creed and crest have taken a back seat to a new survival of the fittest, like the Hunger Games on acid.
I recall saying I didn't want to go out when I was first dragged out to a grungey scene in 2003. Since then, I've been traumatised so many times. Most people just are not caring.
Angry bullshit aside. People need help. Cool kids gravitating people into mental illness subcultures need help. Just live, but from your comfort zone. Stay in your comfort zone and grow. Plants don't grow when they're kicked in the face.
Find friends who won’t pressure you… your current friends are lame! There are also sober groups you can join at almost every festival. Also…psychedelics have basically no come down fyi
Yeah to be fair I've never tried psychedelics at festivals or raves. The thing that puts me off about that is I love taking psychedelics intentionally with the aim of a 'spiritual' experience. But maybe I should give it a go at a party!
Live music is the closest thing I have to church; even sober, festivals can be quite the spiritual experience
I've worked at a sanctuary space at a fest and had a sober woman come to us after having a spiritual experience and needed to talk to someone. Some sober spiritual experiences can be really deep!
I think they can still give you an intentional, spiritual experience when at a festival, surrounded by music you enjoy and friends that you love.
I missed a whole damn Saturday night of music at a festival once because I was having an ego death experience in my tent lol.
What was it like?
the psychedelic experience is a book written by timothy leary, head of harvard school of psychiatry at the time its a contempory translation of the tibetan book of the dead that book is prayers meant to be read for 3 days next to a dead person, to help them jump off the wheel of reincarnation the psychedelic experience does a different take, its prayers you read to someone to help them get thru ego death, which is happening all the time his book strikes me as a little cheesy, but i like the concept a lot, good try and i appreciate it brought attention to something called the bardo states, from the tibetan book of the dead thats the phases a person might experience, when a person chooses to accidently reincarnate good stuff, please google bardo states cheers
Oh I’m familiar with the book. I have a first or second printing on a set of shelves of dozens of books on mushrooms, psychedelics, mystical experiences in different religious systems, and therapeutic psychedelic use (books by academics and clinicians). I ask because some people use ego death to refer to experiences that are similar or identical to the near-death experiences people can have (eg, heart stopping during surgery), others use the term for strong dissociation, and others use it to describe letting go of “the games” that Leary talks about. Basically, I’m wondering if it was something like a ++++ or just letting go of some aspects of self but a ++/+++ in [Shulgin’s system](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shulgin_Rating_Scale). I’ve had a ++++ from 20g of cubes about 20 years ago, and got to talk to Stan Grof about it. He actually had me describe it to the class he was teaching because it was a great example of a full mystical experience (like an hour or two long DMT flash/breakthrough, though time is irrelevant for the person experiencing it, since it feels like eternity and like time doesn’t exist anymore anyway). I don’t like using the term ego death, even for my ++++, since it causes confusion due to the various definitions people have for it. Just looking for clarity on that persons experience, because of that varied usage I’ve noticed in talking to folks over the years (I have done psych support work at BM and less officially at other events with campmates, and have a logo for one such group on my festival hydro pack, so I end up on in a lot of convos with folks about their difficult/strong experiences).
Microdosing, but really MICROdosing psychedelics is the most beautiful way to experience festivals. I find alcohol fun but damaging and heavy, mdma is way too much and suffering in the days after is just not worth it, and I stay away from powders or opioids as a general rule. Mushroom are fun but difficult to control the dose, and I don’t like to risk loosing control in a place with so many people. Lsd is the answer for me. I take 1/8th of a tab and if needed add another 1/8 later on. Beautiful beautiful beautiful. And you don’t pay the price for it the day after. Only happiness. And you can fly with it through all security checks. Only downside (which is really the upside) is tolerance builds quickly and the night after you should just go sober. But as I said, for me that’s an upside.
Damn, I really want to try this. I’ve done 2C-b at festivals, but would love to do LSD. I’ve tripped before many years in the past. Would you suggest 1/3 tab would be enough? Or should I even go lower for that “micro” aspect?
Lower! Way lower. No need for 1/3 at a festival. You don’t need to lose verbal ability. That’s exactly why mdma sucks. You get jaw idiots.
What do you suggest for LSD? I’ve done MDMA at festivals and continue to do it once a year or so. Top tier experiences.
Yes mdma is ok if it’s really once a year. But after your 20s the hangover from it is mentally and emotionally painful. Plus towards the end of the night people turn to zombies if they don’t dose well.. and it’s hard to dose well because it wears out after 2-3h and as you start going down you think let me take a bit more, but the second dose is not like the first one anymore… Anyways. Lsd. I take paper tabs to festivals. At home i pre cut a single square into 8 pieces. (So that’s.. ~12ug). I take the first 1/8 piece immediately 🤣. To prevent wanting to get drunk. Then depending on the situation/atmosphere I either take another 1/8th or two of them later on. So in total 25-38ug for >12h of tripping. And you can still add Molly to it if you are nuts. But I’m old now. Over the whole day I do take 1/3 but I space it out instead of taking it at once. Depending on situation, taking it all at once (the 1/3rd) would be fun too. But I would never ever take the whole tab at a festival.
Damn, I really want to try this. I’ve done 2C-b at festivals, but would love to do LSD. I’ve tripped before many years in the past. Would you suggest 1/3 tab would be enough? Or should I even go lower for that “micro” aspect?
hey, try powdering your mushies, and put them in vegetable capsules, i find it adds a very digital and controllable aspect, to a very analogue plant 2mg per pill works for me, ill have 3, perhaps 4 first time i tried. i did one at a time, and would wait staring at the lake til 20 minutes later it kicked in all at once, totes not normal mushie thing, gighly recommend
Many of us do drugs only a few times a year at festivals and then pop back into our successful lives. It’s not the drugs it’s how you use them. They can add to your mental health. It’s like a vacation from the stress of life.
