Random Post 1

 

Three Little Paragraphs About Reggae Legend and World Icon, Bob Marley 

When you think about Bob Marley, what comes to mind? Long dreadlocks, flashes of green, red and yellow, beautiful reggae music, and the legendary status held only by superstars like Michael Jackson or Michael Jordan. Wait, I'm missing something aren't I? Ah, yes. How much weed he smoked! Like stoner celebrities such as Snoop Dogg or Tommy Chong, Bob Marley and Marijuana will be intertwined in our minds forever.

However, Marley was not the typical stoner. Stoner stereotypes portray them as lazy couch potatoes who eat junk food and watch TV all day. Bob Marley was anything but that. Living a strict religious life, Marley was careful to eat in the "Ital style of his Rastafarian religion" which permitted him to eat "meat and most fish, but no pork and, most important, no salt"(Dudley). Additionally, Marley's use of Cannabis differs from how the average stoner may approach it. To Marley, Marijuana gave him a sort of consciousness that, as he would put it, "reveals you to yourself" (Marley). Associating Marijuana use with the use of other drugs makes sense because that is how the majority of people in our society operate. If you knew someone smokes weed, it'd be safe to assume they drink as well. 

Though Marley smoked weed all day, every day, he was actually against the use of other drugs. Marley described "herb [as] the healing of a nation [while] alcohol is the destruction" (Marley). Admittedly, Marley indulged in "a little wine sometimes" but always spoke against drinking alcohol (Marley). Being a spiritual individual, I wondered whether Marley used any psychedelics other than Cannabis. To my surprise, there are no records indicating that he used anything harder than Marijuana. Overall, Bob Marley is an inspirational figure in my life. His fight for peace, dedication to a moral lifestyle, and disregard for material possessions mimic qualities of the life I want to live. I will leave you with my favorite Bob Marley quote, "money can't buy life" (Marley). Peace and love to you, and thank you for reading my three little paragraphs. 

Sources Cited

Dudley, Brenda Benoît, et al. “What Did Bob Marley Eat?” Masala Eats Miami, 23 Oct. 2015, https://masalaeatsmiami.com/2014/02/19/what-did-bob-marley-eat/#:~:text=Eating%20in%20the%20ital%20style,%2C%20most%20important%2C%20no%20salt.

Book 2 Post 2

 Book 1 Post 2 - Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild, by Lucy Jones

Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild, by Lucy Jones, was a wonderful read. Though I experienced some confusion in the beginning, I listened to the first two hours of the audiobook for a second time and found myself right back on track. One thing that I really enjoyed about the audiobook is that it is actually read by Jones herself. Though I have not read the book, I can imagine that I gained a higher level of connection with Jones by listening to her read the book to me. The part about her addiction and how nature to some extent healed her alcoholism really hit home with me. As someone who comes from a family that has struggled with alcoholism, I felt a deep connection with Jones and her time in treatment. The description of the pear tree in her rehabilitation facility and her healing connection to that tree was quite interesting to me. When you are beaten down, discouraged, feeling hopeless, feeling worthless, surrounded by mental agony and physical pain, it is comforting to know that something as simple as a pear tree can be a source of light in the darkness of your situation. 

My expectations for this book differed much from what I gained in listening to it. I thought that the book would be more about Lucy, her children, and how her journey through life raised her appreciation for nature. Though these were aspects of the book, I felt that the majority of the book took a more argumentative and descriptive approach. Jones provides so much evidence as to why humans need nature. We are so much happier when nature is a part of our lives. Jones explains how this is not only psychological but biological as well. Take something as simple as dirt. Dirt has properties in it that actually increase the happiness of people, especially children. So, next time I am watching my cousins (3 and 5 years old) play in the dirt and my older cousin (their mom) tells them to stop getting so dirty, I am going to pull a page from Jones's playbook and explain why it is actually beneficial for her children to "get dirty" so to speak. 

My biggest takeaway from Losing Eden is that humans and nature have been, and should always be, interconnected. To bring it further, humans and nature must be interconnected for the sake of humankind and for the pulse of mother nature. In modern society, we have been taught, even if it is by accident, that humans and nature are separate. Because we are so far removed from our natural home (nature), we think of the ground as dirty, we think of the forest as scary and contaminating, and we do not view ourselves as a part of nature but rather as something separate. This ideology, I am sure, will lead to the demise of humankind and the destruction of Earth. Overall, I think that Jones's book is a must-read. I plan on applying much of what I have learned from this book into my own life and will ensure to place those same principles I plan on learning now into the lives of my children if I someday am blessed enough to bring life into this world. 

