CultureClash_Psychedelics

psychedelics

LETTER FROM PUBLISHER:

Here at the Culture Clash offices, it never ceases to amaze us how every topic of discussion becomes even more relevant as it unfolds. Since graduating high school some twenty plus years ago, I haven’t really been around too many psychedelics. Then BAM! in rolls the new wave of psychedelic research and medicine. People young and old are trying alternative approaches to healing and the stigma of drug use seems to be shifting. Even my mom’s friend is micro dosing to keep her anxiety at bay. We have learned so much putting this issue together. Some psychedelics are natural and some are synthetic. Some psychedelics are very powerful (especially in large quantities) and some are very mellow. We know that it is best to be in the presence of someone sober so there is some form of “safety”. But most importantly, we understand that eating or popping hallucinogens into your mouth without research, isn’t very bright. Because there are so many unknowns and so little regulation, the concept of “being careful” is so much more real.

We hope this issue will help educate, enlighten and entertain you. We ask you look to the experts for more information prior to indulging yourself. If you suffer from mental illness, depression or anxiety, talk to your doctor. If they refuse to explore the conversation, get a new doctor.

Most of all we hope you read, enjoy and share.

Write us an email or shoot us a comment any time online: CultureClashGalveston.com CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com

Janese Maricelli Publisher

ON THE COVER: “Untitled” by Savannah Walser. Digital art.

Sava is a Ball High student and the newest Culture Clash intern. Not only is she a great artist, she writes and assists our team with all things nessessary to bring you this magazine. Love her work? Hit her up for commissions: savawalser@gmail.com

*This magazine is NOT printed on recycled paper or with soy-based inks YET! But we are working on it. Help us get there, advertise or sponsor us! E-mail for more details CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com.

Psychedelics have moved out of the shadows of the taboo and into main stream consciousness. The medicinal benefits are real and in many cases can make you a better human.

be a better human

JOHNS HOPKINS Scientists Give Psychedelics the “Serious Treatment”

The first research center of its kind in the country is bringing renewed rigor to the investigation of the drugs’ therapeutic uses.

By Tanya Lewis, for Scientific America

Psychedelic drugs—once promising research subjects that were decades ago relegated to illicit experimentation in dorm rooms—have been steadily making their way back into the lab for a revamped 21st-century-style look. Scientists are rediscovering what many see as the substances’ astonishing therapeutic potential for a vast range of issues, from depression to drug addiction and acceptance of mortality. A frenzy of interest has captivated a new generation of researchers, aficionados and investors, triggering some understandable wariness over promises that may sound a little too good to be true. But late last year the highly respected institution Johns Hopkins University—the U.S.’s oldest research university—launched a dedicated center for psychedelic studies, the first of its kind in the country and perhaps the world’s largest. With work now underway, the center is aiming to enforce the strictest standards of scientific rigor on a field that many feel has veered uncomfortably close to mysticism and that has relied heavily on subjective reports. Early results have been promising and seem poised to keep the research on a roll.

Psilocybin (a psychoactive compound found in certain mushrooms) and LSD were widely studied in the 1950s and 1960s as treatments for alcoholism and other maladies. They later gained a reputation in the media and the public eye as dangerous and became strongly associated with the counterculture. Starting in 1966, several states banned their use. In 1968 LSD was outlawed nationwide, and in 1970 Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act, classifying that drug and psilocybin, along with several others, as having a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. But in recent years a rapidly growing number of studies reporting encouraging results in treating depression, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have brought them back out of the shadows, spurred on by positive media coverage.

mechanism by which the therapy appears to work remains unclear. At the psychological level, Johnson says, there is evidence that the sense of unity and mystical significance many people experience on psilocybin is associated with greater success in quitting, and those who take the drug may be better able to deal with cravings. At the biological level, he adds, scientists have hypothesized that psilocybin may alter communication in brain networks, possibly providing more topdown control over the organ’s reward system. A team led by Johns Hopkins cognitive neuroscientist Frederick Barrett is now investigating further by using functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure brain activity before and after patients undergo the therapy.