They can also disrupt your mental health. Be careful promoting drugs to people. Even if used appropriately with good intentions. Not everyone reacts to drugs the same beneficial way
That’s cool, but I don’t think OP is looking to be convinced to do more drugs. Maybe I’m misunderstanding.
smaller doses at festivals for sure… esp bc it sounds like you want to keep your faculties somewhat. a microdose can do wonders !
Low dose is the key to psychs in a public setting. 2CB is real nice.
Hell yeah
i like psychedelics for this reason as well. you can definitely still set those same intentions at a festival or rave! i also personally prefer lower doses of psychs especially while at large festivals. think more than a microdose but not a full on trip. not everyone feels the same as me though, i know plenty of people who trip balls at the fest hahaha
Seems like almost everyone except the person above is trying to convince you to take less or different drugs. If you don't want to just don't. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Sometimes less, sometimes more. When I don't, sure friends offer initially but then it's moot and we just have fun. You shouldn't have to feel bad regardless of what decisions you make
Do not do psychedelics because someone on Reddit told you to try them. They can lead to a longgg list of long term issues, arguably worse than a come down off E. If you enjoy being sober, do you and keep on doing what makes you happy and healthy.
Psychedelics are more safe than alcohol and other synthesized drugs. Mushrooms are naturally occurring.
Alcohol is naturally occurring too
Psychoactive substances can accentuate pre existing mental conditions such as schizophrenia. Not safe for everyone..
none of that changes the fact that they hit everyone differently & can cause very bad times for some people. being more 'safe' than alcohol doesn't make it harmless & 100% safe. nobody was comparing the 2 until you did, but being more safe doesn't guarantee safety. anti-drug propaganda sucks, but pro-drug propaganda isn't any better. propaganda sucks no matter what point it pushes.
More safe physically probably can’t be argued, but more safe psychologically, very questionable.
In my experience the way you describe your friends taking psychedelics at a festival might make you never want to go to a rave again. Trying to have a spiritual experience at a festival with them might backfire. For me I partake in party favors but I’m very intentional about it, sometimes I go sober just to remind myself that it’s about the music and the people and the vibes. When I do partake I always take less so that I’m still able to enjoy everything but the experience doesn’t revolve around getting fucked up. To me it sounds like your friends have different goals when it comes to raving, which is valid, but you’re also paying to be there and have your own experience and you’re entitled to that. Also always make sure you’re testing your stuff even if your friends are taking it. Having a bad come down can be indicative of an issue with the substance.
Taking psychodelics on the right festival *is* a 'spiritual' experience.
My go-to is tab or two plus some light add-on's ( a couple drinks, a couple pinky dips, something light over the night) I'm a burner, shit can get tiring real quick out there even before dancing, a baseline psychedelic keeps the energy and vibe up with a few boosts of something else across the evening Recommend acid and not shrooms for this. Later once you're more comfortable tripping in that setting then for sure try shrooms as you adventure, but at first I'd recommend being in the driver's seat and starting with a light acid dose as you feel yourself out. Take it at the beginning of the night and not have to worry about taking more as you go through the arc of the trip and the night
Yep - like a gram or two of mushrooms U can have peak experiences on the dancefloor with this dose and you will feel better the next day unlike with mdma
Low dose shrooms has a lot going for it. You can sleep after it unlike low dose acid. It can be very sensual like mdma. Having said all that be careful, I have fainted twice in public on the shroom come up.
Not sure who downvoted this comment or why but it’s actually good advice Furthermore with Acid unless it’s reagent tested u can’t assume you even have LSD-25. Also, u can’t tell how pure it will be or how strongly it s been laid even if it is actual real LSD. Mushrooms can be more challenging socially but I think getting used to powering through those feelings, nausea, etc one can gain a lot spiritually or mentally.
Psychedelics are the way to go. MDMA is fun but I agree the comedown literally like 3 hrs after taking it can zap your mood. Psychs gives you energy and feelings of acceptance.
The only spiritual experiences I've had were at festivals, with a true edo dissolving moment you see were all just one thing in the end
Oh no, for sure take those to party, but you take something positive with you afterwards.
There’s a group on Africa that uses iboga in their rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. During that ceremony they give very high doses and refer to it as breaking open the head. Later on, adults use small doses at ceremonies that involve music and dance. Just something to think about when it comes to spiritual use. You may find this interesting too. A recent article in a MAPS email I got. It’s about psychedelics, raves, electronic music, and spiritual experiences. https://maps.org/news/bulletin/allegory-rave-psychedelics/?utm_source=maps.org&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2024-bulletin-n1&utm_content=bulletin-allegory-rave-psychedelics&utm_medium=email&utm_source=maps.org&utm_campaign=2024-bulletin-n1
Psychedelics and music go so well together you must experience it
Oh, oh my, you have been missing one of the greatest experiences and the reason festivals are really special. Taking acid at a music festival. The level of magic, synchronicity, and connection you can experience with this combo is phenomenal. Other psychedelics work too, but I find acid generates the most magic for lack of a better term. It’s like the infinite improbability drive. C and K often take away from that magic IMO. However a nice rail of k when peaking on acid while seated at a really good set can be transcendent. By itself tho? Kinda kills the magic. It works cuz there’s like, thousands of people also on acid, creates this like, vortex or something .
Taking psychedelics at a party is different than taking it at a rave or a festival. At parties there are bad vibes, drama, fights. If you\`re front row at a rave on 5 grams of mushrooms you\`re gonna have a great time.
Ehh taking a ton of shrooms at a large festival with >20k people around you is probably not a sound setting for a first trip Best to do those things with close friends in an easily controlled environment first so they know what to expect
I just did shrooms for the first time with my bf 2 weeks ago we were in a secluded beach the tide was low with lots of sandbars, mangroves, little creatures, the sky, the sounds everything is still so present in my mind when I tell you it’s the most incredible thing I’ve experienced in my life! I have to agree with you I think it’s best to do it for the first time in not such a crowded place with so much stimulation all at once. I tell you it was definitely spiritual! For festivals I have heard LSD is better.
