I drank and used drugs because it was fun, exhilarating, and enhanced most experiences for years. Towards the end the amusement stopped because it became my primary focus and necessity to function. Thats when I realized I was an addict. It has been said, however, that alcohol and drug addiction is the only disease with a fun-phase. I was no exception.
Looking back, my mother was right when she said, “You know son, marijuana is what they call a Gateway Drug.” I started with alcohol which was a revelation so naturally I wanted to search out other substances that made me feel euphoric. Shortly after experiencing the alcohol and weed combination the drugs next in line were hallucinations, primarily LSD and Mushrooms. My exposure to these drugs encouraged an open-minded, explorative an creative manner of thinking. In turn I experienced many people, places, and things in a unique frame of mind.
A lot of my recovery work focuses on the consequences of my actions during my years of usage. At the height of my addiction, I didn’t realize the impact my selfish and self-centered partying had on public places, institutions, and those that loved me. Writing about the consequences of each event helped me realize that my decision-making seriously digressed while high, and ultimately cost others money, time and most importantly a lack of trust. That being said, each event had some form of comedic element.
10. Boundary Waters: Minnesota/Canada: LSD
Event: Unbelievable natural environment to experience LSD for the first time. No motorized boats, only portaged canoes miles away from civilization for 10 days with 8 good friends and a stoner chemistry teacher. I became one with nature and the fish for years to come.
Consequence: Started smoking
9. Crested Butte, Colorado. LSD
Event: Summited Crested Butte mountain in an afternoon with shirt off via dramatic views and wildflower meadows.
Consequence: I literally turned purple. Had second degree burns on face and all down my back which turned into one puss-filled blister. Had to drain my back daily for a week.
8. Portland, Oregon Environs: Mushrooms
The first day of spring break from college we ate a bunch of mushrooms after my last test. Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones which forever changed my perception of rock and roll. Friends convinced me to go camping in 1969 VW bug later in the day. High as a kite travelling over Santiam Pass in a heavy snow storm with 1/4 of a windshield wiper working a huge explosion transpired by my right foot and leg sending smoke throughout the car. I thought my leg was lost. Safely on the shoulder, I jumped out of the car to realize a number of full beer cans were at the base of the jet heater and exploded simultaneously.
Consequence: After near death explosion with zero visibility to get back down the mountain, me and 2 dudes a bit freaked out, camped in a snowbank on side of highway.
7. College Seeking Trip, Between Louisiana and Ohio -LSD
Event: Drove from Louisiana to Ohio to visit colleges with good friend. Dropped LSD. While in Nashville friend saw Urban Cowboy on TV. Convinced it was live, my friend insisted we blindly drive around looking for Gilley’s Bar in order to ride the mechanical bull John Travolta was on.
Consequence: Gilley’s was closed. Ended up in a dive bar in a scary part of Nashville with 3 hookers and their pimp listening to live blues.
6. Homecoming,High School, Covington, Louisiana: LSD
Event: The local rednecks from the rival school burned down our bonfire fuel the night before our homecoming. The faculty decided it would be an excellent opportunity for senior team building to set us free to scour the streets for palettes in order to rebuild the bonfire. We simply had to be back in 5 hours to play a friendly flag football game with the coaches in front of the school. Upon hearing the plan, a number of us dropped some windowpane LSD and went directly to a friends house and made blended mixed drinks, swam, fished, and smoked pot. Our friend had 3 palettes in his barn for the bonfire.
Consequence: Chasing testosterone fueled southern football coaches in skin tight stretchy shorts who were yelling “Take that soccer player!” on acid was alarming. However, the party continued all night. I decided to take percocet at 2 am to come down. Had to take achievement tests the next day for college entrance. Hallucinated throughout. Scored higher in Spanish than Mother tongue: English. I was in the bottom 2% which placed my knowledge similar to a mentally challenged 6th grader. Thus, I wasn’t accepted to any California Colleges that required that test.
5. Senior Trip to Florida via Alabama: LSD (& ecstasy)
Event: Drove with girlfriend to Florida to celebrate high school graduation. Took 1/2 hit LSD and 1/2 Ecstasy which ignited her libido. Got pulled over driving 88mph while having sex (her preferred method).
