DOSE:

2 hits

smoked

Salvia divinorum

(extract)

BODY WEIGHT:

118 lb

I've no doubt that salvia can be an insightful and sometimes positive experience for the initiated and rational thinking drug user. Unfortunately I can't count myself as either one of the aforementioned.

At the time, I was severely depressed. Especially so since alcohol had lost its buzz a long time ago and served as a true depressant. I wanted something more, something that would give me a happy buzz. I thought my salvation lay in salvia, which I believed to have similar effect to weed. That's mistake number two folks, always read up on your drugs before consumption (mistake number one is considering taking drugs in a terrible state of mind). Hearsay is a horrible thing to follow.

I had agreed to meet with a friend in town in order to buy the stuff. She insisted that we buy 20x, saying that since it was legal, it was probably going to have pathetic results anyway. I wish I'd put my foot down. After purchasing the salvia, we made our way to the meadows. Yet another mistake; it was broad daylight and the meadows were frequented often by dog walkers, joggers and the likes. This didn't stop us from lighting up the first pipe. I've no idea what kind of dose we took. Neither of us had any idea what we were doing. We used enough to fill the pipe to the brim, certainly. She lit the damn thing, and I toked, held my breath. When I exhaled, nothing had happened. She was busy toking herself. If memory serves, she added more before passing it back to me. We relit it, and I took another hit. That's when it happened.

It was akin to the sensation I feel when my ears pop, but it was as though this had happened to reality. I remember pausing for a second, muttering 'oh', then turning to my friend, who started laughing uncontrollably. This gave me incredibly bad vibes. Not only was I perceiving her laughter as far slower than usual, but the laughter in itself made me sure she was insane. In fact at that point, I was convinced the whole world had gone mad, and I was the only sane one left. Aside from the rather springy sensation I was getting from the floor, I also noticed a terrible whooshing sensation. It was at this point that I realised I was sat right on the edge of the world. I could see in my head what it looked like, very Pratchett-esque. I was sure that if I turned around for just a second then I would fall off, and keep falling forever. As such, I kept my gaze firmly on my sketchpad (I'd hoped to gain some inspiration creatively, but the work I came out with was rather lacking, I must say). I'd told my friend I didn't like what was happening, but she told me to 'let it take me'. I tried, I really did, but I couldn't let go of the fact that my mental faculties were slipping and that I was in a highly dangerous place.

At some point during the trip, I noticed the abundence of other humans wandering the meadows, realised the pipe was visible, and though salvia is legal here I freaked that they would call the police and threw the still-burning pipe into my bag and prayed to god that no-one had noticed.

Eventually I found the guts to turn around to check if I really was sat on the edge of the world. Visually I could comprehend that I was not, but despite this I still knew in my heart it was true, and stayed motionless for the rest of the peak.

The comedown lasted the rest of the day. We decided that going to a friend's flat for a lie down would be best. I found walking quite difficult, and I had trouble getting out coherent sentences. Despite this vocal handicap I talked quite profusely until we arrived. I discovered that lying down did me no good whatsoever.

Once the effects had worn off, I admit I felt very calm, peaceful and generally at ease with the world. I didn't find a need to talk much; I felt a general sense of understanding with everything. It was one of the most placid experiences I've had in my life.

Unfortunately for me, taking salvia not only gave me three days of the most intensive paranoia I've ever experienced, but it also triggered an as yet unknown anxiety disorder, which affected my life for months. I'd known I had mental health difficulties for a while, but I took the risks regardless. Do so at your own peril; the effects can ruin your life.

Exp Year: 2008	ExpID: 73986
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jan 18, 2020	Views: 713
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Salvia divinorum (44) : Post Trip Problems (8), Depression (15), First Times (2), Public Space (Museum, Park, etc) (53)