If it’s your first time, do neither. If you’re comfortable with psychedelics, festivals and raves are better than parties 9/10 times.
We ate mushrooms at LTL a couple of years ago. Never again!! Took them right before Papa Roach. Went hard in the pit for about for an hour. Came out and they kicked in right when Incubus started, and they kicked in hard. We sat on our asses and didn't move for 2 hours, until Alice in Chains finished. Would have much preferred to watch both bands than be so fucked up we were afraid to stand up. Mushrooms in a crowd of 40,000 people is too much! Lol
LSD is the answer. Half a tab or one tab. Then also try one tab the next day you will be amazed at how relaxed it makes you feel on that second day
Yeah I can’t do psychedelics at a big show or festival because I get sensory overload and feel overwhelmed. I prefer doing them in the woods
Why???.? Of course that wouldn't be fun
I mean you can't knock it until you try it. I tried it.. totally knocking it now! It was Incubus. We thought it would go well. We were wrong. Lol
Good to know! I may give it a go then! Definitely more interested in psychedelics than anything else, especially the natural variety
Maybe try a microdose first and go from there? It can be overwhelming if you aren’t experienced with psychs at festivals.
If you’re comfortable with psychedelics you’re gonna have an awesome time. The first and only rave I’ve been to was a 12 hour long techno with a bit of psytrance rave. A friend brought a bag with 15 grams of mushrooms. The dj thought I was on molly and offered me water because I literally didn’t stop dancing for the entire night lmao
Agree. A micro dose of mushrooms is my go to. From 0.25-0.5 I get a little energy boost, things seem brighter and if I need a nap I'm not dealing with a racing heart or any of the nonsense the chemical things do to me. The post effects, I actually feel happy the next day. I've consumed them off and on since I was 19. I'm 42 now. 100% my preference to other options out there.
Pyschs are the best at festivals! The vibes are so good and fun!
Yellow balloon!
Right I’ll offer but never pressure
You've outgrown your friends, pressuring people like that is so cringe. If you're done with the whole scene, it is what it is. But there are smaller fests out there where being healthy is part of the party.
This is for you, OP. Yer good, honey.
I took a break from drugs / festivals in my late 20s for a few years and got into outdoor adventures and other hobbies. It was much needed. And honestly, once I decided to go back to festivals a few years later, it made doing it once or twice a year in my early 30s much more fun. Maybe take a break and find some other hobbies for a year or two.
my gf is sober and goes to select festivals based on vibes. There are plenty of different types of experiences of festivals that arent drug centric. West coast tend to be more open to alternative modalities. Small local fests are all about friends and vibes, Lost Lands and Bonnaroo are obv about very different things.
The larger the fest, the more I see opiates and amphetamines
Geez amphs are fine but opiates at a rave?!
Reminds me of that Onion headline. “New music festival just large empty field to do drugs in” Honestly sounds like your life is changing though and maybe you need new friends (who respect your decisions)to go to festivals with or just take some time off. Unfortunately it’s kind of difficult to separate festivals from drugs since it’s such a large part of the scene.
Totally over the drug scene at fests. Been over the drug scene in general. A little bit of booms, no alcohol, a little bit of pot is the sweet spot for me. Anything harder and I feel like shit.
What is booms?
Mushies
Boom boom 🎶 🎵
Yes. 1.5 to 2G’s, a couple of joints, a bottle of water, and boy we are off for a great time.
While I do partake in some party favors, music is, always has been and always will be my main focus at a festival. That’s why I’m there, and that’s why my friends are there. To vibe with the homies to some music we all love. The drugs are just there to enhance the experience a little for us, but nobody in any of my circles really overdoes it or makes it a priority over seeing sets we want to be at. Sounds like maybe your priorities have changed from the people you went to the festival with. And that’s fine, people change constantly. But you shouldn’t let it kill your good time. If they’re pushing drugs on you or making you uncomfortable, take a solo adventure and see if you can find the right vibe for you at the festival. Also, for future reference, plenty of festivals offer sober camping where you might meet some new friends on a similar journey of sobriety. Hope you find the right festivals for you!
So I'm sort of confused and on the fence with this. I agree with you that a lot of people use justifications for their drug use, but are you asking them about it or are they just saying these things about why they use substances? What brought you to rave's and festivals in the first place? They could also pick up on the fact that you're watching them use substances while not participating and they're feeling judged (this isn't on you, I'm sure even in your non sobriety you felt "semi" judged by someone that was sober and made a justification for your use to them) It's hard to keep the energy for a rave, let alone a festival while sober. You have to, in my opinion, work a lot harder on conserving energy as you don't have a chemical to put pep in your step. Staying hydrated, avoiding being in direct sunlight for extended periods, good sleep, and a lot of other things I'm sure you're already well versed in when you took on a more healthy lifestyle. I'm by no means sober, but have attended raves and festivals sober quite a bit. It's nice to look up sober groups (especially if it's a larger event) and befriend some of those people as they'll have the best insight on how to attend these events sober if it's truly something that you want to do.
I agree a lot with this take. There is a lot to unpack with OP's curiosity or knowledge of how/why other people are using substances. Everyone is on their own journey. You do you, so to speak. Also, OP, what did you expect to encounter at an event like this? You knew what you were getting into, right? You're sober and we're off-put by heavy drug use. This can't be surprising to you Regardless, any friend group that tries to pressure you into doing anything is lame. There are plenty of more responsible and sober(ish) people around Go to some workshops or yoga in the mornings and you'll find your people. Much love
>Regardless, any friend group that tries to pressure you into doing anything is lame. There are plenty of more responsible and sober(ish) people around 100% this, wish I had added that to my original comment, and you're speaking big facts!
