Written by Noel Leon.
A lot of addicts search for alternates: alternate worldviews more conducive to sobriety, alternate means for escaping reality. We get lost in a wave of nostalgia, searching for meaning in the depths of despair. We glamorize hard truths learned arduously, yearning in the pit of our stomachs for an easier way. For me, that “easier way” towards enlightenment was shrooms: a micro-dose mixed into a macro-dose of sobriety (from alcohol). The concoction proved exquisite.
I’d heard wellness gurus espouse shrooms cure PMS, artist rave shrooms cure creative blocks, naturopaths claim shrooms cure depression. It all seemed too good to be true and dangerous for addicts like myself, known to abuse even the most innocuous drug. But a hunger, a curiosity to discover the limits of my “potential” devoured my resolve, and I micro-tripped.
As a writer and standup comedian, there really is no “control” for this sort of experiment. Because, intrinsically, each day is different. I don’t work a nine to five, there is no constant to my moods, and what might spark a creative breakthrough varies from one day to the next. Therefore, even after experiencing peak productivity my first time on shrooms, I was skeptical.
But, after a few more micro-dosing occasions, a pattern of productivity emerged.
And I thanked the gods of psilocybin, paying homage by ordering a shroom t-shirt on Etsy… a not-so-subtle effort to look cool that screamed: See, I’m still hip even though I don’t drink anymore… I shroooom!
For some people, the effects of psilocybin are hardly noticeable and for others it’s an anxiety inducing nightmare. Instead of Panic at the Disco it’s Panic Attack on a Tuesday. I wouldn’t recommend a novice, say, hypothetically, micro-tripping before performing a standup comedy show. By micro-tripping, I mean attempting to micro-dose and accidentally tripping.
Each person’s neural web is intricate and unique, varied like the many species of mushrooms that exist in the world: 14.000! But what’s unanimous is that psychedelic mushrooms form new neural connections in all our brains.
So, sit back and let your mind wander on a micro-trip: try to write a book, stare at the sunset, or give that work project a second look.
Do whatever works for you while putting shrooms to work on those tiny synapses in your head. And, for addicts, experience sensory stimulation without the soul crushing dread of a hangover. Stay trippy you little hippies out there! (That’s what the T-shirt said.)
About the Author
Noel’s contributed for Bust Magazine, the Westside Current, Futurism, the Weekly Humorist, Whalebone Magazine, the Westside Current, and others. She recently released a book of humorous essays called A Very Inappropriate Short Story Book.
Noel performs standup comedy all over the place. She’s been seen at the Comedy Store, Hollywood Laugh Factory, the Improv, Caroline’s on Broadway, the Stand, and more!
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