Like any drug, psilocybin comes with risks. People with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia (or a strong predisposition for them) are generally advised against taking the hallucinogen. People with uncontrolled hypertension are advised to abstain as well, because psilocybin is known to raise blood pressure.

Although it appears to be one of the safest “recreational” drugs and is not considered addictive, there have been reports associating it with deaths—but these may have been the result of multiple drugs, impure substances or underlying medical issues. In the smoking study, a third of participants experienced some fear or anxiety at a high dose of the psilocybin, Johnson says. But he adds that the risks can be minimized by carefully selecting participants and administering the drug in a controlled environment.

The smoking study results are promising, but Johnson says its relatively small size is a limitation. Also, subjects in such studies cannot comprise a completely random sample of the population, because it would be unethical to recruit people without telling them they may be taking a psychedelic drug. Thus, participants tend to be people who are open to this category of experience and, potentially, more apt to believe in its efficacy. And it is also hard to tease apart the effects of psilocybin from those of the cognitive-behavioral therapy in the smoking study, Johnson notes. He and his colleagues at the new center plan to conduct a double-blind, placebo-controlled study—the gold standard for medical investigations—in the future. Johns Hopkins researchers are also starting or planning studies using psilocybin therapy for a wide range of other conditions, including opioid addiction, PTSD, anorexia, posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease and alcoholism in people with depression.

David Nichols, a professor emeritus of pharmacology at Purdue University, who was not involved in the recent Johns Hopkins studies but had synthesized the psilocybin used in Griffiths’s 2006 and 2016 papers, has been conducting research on psychedelics since the late 1960s. Back then, “you probably could have counted on one hand the number of people in the world that were working in this field. There wasn’t any money; there was no interest. [Psychedelics] were just looked at as drugs of abuse,” he says. Now “there’s a whole society set up to study these, with probably 150 international scientists working on it.”

Nichols says he has supported Griffiths’s and Johnson’s work since its early days, as they gathered the initial data that excited wealthy donors enough to fund the latest research. Philanthropic funding “is the way it’s going to be—until the National Institutes of Health decide that this is a field worth funding,” he says. “There are still too many political considerations that are keeping that from happening, but eventually, we’ll get there. We’ll get institutional support. We’re just not there yet.”

Dance, sing, laugh, meditate, and trip out in a whole new way. Express yourself but be sure to take care.

express Yourself

Psychedelics Psychedelics

an exploration

By Taylor Beers

I have had the opportunity to explore psychedelics both recreationally and spiritually. In 2018, my friend talked me into joining her trip to South America to venture into the Amazon and try Ayahuasca with a shaman. However, my journey with psychedelics started when I moved to Austin, Texas. A friend and I decided to take a trip in the Greenbelt area. I have found when you are in the right place with the right people and you are prepared, the experiences are extremely rewarding. On LSD, I could see and feel vibrations from the water to the trees and their leaves, making it feel as though I was in a jungle.

I have anxiety and notice that when taking psychedelics, my social anxiety is magnified. I do well with a small group of friends but with strangers I turn into a clam. Pro tip: you should only “trip” somewhere you are going to stay all day and night or have a sober designated driver. At the end of my first experience when we went to leave, I realized we couldn’t drive and both new to the city we had to awkwardly call a co-worker. I continued experimenting, mainly micro-dosing, sometimes at small camping festivals or shows but my favorite times were when we would just be in the backyard painting with good music and great friends.