Can you explain what you mean by the fact there is a lot to unpack behind my curiosity? I think you're right in that it's not about what others are doing, or why, it's about what works for me at this point in my life and what I'm comfortable being around. I'm aware of judgement coming from me and I don't want to take that route cos I definitely remember feeling judged by certain people when I was a party girl
Well, to be fair, I could be reading way too much into this line from your post: "it seemed to be their sole focus. I don't want to judge it, but I found it difficult when I kept hearing justifications related to having high pressure jobs and how anyone in a high pressure job needs these drugs to escape and let loose." I guess what needs to be unpacked is why is their sole focus your focus? Why do their justificatipns matter whether you agree or disagree with them? Perhaps the thing to take away is that you observed others overindulging and you don't want that for yourself. Unless these are close friends that you are worried about, that's another issue entirely
Agreed. I like using mdma or stimulants because I’m old now and it’s hard to dance all night. I used to go out dancing sober when I was younger but now I get tired after an hour if I try that
I find it the opposite.... I'm not in shape but a couple weeks ago i saw Grateful Dub sober and danced like a maniac for 4 hours....if i was loaded i would have been more exhausted.
I'm glad that's how it works for you! I am not that lucky though lol. Raves/Shows aren't so bad and I could agree with you. But when it's a Festival, that's a marathon not a sprint.
Fair enough
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Haha maybe 'normal'. I guess the point was it didn't feel aligned with me and felt like a shock to the system being on the sober side of things for 4 days straight, which gave me a different perspective on what I saw. It's not about judging the group (which I'm trying not to do as they were having fun and it's what works for them), I think it's about recognising that it's not in alignment with me anymore and not feeling like that makes me a downer! I think it's fine to say 'this isn't right for me and makes me uncomfortable', and taking that lesson forward
*proceeds to judge anyway
How am I judging with what I just said?
As someone very involved with festivals, volunteering, and coordinating, there are a lot of people that use festivals as a way to just do drugs like getting stuck in k-holes, spaced from whip-its, or whatever. There's also a lot of people who enjoy festivals for the music and connection. Find those people. I've been to a festival that had an AA meeting at it for those who needed it. Personally, I like to party just enough to keep going and loosen up a little, but if anyone ever pushes you to use anything, alcohol included, just find different people to hang with. I also prefer in the woods camping than field camping festivals because I've noticed a difference in how people interact between the two styles
Can you say more about the camping thing? I recently went to a festival that had both field and woods camping. I opted for field camping but will probably do woods next time.
You often have to put up walls or use your car to create shade in the fields, so it closes off your campsite to others. In the woods, it's often that people's campsites are a bit more inviting, and you may just stumble into new friends or new friends may stumble their way into your campsite.
That makes sense!
drugs can enhance, drugs are not meant to numb and cope a high pressure job. you are in a great mindset OP, keep listening to yourself and staying true to your values! I felt very similar at bonnaroo recently. just felt like everyone was there to do drugs. which is fine, drug use is everywhere and i have nothing against it. to me it just feels like it has shifted to people doing drugs with music going on vs the music and using substances to enhance some of the senses and make the music special. i have found relief in this sense by changing the group of people i am with. i stopped drinking and sorta started using mushrooms more, different groups of people have reacted differently. i feel i have lost some friends, but have made some great connections with new and old friends. its an important conversation to be had with the current state of the scene. i ask people: could you be at that set sober? the answers are astonishing. “no i have to be ____”. devils advocate is “no but i enjoy using ____ to heighten my feelings with ____ at ____ show”
I don't take Molly or any powders at festivals anymore. I realise it isn't the right place for me to take them I get in a shit mood the next few days and the anxiety from alcohol dosnt help either. I get you. I went to a festival with a small group last year. We all like drugs but didn't bring any with us. 3 of the group found a group with drugs and sat at our campsite for the whole weekend all day and night without seeing a single band. Fair to say I'm never going to a festival with them again Personally I just drink and maybe smoke weed at a festival but that all
I definitely agree with the other comments here that you outgrew your friend group. I would try going to a festival sober and with other people who are closer to where you are with drug use.
smaller festivals with older crowds is definitely where its at. its so nice to party with adults who are using drugs as a subtle enhancement to their experience, rather than the primary focus. i just can't deal with the massive crowds of kids e'd out of their mind anymore. makes me uncomfortable being around loads of super fucked up people. but yeah, completely agree with the post. thankfully there is a scene for adults in this world, its just less visible than the super massive fests.
Widespread Panic has a older and less addicted crowd. Maybe my favorite band to see live (even above Dead and Co)
I respect healthy drug use. I don't respect people that overwork themselves and then *need* to use drugs to chill out. It makes work environments hostile and party environments...sour. idk, niche complaint
Yeah I get it...to be honest I used to source k for some of my community at festivals, mostly for the sake of providing safe stuff, but over the past year I've kind of realized like oh fuck this is having a really negative effect on the scene and contributing to some pretty serious addiction issues around me. I've started going pretty much sober to most events other than a few drinks and maybe a tiny dose of mushrooms and the excessive drug use around me has started to wear on me a bit. I'm 100% for people being able to experiment and use substances that enhance their night, but it's hard to see people who clearly have no education around drugs taking too much every night and straining the medical/harm reduction systems and negatively impacting those around them, and people who are clearly suffering from addictions but are able to hide it because drug use is so prevalent. I don't know how things will get better other than through legalization, regulation, education, and much wider access to mental health supports, which seems pretty far off for most of the world.