A Comprehensive Guide to Microdosing Psychedelics: What It Is, Why and How People Do It, The Pros and The Cons.

A Comprehensive Guide to Microdosing Psychedelics:

What It Is, Why and How People Do It, The Pros and The Cons.

Have you ever heard of someone "tripping"? Not like you are falling down or freaking out, but like you took a psychedelic drug and experiencing an intense, hallucinatory high? Unless you are hiding under a rock, of course you have! The first time I learned about tripping on psychedelics was in 8th grade health class when I did a report on LSD. To say the least, I was blown away! Taking something that allowed you to see sounds and hear colors was both intriguing and frightening. What does the color blue sound like? How out of your mind do you have to be to see Adele's, "Rolling in the Deep"? Who on earth would take this? Couldn't you lose your mind? 

The reality is, humans have been using psychedelics for thousands of years. Used by countless civilizations for purposes such as religious ceremonies, healing procedures, recreational activities, and more, psychedelics for the later part of human history have been intertwined within our culture. In fact, in many past cultures, you would have been seen as an outsider if you did not participate in psychedelic use. 

The earliest recorded use of psychedelics came from a cave in the "Tassili-N--Ajjer region of the Sahara desert, Algeria" (Woolfe). There, Archeologists found a 6,000-8,000-year-old mural of a 'mushroom shaman' depicted with psychedelic mushrooms sprouting from his body. That is thousands of years before the Egyptian, Roman, and Greek empires! 

Bringing it back to the present, people are now taking the mind-altering substances of our ancestors and are starting to use them in their everyday life... just in a microdose (5-10% of a standard dose).

However, before I dive into the world of microdosing, in order to make this a comprehensive guide on the subject, you must learn the slang terms for the two most popular psychedelics (the two I will be talking about in this guide): psychedelic mushrooms and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). I will be using some of these slang terms throughout this guide to truly make you an expert on the subject.

Slang Terms For Psychedelic Mushrooms and Lysergic Acid Diethylamide 

Psychedelic Mushrooms: 

• Mushrooms

• Magic Mushrooms

• Shrooms

• Caps

• Mushies

• Goomies

• Ooms

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: 

• LSD

• Acid

• Tabs

• Lucy

• Paper

• Cubes

The most essential aspect of microdosing is knowing the measurements of a microdose which is 5%-10% of a standard dose.

Measurements For Microdoses of LSD and Shrooms:

LSD

• Standard dose: 100 micrograms 

• Microdose: 5-10 micrograms                   

Mushrooms

• Standard dose: 3.5 grams
  

• Microdose: 0.175 - 0.35 grams 

Now, you may be wondering: How do you take a microdose? What does it feel like and how long does it last? Do you just eat the drug and go about your day? At some point does the drug "hit" you?

Answers to these questions vary based on two things:

1. Personal preference/experience

2. Type of psychedelic being consumed

How Do You Take a Microdose?

While you could simply eat the drug, raw or with a cup of water, many experienced microdosers have found more innovative ways to consume their psychedelic of choice. Take a look at this psychonaut (another way to say psychedelic user) who microdoses shrooms via coffee. You might think that this could damage the drug, however, the psychoactive ingredient in mushrooms, psilocybin, is released when placed in boiling water, allowing it to be consumed via coffee, tea, soup, or any other creative way one may think of! 

On the other hand, a more fragile psychoactive substance like LSD cannot be played with as much. LSD is damaged by sunlight, hot temperatures, and humidity so it must be wrapped in tin foil and kept inside an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for optimal shelf life (a few months in the fridge and a few years in the freezer) (Lecklitner). Luckily for LSD microdosers, it is easy to consume as you only need one drop of it to experience a full trip. Usually sold on a square piece of paper about the size of a fingernail (often referred to as a “tab”), the tricky part of microdosing LSD is mastering the ability to measure and cut a microdose portioned size of the square. Here is an example depicting how tedious cutting a microdose of Acid can be. 

What Does It Feel Like? 

A microdose should give the consumer enough psychoactive substance to feel the drug without triggering hallucinations (Begley). If done correctly, a microdose should not "hit" you in the same sense that taking a shot of liquor, or a puff of a joint would. Rather, it should be a subtle feeling that slightly changes the way you think and feel throughout your day.