Let us get into the shrooms first and save the best for last. My best friend and I decided to go into the Rocky Mountain National Park for a night of camping and

“tripping.” To us, this seemed like the perfect way to try them. We arrived early in the day to set up camp and have some snacks including a PB&J + shrooms. Making mushroom tea is a wonderful way to take them or with a handful of pistachios. I prefer mushrooms over LSD because shrooms give me less anxiety. However, I still will not be seen striking up a conversation with a stranger while on them. My time on mushrooms is easier navigated; on LSD sometimes I felt I could get stuck in a bad “trip” but on shrooms I found it easier to make my mind move on to somewhere more pleasant. When comparing the two, shrooms tend to not last as long, be less stressful, more manageable, and natural. Preparation is key but so is not overthinking

it all. Don’t fester in negative thoughts that will put you in an odd headspace. I prefer to be in a good mood, happy mindset, and with good people. This accelerates the positivity with psychedelics versus trying to turn a dreadful day into a good one. I suggest being outdoors surrounded by nature if possible. With good timing, your trip will be ending as the day ends and you can finish it off star gazing. Side note, you might get spooked like we did by every sound throughout the night, but it adds to the experience.

Now for the big kahuna, Ayahuasca. Remember when I said preparation is key? This still applies here though I went into it with ZERO preparation. Already in Peru, trying to find a shaman, and since we were on a tight schedule to get to Machu Picchu, we had little time. If you are thinking about trying Ayahuasca, make sure to do research into the company that you will go through for your ceremony. Take the time to find out what you are wanting out of the experience. Most retreats are a few days so you can participate in multiple ceremonies. The reasoning for multiple ceremonies is because with practice you are more able to navigate your journey and find the purpose of your visions. I wish I had taken my own advice here; we only had one night and had to rush due to poor planning. We therefore missed the opportunity to speak about our time and grow on it. We were in a dark hut for our ceremony so our visuals would be more personal versus environmental. All visuals were made of geometrical shapes that formed that flowed into the next. Unlike LSD and shrooms, where I was always avoiding negative thoughts or visuals, Ayahuasca is the one that is about facing your fears. Our shaman took Ayahuasca with us, saying that, “You shouldn’t have to face your fears alone.”

My experience with psychedelics has overall been beneficial to my mental health. I mentioned I get social anxiety; while “tripping” in more social environments I have found I tend to be more relaxed if I am in a place psychedelics are seen as less taboo. My relationship with people has become more meaningful and open. Sometimes

you are forced to open-up about what it is you are going through while on psychedelics; you share things with those around you and find yourself overcoming things. I now feel a strong connection with the earth, due to the grounding effects of psychedelics. During my time on Ayahuasca I became fascinated with the grass and trees as I watch the energies move through them to one another and as I grasp the tree into me. Ayahuasca includes DMT which has been called the language of living organisms and I could feel that. The people I have spoken with who have tried Ayahuasca agree that their love for the world around them was amplified. Since my move to London, living in a concrete jungle makes it easy to become less connected and more “go, go, go”. Though I do not dabble in them as much now, the long-term benefits still exist, even now, leading me to a more connected, happier, and healthier life.

ByBeeHumpheries

WITHHANDLECARE

It’s been a minute since I have engaged in the glorious Galveston community. Regretfully I moved to Colorado following my daughter and leaving my ex-husband. Lest I digress. But the fact of it is once a Galvestonian, always one. My hopes are to return for retirement with the dream of settling in a lovely old home, raise some goats, and to offer a practice of functional medicine in the community.

What a great segue to our topic, Psychedelics! In the mile “high” state in which I currently reside, a city near Denver has an interesting quandary going on. If you keep up on national news you will know it is legal to use but there are a bunch of weird laws that roadblock buying, distribution or growing it.

However, there are endless amounts of free-for-all mushrooms growing all over the mountain sides. I went on a hike in Golden Gate State Park last spring at an elevation of 10,000 feet. While stomping up the side of this front range excursion, the firefighters I was with went into arduous detail about the beauty and variety of mushrooms growing in the wild. Some weird one full of worms they were going to make soup with…pass.