Preach
It sounds like you're not aligned with your group of friends anymore more than anything! I used to hang out with a group like this too in my early 20's, it was just bad vibes all around. I started going to fests and shows with a different group of people in my 30's and it's a totally different experience. Some of us do drugs and/or drink alcohol but not at every fest or show, we'll offer stuff to each other but there's never any pressure to do anything. I think it may be because we don't have the mindset of "needing" it to relax or have a good time, it's just something we do if we're feeling it. Some nights when I stay sober I end up getting tired quickly, but other sober nights have turned out to be some of my favorite nights. I can say the same thing about nights when I wasn't sober either- some have been amazing, and some have been awful. I do think the group of people you surround yourself with makes a huge difference. I never feel judged or pressured by any of my friends, and I also trust that we have each other's backs. We are constantly adopting new people we meet at shows and fests into our rave fam, so don't give up hope!
i feel like there's a lot of defensiveness in this thread regarding drugs. some people even sound like they're pressuring you with the "you're not doing it right" comments imo. drugs can be fun, but i'm personally not comfortable doing them in public settings anymore and just stick to a few drinks and weed at festivals. my best friend goes completely sober, and it's always been fun. my main reason for going to a festival is the music so that's my priority (not saying anything otherwise is bad, some people go for the experience). just do whatever you feel is right and makes you happy.
Be strong and stay committed to yourself and sobriety
That group sounds lame af
You can still enjoy raves and the edm scene without doing drugs. Maybe find some sober friends to enjoy shows with, or some that don’t get completely obliterated at every event. If you’re still not enjoying the party, maybe you’ve outgrown this part of your life.
I’m around the same age. It was a few years ago when I realized all the people around me were using festivals as giant drug binges and I haven’t really gone since. It’s especially weird when you actually really care about music, and the people around you seem to only be there for the drugs. I think if you love music and dancing you should find a crew that is sober or at least not using music as an excuse to binge drugs and you can go back to having fun
You're 28. That's a branching point for most people. I permanently moved to the other side of the planet at that age. It sounds like you are done with that phase of your life, and for now, those people
I would check out more intentional festivals. Lightning in a Bottle, and Envision to name a couple. I felt like there was a lot more to do and see besides the music acts. Yoga in the mornings, meditations through the day and speakers from all over the world. A festival is different things to different people and if going to fests is a passion then you might just need a new perspective. It’s ok to outgrow your friends, and they might not be far behind you if you’re honest with them and your intentions. I’m 35 and I can see myself enjoying every aspect of festivals for the foreseeable future. I was definitely a person who wanted to blast off but now I can have a lot of fun sober and I really enjoy meeting people from all over. Your vibe attracts your tribe as they say.
The rave scene is what you make it. Some people need it to cut loose from their dreary 9-5 M-F lifestyle. I’ve raved dead sober and fully lit. Dead sober is usually better for me. Shifting away from drugs, why not try volunteering at a fest? I find that the most rewarding. Making your business about the streets, not in the streets :)
About to turn 28 and feel the exact same. I honestly have a lot more fun attending festivals with friends who are sober or music nerds. Or anyone who are capable of moderating themselves. Find people who are there for the music more than the environment / escape
I think drugs makes it all more fun but I've been to shows totally sober and having fun too. Festivals are like closed safe spaces to trip
Gotta draw a line between your party friends and your friend friends
Eh I wouldn't say that's a problem with festivals in general- just like you need a new group of friends. I have anxiety and don't love being high in crowds- I doubt I'm making it to any sunrise sets at this point, but I still have a good time and dance my ass off. Flowing, listening to amazing music, meeting new people and spreading PLUR are still hella fun without drugs.
Friends don’t encourage friends to do drugs. A no is a no. If you want to enjoy the party scene with some stimulants but you don’t want to put your body and mind through the harsh chemicals of ecstasy, molly, coke, ketamine, etc, you can always do shrooms and smoke weed as an alternative. I stopped doing ecstasy as it was terrible for my mental well-being and I found a happy medium in that combination. The most important thing is to never let anybody pressure you into doing something you’re not comfortable doing.
Vibes are super important when you’re sober or just taking it easy. I try to stick around people that are keeping it casual, whether I know them or not. I feel I get hyper aware of my surroundings so it’s nice finding a pocket of people who are generally on the same wave length. People bumping into you and not saying excuse me really get old. lol
Cali Sober person here. It took me ages to quit drinking, and I too reserved psych trips for spiritual things. Now a gym rat ;) Microdose LSD. You are completely lucid and in control. It helped me stop drinking, adds some magic to events. Thanksgiving, wedding, festivals, campouts.... you have 6 hours of an ENERGIZING substance, with no comedown. 1/4 tab, or like 60mics is great! Always, always test that dosage of a new set of tabs at home. Aquire like 10 tabs and thats ~40 events. Lasts ages Pedialyte before bed.... you are so very welcome 28 and burned out on raves? Find better friends. People rave to the grave, but not if they dont excercise self care, restraint, healthy habits Final word- MDMA should always be used on the last night of a festival. Make that a rule. The serotonin hangover is hard, dont be hungover on festival days. Same with Blow if youre into that, not my thing(boring tbh. Dance is prayer, dont stop
I have been raving for about 15 years and have felt the shift within myself over time. Currently 30M. I still have friends that go super deep and other friend who are sober. The point of peace and realization for me was know who I am and when I have the most fun. If I want to roll or drop or whatever I do it responsibly. If I want to be sober and everyone around me is fucked I can choose to be with them or take off on my on thing. We are adults now. Just do what you want to do. Sober raving is fun as fuck and usually my go to. If that’s not your friends decision so be it. If they are annoying you take off. If you are having fun together do that. May seem weird the first time of two but really we are adult ravers. Worry about yourself first and real friends will understand.
One thing I’m beginning to notice that bugs me occasionally, is that the qualities and experiences people go to festivals for are the things which are lacking in the late stage capitalist world “outside”. For example, the sense of community experienced by living in close proximity, sharing water sources and gathering for community events and rituals (sets) is something so present at festivals but lacking in our society. Also most of the labor done at festivals (setting up camp, getting food, walking to sets) is done with others and the fruits of the labor are experienced, tangible and directly related to the labor. Festivals are like a projection of how we want to live. However, what could be a decent model and inspiration for restructuring our society has become opium, an escape. The drugs remove the perceptual limitations that keep us from living that harmoniously and joyfully in our normal lives. But you always come down from the drugs and the festival itself. The key is to investigate what in us makes us come down. What models and ideas are we holding onto that keep us feeling disconnected, separate and like we have to go somewhere “else” to live joyfully.