Consequence: Alabama Jail
4. Spring Break, College: Lake Powell: Mushrooms
Event: A week on lake Powell in the sun with partyin’, swinning, hiking, and exploring the 4 corners wilderness. In charge of parking the houseboat by buddy Andy rammed it home in the middle of NOWWHERE.
Consequence: Got REALLY stuck. High, hiking for hours without a sole in sight, Andy convinced me to straddle a 30 foot log and paddle the dead tree back to the boat miles because we could use leverage and pop the boat out. Within 100 yards from the boat, 6 hours later, we were discovered by a fisherman in the middle of the lake on the log. When asked, “What the hell are you boys up to?” Our answer was simply, “Physics”.
3. Marroon Bells, Aspen. Mushrooms
Event: Found a amazing canyon were we jumped off cliffs into a narrow mountain stream. Wondered into one of the more beautiful valleys during a dramatic sunset with Marroon Bell Peaks in distance. Enjoyed a hilarious mushroom filled night of stories around a campfire shotgunnin’ beer with a man, Joe Sumner, that we haven’t seen since.
Consequence: The stream we jumped in was snow melt off. Thus, it was the coldest water I’ve ever been exposed to. So cold in fact that my testicles retracted up into my cavity. Thus, for hours it felt like I was castrated and had a vagina which is hard to comprehend on mushrooms. The following dawn we were rudely awoken by concerned hiking environmentalists, that scolded us about the fact that not only were we camping in a restorative habitat but starting a fire was against federal law. Needless to say, they weren’t psyched about the beer cans.
2. College, Portland: LSD
Event: A large portion of the dorm dropped LSD. Chaos ensued for hours including large slingshots of ice cream launched out of windows onto pedestrians, fire hoses fully engaged in wars with other floors, nakedness, fondling, and fireworks ignited inside and out of dorm.
Consequence: Written up and counseled by resident director (RD) stating he would rather us do something like heroin because at least science knew what the consequences to that drug entailed. Moreover, our actions were very serious and if anyone was caught using FIREWORKS or LSD again he or she would be fined $50 (I still have the letter to prove this).
1. Australia: Atherton Tableland: Cane Toad
Event: Lived in Yurts in the jungle to study the flora and fauna for 4 months. A few of us hitchhiked to the nearest the pub and drank for 6 hours. Legend had it if you sucked the gland of a Cane Toad it caused hallucinatory effects. So we tried it. The night was hazy but I recall searching for nocturnal marsupials in the jungle with large spotlights naked.
Consequence: We sleep on cots with springs. I was jolted to consciuosness in haze by some large animal outside the yurt. Naked I jumped up in fear. During my ascent, the springs of the cot closed on the sac of my testicles ripping a layer of skin off. I had to walk around the jungle without pants on for 4 days in order for the sac to heal enough not to stick to clothing.
Notes From The Culinary Addict:
Yogism From James (my teacher):“Find space in the joints through the asanas. Once space is achieved this gives perspective. With perspective comes compassion.”
Recent 12-step Quote:“Getting sober doesn’t mean you’ll have a happy marriage, it just means you’ll remember it.”
“The worst consequence to my usage was getting “temporarily expelled” from my Australia trip for using LSD. After taking that uncomfortable phone call my father had to be hospitalized for severe chest pains.
-Mushrooms and large explosions such as in the back of the VW are not a good combination.
-After injesting some bad acid at a who concert which caused my to pass out. An aspiring opera singer of all people took pitty on me, took me home, and attacked me.
-I still consider my girlfriend at the time of the Alabama incident one of the coolest. She liked to party, listened to great music, and wasn’t worried about tomorrow. Not phased by having to sit in Jail lobby for 5 hours she befriended the cops so much so that they gave us a ride back to our car the next morning and told us of a great place to have breakfast.
- I often took a small dose such 1/4-1/2 hit which worked as a stimulate in order for me to drink an enormous amount of alcohol without passing out.
-After an Allman Brothers concert camping, I tore a Mailbox off a post and used it to cook ramen (see Mailbox Post)
-One time I took too many mushrooms and thought the grass was bleeding
Band Name of the week: Caught in the Momentum
Present Pandora Kitchen Selection: Built to Spill
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Cool stories!
Never regret anything that made you smile :]
Very True