But there was a particularly beautiful one that was pointed out. Lovely orange and red with white spots straight out of a scene from Alice in Wonderland. Not the southern quest of digging through a pile of cow s**t to boil down the most disgusting brew known to man to do a little “trippen balls” for the afternoon.

Amanita muscaria, even the name blossoms up a vision of beauty. It’s got a bunch of explanations in Wikipedia, but basically the psychoactive affect is obtained by virtually walking the balance of your life on the edge of a deadly knife. This beauty is also deadly. So you get so high you don’t even know or possibly care the next person you don’t see is the coroner. Being zipped up snug as a bug in a body bag. Amazingly enough, it is quite popular in its use on a pretty routine basis.

I just completed my 500-hour yoga certification and have been looking into all sorts of meditation retreats and I will be damned if you can’t go to the Buddhist community and experience an ayahuasca journey. Apparently, you can go get high as F**K and find your inner yogi at the same time.

Being a nurse, specifically an addiction recovery nurse, I see all types of combos used with psychedelics and I also see the results of substanceinduced psychosis. I just recently had a patient I was sure she was going to spin her head around and spit green pea soup at me. She had mixed a little PCP with a little meth and bingo! She did not create something cool like a tank full of sea monkeys. Nah my friends, she manifested a major psychotic break that led to rolling in the floor growling and welcoming in a new lifelong buddy called “schizophrenic break.” What does that mean in lay terms? A whole lotta coocoo for a long time to come.

I am not saying chewing a little bark or swallowing a few cow patty mushrooms is a bad thing. I am just reminding you everything that has some sort of mind-altering capacity be it PCP or alcohol, has real life risks. When you are 20, it seems like you can do anything and live forever. But folks, handle with care and do with caution. I revive patients weekly from the edge of death who believed the same things.

In ending, here’s a little story about a one-time psychedelic user who had no idea she had underlying significant mental health issues just waiting for the right trigger. She did a little micro dot, and next thing ya know she woke up in jail, after drowning her toddler and slicing them open because she could see its bones through its skin while she was tripping. She now lives in a forensic psych unit as a lifelong resident. So, whatever your pleasure of choice, handle with care. Know your underlying health issues if you choose to go on a little journey in your mind.

In therapeutic environments, psilocybin is being used in control studies to aid in anxiety and depression treatments.

In conclusion, handle with care, do your research and fInd your joy.

Namaste my friends!

Bad Trip

By CL

The Rise of Hot Pink Horror

In recent years, as we have seen an acceptance of circa 1910 era forgotten visionaries and futurists such as HP Lovecraft and Nikola Tesla, the world of independent and low-budget horror has gone through a bit of a neo-renaissance by including a new element: psychedelics. This perhaps began as early as Mary Shelly whose drugs-induced visions have been the catalyst for the tales of terror and unknown. Even during the original synthwave movement of the 1980’s, we saw several movies that touched on the science-gonebad through the use of psychedelics and hallucinations. Even though I believe drugs can be used for healing and good, in these films they are used for darkness. It is the drug-inspired theme of not knowing what is real or not propagated by an outside influence, a loss of perception,that encourages a sense of dread in the audience. The films that have captured this concept with a fairy tale twisted Saturday morning cartoon majesty are two films by Panos Cosmatos: Beyond the Black Rainbow, and +

Panos Cosmatos presents within his films a world of otherworldly beauty and horror in the hidden guise of compassion and righteousness. He also includes classic hero archetypes such as the lumberjack and the “spooky girl”, balancing it with villains who you love to hate. While the world he paints is one of many goods and evils, it is also one where it is easy to mistake one for the other and where the villains see themselves as victims or even the “hero” to justify their actions. This confusion is fed by villains’ drug abuse. Drugs keep them in a constant altered state to avoid the real world and to look at themselves in the mirror and see the monster they have become. These justifications usually lead to unforgivable violence, and the heroes risk losing everything that makes themselves in order to stop much of this horror.