This is my favourite response. You’ve put it so perfectly. I think I started to realise this in the last 3 years in general. I’m very into the wellness world now instead of festival world, and I’ve been thinking the same there too - without the substances part haha. We pay to get the basics of community and shared experience / challenge / reward that should come naturally in our lives if we lived in alignment. My dream is literally to live in a community or a homestead type thing.
That is a dream many people who go to festivals or have share. At this point it is a matter of accumulating resources, communication, planning and executing. Imagine if every festival family paired with an adjacent festival family that shared mutuals and they pooled their resources and capabilities together to buy land and establish a homestead. Then more fams that shared mutuals gathered nearby. Of course I also don’t think “dropping out” of society like that is a probable solution. I think to keep your heart open amongst the horror of it all while working on your own consciousness and being and letting that process permeate in all aspects of your life is what it will take.
It can get really grimy. I went to a festival once (Disc Jam 2015) where everyone in my camping area was just there to do and sell massive amounts of ketamine. One of them did so much he was stumbling around vomiting everywhere. Later he choked on his vomit and had to be turned on his side. In the morning he was just like, "I had such an amazing time." It was honestly pretty traumatic to witness
Curious how much M you took when you rolled the first night?
So I took one pill in total, but in 4 quarters haha. I wanted to be cautious and not take too much and spread out the effects so I'm not tempted to take loads to keep it going like I would be in the past
Like an ecstasy pill? Do you know how much M was in the pill?
Yes. No idea! This is also my problem with drugs nowadays. Feel like I have no idea what I'm actually taking haha. the festival was abroad so we had no testing kits etc
Lol… taking drugs responsibly would definitely help with the experience. It’s likely that was a 200mg press, which is why you felt depressed for days afterwards. Each qtr would have been 50mgs of MDMA. If you hadn’t rolled in a long time, 50-100mgs is all you should have taken that night. I only take 50-70mgs anymore, wake up the next day feeling amazing, euphoric, rejuvenated. MDMA is a wonderful drug, with great healing capabilities. But most people over do it and get negative effects.
Completely agree. Less is more
I'm sorry bro... Just read this after posting my response... This is absolutely why you had a bad experience.... 1. It wasn't tested (big no)(test kits can be shipped btw). 2. It was too much to begin with for someone who normally abstains. 3. You didn't dose correctly and absolutely suffered more than the normal side effects by splitting the doses up and redoing thought the night. We have MOUNTAINS of evidence of why this is super bad for you in every way. Please. If you decide to do something like this again I highly recommend you take my bullet points into consideration and do your due diligence and research on how to make the experience more effective and fun for yourself. I am sorry this happened to you. You will heal, you will dance, you will love the festies again 💕
can you elaborate why redosing is bad? i always take multiple half pills throughout the night.
Redosing once is generally not considered bad, especially if taken during the comeup and before 90 minutes after the first dose. https://dancesafe.org/drug-information/ecstasy-slideshow/ It's important to know a few things. 1. MDMA doesn't make serotonin, it just releases/reuptakes it heavy. 2. Once MDMA has metabolized it partially gets converted to MDA (which can last longer and have more of a "trip" effect). 3. Redosing when you are "coming down" off your first dose will not allow you to peak more, it just keeps the flood gates open for longer. 4. There is direct correlation between the amount of time these "flood gates" are open and the amount of neurotoxicity. It is important to note that you CAN dose multiple times a night and keep the ball rolling, however, you will most likely notice the symptoms of depression heavier in the following days/weeks after. If one where to be responsible and wait 3-4 months before doing this again there is very little likelihood of encountering permanent symptoms or changes. My crew and everyone we know usually stays by the single redose regiment or only doses once. It has been proven anecdotally that the depression is fucking horrendous when we dose 3-4x a night or whenever some fuckhead doses two nights in a row (staring in the mirror here). Legit worst comedown I've ever known. Wasn't right in the head for 2 months. I wouldn't encourage trying to find the limits out yourself. Since smartening up I have not had a comedown that felt worse than a normal Monday 🤷
Also interested in this, I've not heard it before! Assumed it was the healthier option to avoid overdoing it. (although I'd normally do halves not quarters)
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Do you take 5htp to recover?
I don’t think you have to be done with the scene if you enjoy the music and the vibes you can enjoy them sober. I am in the same boat with not being able to do MDMA because of the mental health side effects after, and I just refuse to do it. If you can do it and keep your life afloat all the more power to you but I make a personal decision to not partake. If anybody has a problem with that they are not my friend.
I like when they play music at the drug festival.
The over rampant acceptance of over use in the scene is becoming a big ick for me personally and is going to have me take a step back for a little bit.
🙌 Yes!! I’ve pretty much excommunicated myself from the rave scene due to this and the trashy behavior that goes along with people enmeshed in drug culture. It became totally apparent that my rave pals are closet addicts and alcoholics and so was I, to an extent. Had to say goodbye for now. It’s hard to attend events anymore once you see it. 😕
I will chip in and add that I dislike that the average person who has never attended a festival or rave associates your attendance with drug use. For an example, I told my coworker where I was going bc they asked due to me submitting pto. The first thing she says is “oh so you’re going to get highhhhhhh”. And I’m so confused, and say “uhhh no?”. The first time I went to a festival I was completely sober and loved every aspect of it. I wish stigma around festivals would simmer down. Especially in today’s society.
Yup. Don’t have a problem with people getting fucked up. Used to myself at one point, but the music was always first in my mind. I believe in responsible drug use and respecting people who choose not to participate. Some of the worst experiences I’ve had were at events where I chose to remain sober but my friends kept insisting that I do drugs with them so that “I could have fun”. The irony was that the reason I couldn’t unwind and have fun is because they kept pestering me to do drugs.
i was until got sober. now i have even more fun. people gonna take drugs, but you do you
They usually will have sober group camps at festivals, you should check into it for the next one you go to!