Drugs like alcohol have clear side effects. Depending on how much you drank, you might experience relaxation, slurred speech, impulsivity, and impaired vision. However, because there is minimal research on microdosing, the side effects are more subjective. Aside from the few scientific studies on the subject, the best source of knowledge for what a microdose feels like comes from the people who actively partake.

Why Do People Microdose? The Pros

One reason why people seek out microdosing is that it helps with productivity by increasing your focus, energy, and creativity. These side effects have made microdosing popular amongst the ultra-driven community of Silicon Valley. For a primary source on the subject, check out Diane’s story, the owner of a start-up based in Silicon Valley who began microdosing LSD in substitution for coffee. 

While some microdose to increase productivity, others do it to aid their mental health. For example, many “psilocybin microdosers report that the mushrooms can… calm anxiety… and reduce depression” (Begley). In a study done by The Harm Reduction Journal, 26% of psilocybin microdosers reported mood improvements in “happiness, well-being, peace, calm, and reductions in depressive symptoms” (Anderson). 

The Cons

There are studies arguing that microdosing psychedelics can be harmful to individuals with underlying mental health issues such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Mental health issues caused by psychedelic use are usually associated with people taking full or excessive doses over a number of years. However, an article by Harvard University argues that “it is still possible that the negative consequences [of psychedelic use] may hold true” for microdosing if the individual has underlying mental health issues (Jonathan de Potter). 

To put it simply, the only population who could be negatively affected by microdosing are those with underlying, severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Those struggling with more common mental health issues such as depression and anxiety have no identifiable risk associated with microdosing. 

Try it... Or Don't! 

You are now an expert in the world of microdosing. The decision to dive into the realm of psychedelics, to start your career as a psychonaut, is completely up to you. For those readers who are inspired by this guide and will begin the journey, I am honored to be your steppingstone into something that could very well be helpful to you. To those that read this and went, "not for me!", I completely understand and hope that you enjoyed reading this guide anyways. 

Sources Cited

Anderson, Thomas, et al. “Psychedelic Microdosing Benefits and Challenges: An Empirical Codebook - Harm Reduction Journal.” BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 10 July 2019, https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-019-0308-4.

Begley, Sharon, et al. “'Microdosing' Is Touted by 'Shroomers and Reddit Users. Science Is Starting to Test Their Claims - and Finding Some Truth.” STAT, 27 Aug. 2018, https://www.statnews.com/2018/08/23/science-testing-claimed-benefits-of-psilocybin-microdosing/.

Holland, Kimberly. “How Long Does Acid Last? What to Expect.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 27 June 2019, https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-acid-last#dosage.

Lecklitner, Ian, and Ian Lecklitner Ian Lecklitner is a staff writer at MEL Magazine. He mostly writes about everyone's favorite things: Sex. “How to Store LSD so You Can Trip for Eternity.” MEL Magazine, 11 Nov. 2021, https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/how-to-store-lsd.

Jonathan de Potter, et al. “Can Microdosing Psychedelics Improve Your Mental Health?” Science in the News, 18 Dec. 2020, https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2020/can-microdosing-psychedelics-improve-your-mental-health/.

Woolfe, Sam. “The History of Psychedelics: A Timeline of Psychedelic Drugs.” Retreat Guru Guides, https://blog.retreat.guru/the-history-of-psychedelics.

Book 1 Post

Book 1 Post 1 - Putting the Rabbit Back in the Hat, by Brain Cox

I chose to read, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat because like Brain Cox, both of my parents are actors. I would like to get some insight into the life of an actor that seems completely unlike either of my parents. Also, as someone who comes from a family with a long history of mental health issues, I am curious about Brian Cox's relationship with his mentally ill mother. Along with everything else, I am hoping to hear some funny stories about actors that I am familiar with such as Johnny Depp, Steven Seagal, and Edward Norton. 

I am almost halfway through the book and am enjoying it so far. Though he is self-critical, Brain Cox seems like a good man and I like his simplistic yet descriptive style of writing. The way he describes his childhood in Dundee and Oldham makes me feel as though I am peering into his past. Cox's descriptions of his father reminded me of how my Dad talks about his father, who passed away when he was a young man. My favorite part of the book so far is when Cox uses his acting skills to save himself and one of his peers from getting beat up by the school bullies. It speaks to his creative mind and ability to use his acting skills "on the spot" (something Cox says is necessary for an actor to master). About halfway through the book, I am impressed by Brian Cox and his story. From growing up in a poor, unhealthy household to making a name for himself in Hollywood, he has kept his humility throughout his journey.