The overall theme found in both movies is an abuse of drugs as an enabler of darkness. If the villains were able to control their wants and needs just a little more, if they both didn’t

feel so entitled to their power, they might have found a balance of their inner selves. Instead, they find willing accomplices who have similar attractions to violence and grow into destructive forces of evil. Although they eliminate any who stand in their way from getting what they want, the villains suffer from not really not being self-aware of their true nature. What makes it worse, they resort to violence and manipulation to protect their wrong perception as someone who is righteous with a new morality. Anyone opposing them who has true purity, the villains find some twisted justification to subdue and control them. Sometimes this means destruction of everything that made the opponent pure and strong, be it the love of Mandy and Red or the purity of Elena. Sadly the villains abuse drugs, a tool that can be used for healing enlightenment and therapy for their own ends to keep those around them in control and to avoid the truth of their own responsibility.

Psychedelics is an amazing medicine in this world with so much horror. This world is material for a reason, just like us, not something to be molded and shaped to whichever whim our ego is whispering. It sometimes isn’t left open to interpretation-if you want to see yourself as a hero in the mirror, it doesn’t make it true. Abuse of these psychedelics can actually start to cause harm when used this way. The point of psychedelics is to evolve through them and to someday not need them. To continue using after being healed by its properties, or using it as a “party drug” in order to have fun, shows that the drug alone isn’t the key to fulfilment: you need someone to talk to. None of us start out as monsters, but avoiding the light of day ultimately will lead to permanent negative transhumanism.

FEATURED ARTIST:

C00LTURE

renowned artist Reginald Adams and his team of artists, the Creatives, began to place paint on the wall of the Old Galveston Square building located at 2217 Strand. The east facing wall of the building has been exposed and visible since the Osterman building was torn down many years ago.

The Osterman building was the location of the Union Headquarters on June 19, 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger gave the command to issue General Order number three that freed the enslaved people of Texas. Granger had issued and signed General Orders one and two, but Major Frederick W. Emery wrote and signed General Orders three, four and five.

This public art project is so much more than paint on the wall. As the country begins to reimagine monuments and memorials in public spaces, Galveston is leading by example with the Absolute Equality mural. This storytelling space will be an outdoor classroom where visitors to the site can learn the history of Juneteenth and the continued push for absolute equality.

The mural will include an augmented reality feature that will allow visitors to the site to use smartphones to learn the history of the images in the mural. Danny Asberry El is President of Solel International, a nonprofit organization specializing in reviving communities through arts and culture. Solel was the first in Houston to create augmented reality murals, thanks to the partnership they share with the Uncover Everything App Company headed by Damien Johnson.

Absolute Equality Mural

By Samuel Collins III, CTA

Solel agreed to use their augmented reality technology to create a 4-Dimensional experience to be included with the Absolute Equality mural. This is cutting edge technology that will transform the southwest corner of 22nd and Strand in Galveston.

This public art project is truly a community project. There are many pieces to the puzzle that have made this a reality. First was the history and idea for a mural. Second was getting approval from Mitchell Historic Properties to paint the mural on the building. Next was finding an artist to provide a rendering of the mural that we could submit to the Galveston Landmark Commission for approval.

We also had to find a local non-profit to partner with and the Nia Cultural Center agreed to work with the Juneteenth Legacy Project. Last, but not least we needed public support and funding to cover the cost of the project. Donations have been made at various levels and all support for the project is greatly appreciated. You are invited to join us as we make history while saving history on the island.

We have a grassroots campaign asking for donations of at least $18.65 that can be made through our GoFundMe Charity page or mailed to Nia Cultural Center, Inc. Attn: Juneteenth Legacy Project, PO Box 1491, Galveston TX 77553. No donation is too big or too small. You can also visit our website www.juneteenthlegacyproject.com to sign up for volunteer opportunities.

https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/

poetry corner

ARE YOU ALONE

What do you mean?

With no mate how do you sing?