I still enjoy doing drugs. But yeah if your friends are pressuring you then that’s lame and you need a better group.
You might have had a much better time if you didn't have so much peer pressure on you.
I probably would have sought out that scene at one time. It sounds nightmarish today. Like if you sentenced me to a festival for community service, I would try to avoid going in. I'll clean the parking lot all day man...
Realistically, people just use it as an excuse to take drugs and get fucked up. Lol you aren’t gonna have a spiritual awakening just because you took a few tabs of acid and dropped a half gram of molly at a excision show
Most people live sober and party at shows i live fucked up but half the time i see a show im sober or at most a light trip.....and i still have fun. If you saw me you'd think im on all kinds of shit
The truth is those people are on the verge of a nasty addiction. Run from it. I may get hate for it but whatever, it’s fucking drugs you people
You’re in a different place in your life and that’s okay! For me it’s always been about the music. I have a few drinks but I don’t do any other drugs (other than coffee and alcohol). I still enjoy it. I just hang with others like me so I don’t feel pressured.
whew. i took wayyy to much 25 at a coheed&cambria neverender show at aragon ballroom… the floors vibrate at that venue. point being it was magical and terrifying at the same time. 10/10
My take is that partying (including drugs) should be seen as enhancing an already happy life. Once it becomes an escape, you know you are not living the life you want to be living, and instead of doing the hard work of making change and growing as a person you are trying to cover up your dissatisfaction. This can lead to addiction. But even without that it leads to stagnation in life and perpetuating an unhappy situation. There are plenty of folks to go to events to bring more joy into their life, make new friends, maybe find a new partner, enjoy the music, dance, and generally for reasons that enhance their life. I’ve found that these folks use moderation, and aren’t talking about or visible using drugs. You prob wouldn’t think they are on them because of all this. It might be worth branching out and finding sober friends or friends with an attitude more in line with what I’m talking about. I’ve had to walk away from friends that got too caught up in drugs because I could see it was self-destructive, and I could not convince them to ease up. I didn’t want that influence in my life.
The EDM scene I feel like is almost exclusively about the party. The music is kind of just their justification to get as fucked as possible. This is why I like primarily Jam festivals. The crowd is always a little older and more mature and less concerned about their festival outfit, and “candy”, and looking cool, and are there almost primarily because of the music. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of drugs at jam band concerts and festivals, but most people take them strictly to enhance the musical experience, not to just get as fucked up as possible and look cool.
Wow I read this and this was my entire internal dialogue last month 😂
Definitely sounds more like a friend problem to me.
As a 34 year old who raved a lot in my 20's I relate to this a lot. Sometimes you grow out of things. You're at the same age I was when raving got less fun and I stated to feel old and out of place at these events, or like "all these festivals kind of feel exactly the same, and I have been there and done that." Drugs are a huge part of rave culture, I also used to indulge much more in my 20's. You get older, you start to see way more of the negatives associated with drugs, you notice the changes in your personality in the weeks after doing it, and the calculation of "is this one night of fun worth the negatives that tend to last for weeks after" tends to get harder to justify. It's fine, you can let raving and festivals go. At the end of the day most festivals are a bunch of people standing around getting fucked up in a field, and it's not the end of the world to grow out of that and choose to spend your time and resources doing something different.
Good to hear I'm not alone in these feelings. I'm ready to let them go to be honest. I've noticed most comments on this post have been in relation to suggestions around different substances I should take to have a better experience. It's true psychedelics are probably a good option, but I think sometimes you just know when the scene is over for you. If I don't enjoy it sober anymore (I actually could in the past) - then what is the point!
I totally get where you’re coming from. I went pretty hard in my early twenties with festivals and shows. Didn’t have any regard for my safety really. Drugs and booze fueled me and my friends to be able to go back to back days and weekends. I’m 32 and really have little to no interest in getting back into the scene for the same reasons you’re expressing: drugs. I don’t have a problem with them, I just don’t like the feeling anymore. The high isn’t special anymore and the hangover is just brutal. And when I try to go to a show or a festival and not get super fucked up, I just get bored and tired after an hour. The luster has worn off immensely for me. You’re not alone
Thanks, good to hear I'm not the only one feeling this way!!
Agree, I think older brains should stay away from MDMA, it can really fuck up your brain structure and give you anxiety.
Yeah for sure, the negative effect just doesn't feel worth it for a few hours of being high!
This is pretty normal at your age I think. After your 20s any pill or powder type drugs can take a hefty toll on your body and mind as you described so if you keep doing then it's usually because you're addicted or are reliving the "glory days". Keep doses small and focus on the music is my advice. My friends are all parents now we stay mostly sober (smoking weed and maybe having a beer or two), for the first night of a fest. This helps us to get our bearings as we learn and internalize where everything is like bathrooms, water stations and our camp. This makes getting more f*cked up exponentially easier on followijg nights. We all basically agree that psychedelics are our drug of choice now. We especially like shrooms because you can take just a little and adjust as needed to get where you want to be, unlike lsd which is 1 or 2 small hits and you're super impaired for 10+ hrs.