I sing a song with a single word,

Sung to a tree, sung to a bird

I whistle tune, I drum the drum, With closed eyes, I tongue the hum

Swing to dance, I lead my step

Trip to fall, I catch my breath

By Osean

And in a moment when I wish to be two

My mind tells heart, I will be true

So everyday, I am alone,

By my self, I wander home

There is no other to sing back

There is no sound, nor is there lack

I arrived in life a single man

And traveled through a single land

But as to alone, I’ve never been For through it all, I am my own friend

No love lost has to be found

And on the day, I’m in the ground

The life I’ve lead, has been of bliss

I’ve tasted love, I’ve kissed and been kissed

The thing you ask I cannot say

Except to ask, you, to convey

Is a life of two, twice love’s sum

Or two single’s love that merge to one

For in the end it matters none

As a life of love, is a life well done

EMBRACE THE CULTURE CLASH

Your religion seems so strange

Right? Mine makes total sense

Let us not feel the strain

Let us not be so damned intense

My music makes your ears burn

Your music bores me senseless

Yet your poetry tugs my heartstrings

Let us not be so damned intense

You’re way out on the left

I’m leaning to the right

Yet when I hear your story

I can understand your plight

Your skin is laden with ink art

Mine is wrinkled and how it hangs

I’ll have a Camel and a bourbon

While you vape and drink your Bangs

My skin looks dark to you

I find you awfully white

Yet both our heart beat red blood

By Pat McGrew

We can be eracists and we can join the fight

Do you view me through the bars

Without understanding how I got here?

Do you purge me from your mind

And disregard my family’s tears?

If you found me in the gutter

Would you lend a helping hand

Or would you blindly judge me

Would you be that kind of man?

Our culture formed our values

But love can bridge the pass

We can learn from one another

If we embrace our CULTURE CLASH

STRAIGHT TRIPPIN’ ?!

Passiflora incarnata, commonly known as passionflower or maypop, is a fast-growing vine that grows here on our island and has large, intricate purple flowers, small red fruits containing many seeds ,and a tart edible juice. This tropical plant received its name from Christian missionaries in the Amazon. Its flowers are pollinated by bumblebees, carpenter bees, and hummingbirds, and its leaves are larval food for several butterflies, including being the sole food source for our native Gulf Fritillary.

The Cherokee used passionflower for millennia as an herbal medicine for anxiety, insomnia, and hypertension. Additional, traditional uses in Europe include diarrhea, dysmenorrhoea (painful periods), and burns. Originally approved by the FDA as an over-the-counter sleep-aid or sedative, the agency withdrew the approval in 1978 due to a lack of information. Passionflower leaves contain high amounts of flavonoids that have high antioxidant properties. Passionflower is known as the Great Enhancer, prolonging and elevating psychoactivity of psychedelics taken with it, such as mushrooms. Note: Passionflower may interact with MOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors), a class of drugs containing antidepressants.

Musa acuminata, or the common banana, WON’T MAKE YOU TRIP! Rumors of bananas as narcotics began swirling around the hippie scene in the mid-1960s. “Young people in the ’60s were looking for new ways to get high. It was a highly experimental era driven perhaps most by LSD and by growing pot use,” says the historian William Rorabaugh.

While it is true that bananas contain some amount of serotonin, it is too slight to cross the blood-brain barrier. Nonetheless, the rumor quickly gained traction based on word of mouth.

Coincidentally, in early 1967, the Scottish songwriter and recording artist Donovan’s song “Mellow Yellow” was making its way to the U.S., and at the time, many people assumed that it was about smoking banana peels. Donovan would later state definitively that the song was actually written about a yellow vibrator, but lyrics such as “Electrical banana / Is gonna be a sudden craze / Electrical banana / Is bound to be the very next phase,” didn’t help.

HIDDEN GEM!

LOVE GRAFFITI?!