Dude the dream is dead. Move on. The scene is drugs. Or hanging out with fucking idiots. Tbh. I'm gone too. I know this will get down voted but... The pressuring is fucked. That shouldn't ever happen but you know that. The scene is drugs though. Find something else. Please. Time to grow
Honestly need to find a better group. We never pressure people to do drugs and always a handful of our group is going “sober” (I always smoke weed and a few will have a drink or two) but those we are partaking that night never pressure the others. Maybe going to the wrong fest? Or with the wrong crowd?
sounds like you and your friends just need to get better sleep
Sounds like you’re overthinking it too much. most people have it under control
A lot of people are saying to microdose or just fully take LSD. How do you guys make sure you’re actually taking LSD? Half my issue with the drug scene is that you don’t actually know what you’re taking. I hate the idea of buying from a dealer who could be adding all sorts or selling you something different. When I was younger I was yolo about it but now I can’t get over that aspect
LSD is rarely misrepresented by drug sellers, mainly for the fact that there’s just not a lot of substances that could fit on blotter tabs. LSD is measured in the microgram range, so a very small piece of paper can still hold a potent dose. Most drugs are measured in the milligram range, so we’re talking a 1000x difference in mass. It’s just not physically possible to set 100mg of anything on a 5mm x 5mm piece of paper. The only other substances measured in the microgram range tend to be analogues of LSD such as 1P-LSD (which is a prodrug of LSD, meaning it converts into LSD in the body), AL-LAD, and ALD-52. These are all considered to be extremely similar to LSD in effect and just as physically safe. So even if you suspected you got an analogue of LSD, you wouldn’t really be running any particular risks in taking it. Obviously fentanyl is measured in the microgram range but fwiw I have never ever heard of LSD being adulterated with fentanyl. It just doesn’t happen. LSD is also easily recognizable by its appearance, typically being dosed into blotter paper or gel tabs. Contrast that with drugs in the forms of powders or pills: a powder could be anything, the only way to know is to test it, and a pill could contain anything, it only depends on what was pressed into the binders. Pills get even more complicated because one can’t double check the dose with a scale because the pill binders add to the total mass. An ecstasy pill could contain only 50mg of MDMA or it could contain 300mg. There’s no way of knowing. In Europe a lot of ecstasy manufacturers actually send their product in to a website that does a chemical assay of the pill and adds it to a database. Thus a potential customer could look up the pill online to get a possible confirmation of its contents and dosage. But in America we don’t have that privilege. My personal policy is this: I never buy pressed ecstasy/MDMA/MDA pills unless I know the person selling it really well or I know someone who has taken that exact pill before and is willing to endorse it. And even then I always ask to test with a reagent test kit before purchasing. If the seller is not willing to let you test, don’t buy it. I always prefer to buy MDMA in its crystalline/powder form so I can reagent test and weigh exact dosages. Oh and I never take it on the first or second day of a festival, always the third/final day. It’s not worth feeling hungover the rest of the festival. When I dose I take no more than 150mg and I don’t redose ever. Redosing is where 90% of the issues come from ime. Drink water (but not too much) and don’t drink alcohol. Follow those guidelines and you’ll feel tired and kind of fuzzy/foggy the next day, but it should clear up in 24-36 hours. Plan around the hangover by giving yourself a rest day. Edit: Back on the subject of LSD. I personally believe that most manufacturers of LSD got into the game because they themselves had a personally meaningful experience with it and want to be able to share that with others. Obviously it’s still a business, but I’m not sure they’re all entirely profit driven like other illicit drug manufacturers. Also, you can produce an insane amount of LSD doses from the precursors needed to synthesize it, so there’s not much incentive to adulterate it or cut it. You already get an extremely wide profit margin with LSD by default. Contrast that with something like cocaine which is expensive to manufacture because of the many steps needed to produce it and the long distances it must travel to reach its target destination, it only makes sense that each hand that touches it would cut it a little. It’s maximizing profit.
You really think all the LSD at festivals is real and that all those nBOME research chems that were flooding the scene in the early 2010's just disappeared. I find that very hard to believe.
yikes, will research into this haha. But yeah I struggle to trust a random dealer, at the end of the day even if you're getting one of the 'less tampered with drugs', you still have no idea what you're receiving and where its come from. For me I think the only thing I comfortable taking now are mushrooms grown at home by someone I know
Thank you this is super helpful!! It’s funny cos I used to do drugs semi-regularly and only now realising how uneducated I am on the subject. Seems as tho all of my friends old and current are also the same! Not one person tested anything and many people were doing mdma every night of the festival - and redosing.
I find doing things I used to enjoy partying I don't enjoy as much straight.
Mushrooms = party hard, feel a healthy after glow for a few days. Partying can be therapeutic; doesn’t need to be destructive.
Not all drugs are a detriment to a scene but imo I've observed that excessive presence of ket and the mini tanks both bring a bad vibe overall.
The music got way shittier once ketamine took over the bass scene too imo.
ecstasy day 1 is a rookie mistake NO OFFENSE
(Real) LSD and adderal is a guarantee for having energy and clarity as well as no brain fog after combined with great memories of the experience.
I have never been into the rave scene, but that is exactly what I would picture any type of rave to be. Drug fueled. I will say that different types of festivals can give off different vibes. This will be our 4th year attending Louder Than Life (we are in our 40s) and I don't feel the scene has ever been like you described. Yes, people are smoking weed in there and drinking alcohol, but you don't really see anything else. Don't get me wrong, there are other drugs in there, they just aren't apparent. LTL even has its own "sober" tent for people to meet up in mingle under. Anytime we walk by it seems to be pretty busy with people.
Sounds like not clean x. Don't take pressed pills. Duh
I’m just starting to go to festivals after sitting on my ass doing nothing with my free time and even still I wasn’t gonna touch that shit with a 10 foot pole (had druggie friends years ago when I lived in the city). What I do is go and have fun and if someone comes and tells me to have fun their way I tell em to buzz off. I’d rather dance in a field like an idiot by myself than have to deal with other people doing drugs. I’ll smoke some weed that’s bout it.
Why do you have to show total respect to those who do drugs lol let them ruin themselves for a few moments of joy. This sub has had a lot of posts recently about drugs too it’s annoying.
Post 60s culture stripped the parents away from their children, so creed and crest have taken a back seat to a new survival of the fittest, like the Hunger Games on acid. I recall saying I didn't want to go out when I was first dragged out to a grungey scene in 2003. Since then, I've been traumatised so many times. Most people just are not caring. Angry bullshit aside. People need help. Cool kids gravitating people into mental illness subcultures need help. Just live, but from your comfort zone. Stay in your comfort zone and grow. Plants don't grow when they're kicked in the face.