The far East End of the island is home to an old bunker that makes the perfect setting for trying “something new.”

pulse

May - June 2021 Calendar of Events

MAY

The Grand Kids Festival

Sat, May 1, 10a-5pm

The Grand 1894 Opera House 2020 Postoffice St. Free Admission

Galveston Island Beach Revue

Sat, May 14 &15, 12-5 pm

Beach Central 2102 Seawall Blvd. Free Admission

The Arcadian Wild -LIVE

Thu, May 20, 8 pm

Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe 413 20th St. Galveston TX 77550

$15 Tickets

Full Moon Labyrinth Walk: Flower Moon

Wed, May 26, 8:45 pm

Seawall Beach 17th Street 17th & Seawall Stairs, 1700 Seawall Boulevard, Free Admission

WANT YOUR EVENT LISTED?

Email Us: CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com

JUNE

Rock The Dock - Already Gone (Eagles Tribute)

Wed, June 3, 7 pm

Kemah Boardwalk 10 11th Ave, Kemah, TX 77565 Free Admission

Summer Arts For Kids

Fridays, June 11 through Aug. 13, Galveston Arts Center 2219 Postoffice St, $16-$24 admission, RSVP @ www.galvestonartscenter. org/classes/summer-art-classes

Clay Cups Glass Fusion - The Wave

Fri, June 11, 6-8 pm

Clay Cups Studio 2219 Postoffice St, $10 admission, $60-$70 glass RSVP @ www.claycupstudios.com under events

JIMI KEIRN Untitled Acrylic on Canvas * Black Light Art too * madebyjimi.com

MAKERS MARK OLD FASHION

1/2 teaspoon sugar

3 dashes Angostura bitters

1 teaspoon water

2 ounces Makers Mark blueberry and orange peel

Jimmy’s on the Pier 9001 Seawall Blvd

people of GALVESTON

ANONYMOUS

In my personal opinion, psychedelics are neither good nor bad. I don’t believe that you can label something as either because too much of a good thing can indeed be a bad thing. Water for example; over-hydrating can result in nausea, vomiting, and in rare cases, fatal swelling in the brain. For psychedelics, it’s a little different though. Each brain reacts differently to drugs as well as which ones are taken. Some find that they can continuously take drugs such as mushrooms, acid, and DMT and continue to have pleasant experiences. As with others, a single bad trip and it’s game over. One thing’s for sure though, these drugs permanently alter the way your brain works.

In my lifetime, I’ve definitely dipped my toes into the sea of drugs, dare I say plunged into the ocean headfirst. I would consider myself a middle man regarding drug use though, because I’ve used a lot more than some people, but never to the point of no return. Psychedelic-wise, I’ve done a good amount of both acid and mushrooms.

Each experience I’ve had has been different. Some trips lasting longer than others, depending on which drug I used as well. Acid tends to last a lot longer than shrooms and even though they’re both psychedelics, they have very different effects on the mind and body.

What are your thoughts on psychedelics?

Interviews By Savanah Walser

From my experience, I’ve found that psychedelics are incredibly life-changing. I used to use drugs to escape from reality and for a while that worked for me.

Whatever you’re feeling right before you take them will effect your entire trip. One time I was extremely upset, had some mushrooms on hand, and decided that they would make me feel better- horrible decision. For three hours I was tripping balls and filled with so much anxiety that I just kept clicking my heels together and said “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” It’s funny now, but back then it was probably not the best idea.

I’ve also had some very good trips though. I remember my first time taking shrooms I kept seeing neon smiley faces pop up like bubbles all over the room and felt overwhelmed by joy. it was a real one-love moment for me.

Whether bad or good, psychedelics definitely affect cognitive brain function. I have learned a lot from taking different variations of them and would not be the person I am today if I hadn’t. There are ups and downs to them, but overall you never know what it’s all about until you try them. That being said, PLEASE don’t take this as an open invitation to take them. These drugs seriously alter the way you think and to decide on a whim to take some would be foolish. I would love to tell you to just say no to drugs but I’m not that person either. I used to do a lot of them in the past and though I’m sober now, they’ve deeply contributed to where I am today. My advice is that if you do, be extremely careful. Your surroundings, who you’re with, and your mental state will affect you more than you know especially while on psychedelics.

ANONYMOUS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT

I think they (psychedelics) are amazing because they open up your mind to things you couldn’t possibly think about when you’re completely sober and it doesn’t really make much sense unless you try them and it’s not like what everybody says it is where it’s like everything like moving and it’s crazy.

From all of my experiences with psychedelics, I believe shrooms are the most eye-opening, expanding drug that you can take. It’s very spiritual and you’re not supposed to take it in something like a party setting. You need to take it for yourself to really open your eyes, see the world how it really is. Shrooms make everything so beautiful and vibrant. You’re able to really think about your own thoughts. You’re able to examine yourself as a person and open yourself up to other thoughts and things.

Now when trying acid which is a more synthetic type of uhhhh psychedelic, things do move, it kind of feels like everything’s breathing a little bit. It’s very overwhelming.

And if you’re not in the right mindset it can be very bad for your health and it can make you have horrible thoughts. You can see things that are not really there, and depending on the dosage you take, it can make you feel really good or really bad.

When my mental health wasn’t very good and I took a tab, thinking I would be able to have fun, it just made my thoughts come to life and I cried for hours. It was really scary honestly. I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t get away from my thoughts. Taking acid regularly can damage your serotonin receptors. You need to do it with people who you trust cause if not, it can be very dangerous. You can get stuck in loops talking about the same things.

The next morning when you get up it’s called green life, where you are kind of on the drug because it can stay in your system for up to 24 hours. The morning after you wake up everything’s still very vibrant. If you do this drug at night, you stay up most of the night, and then when you wake up in the morning you’ll still see some effects where all colors are more vibrant.

UTMB DOCTOR

I don’t know anything about this (psychedelics). My opinion? Well I know a lot of people did ‘em in the Vietnam War era, ya know the 60s. The famous phrase was “tune in, drop out.” And so young people in the age of The Vietnam War did a lot of that stuff, I don’t think a lot of people do it anymore. I mean I think those are pretty dangerous, it’s not like marijuana. Cause y’know those trips that those people take, they’re not conscious really, they don’t know what they’re doing or saying. But I’m not a good expert on this.

I would say from a doctor’s opinion those drugs are not very well regulated. Y’know people make em in their labs and you don’t know what’s gonna happen, it’s not like taking an aspirin, everyone’s different. They’re all homemade, so they’re pretty dangerous and people that experiment with them, uh don’t live long usually. *laughs* That’s not true, but you can’t do it for very long because it’s dangerous.

We can ReFill, ReValve and ReTest Any of the Above Gas Cylinders

Turtles About Town is a community art project that highlights the City of Galveston and the conservation efforts of Turtle Island Restoration Network to protect endangered sea turtles on the upper Texas coast. Turtle lovers of all ages have the opportunity to see 50 colorful Kemp’s ridley sea turtle statues that have been installed around the island since 2018. Businesses, individuals and organizations graciously sponsor the turtle statues while local artists are commissioned to give each one its own personality and meaning.

Download a FREE map and go on a tour at seaturtles.org/turtles. Be sure to tag Turtle Island Restoration Network in your images (@TIRN-Gulf on Facebook and @TIRN.Gulf on Instagram) and tag #TurtlesAboutTown!

seaturtles.org clapcupstudios.com

HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTT!

No, really. Hold onto it.

Cigarette butts can take 25 years to decompose, are 98% plastic, and are toxic to marine life!

Please help Galveston Surfrider reduce butt litter on the island, and in the ocean, by disposing of your butts in one of these cans provided by local businesses and individuals. #hotyb

For more info, go to www.Galveston. Surfrider.org

To volunteer or sponsor a can, email hotyb@galveston. surfrider.org