Have you ever altered your consciousness?

[Philosoraptor]

Hell, having a couple cups of coffee in the morning is a start, but then in the evening you might have a nice glass of wine with your meal, or a big fat cigar, or a nice cigarette, or a joint, or a Jim Beam night cap.

Maybe you take a sleeping aid, or an anti depressant, or a stimulant of some sort, vitamin B or St. John's Wort, all of these things alter our consciousness a bit, but others have gone even further into the realm of alteration.

As a wayward youth in the late sixties and early seventies, I was altered more than once, but the only alterations I imbibe in now are mild by comparison, I used to imagine that I was indestructible.

I've never smoked crack, never had much desire for stimulants, praise Jesus, but I know more than a few casualties of excessive alteration, living and dead. Every day I thank whomever that I'm not a crack head or meth freak.

I was truthful with my kids, now grown up, that I'd altered myself a few times, and still am to a degree, and I gave them all the facts, good and bad about drugs, and all three of them are well adjusted, normal, productive adults. I didn't give them all the details of my so called hippy days, but they got the message.

So tell me, are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced?

[REP]

1. Every Night; I Sleep

Sleep is altered consciousness; if we do not do it, we die and we die from lack of any sleep faster than from lack of food or water.

[ixion]

2. back in the 80's (college days) it was a hobby I pursued with great passion

I must say...

And you're right: Humans are hard-wired with the desire/need to alter their reality. It may be sleep, swinging on a swingset, smoking a cigar, drinking coffee or any number of things, but we do tweak our realities constantly.

[TheDebbieDee]

3. Hypnosis is an altered state of conciousness or awareness.....

I used hypnosis to quit smoking!

[OffWithTheirHeads]

4. Hey, I'm just an old Hippie

My consciousness has been forever altered. Christ, I was at Altamont and never found the stage!

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. You know you had a good time when....

What a great line, 'I was at Altamont and never found the stage!'

Sounds like you lucked out, isn't that the one where they had a big riot in front of the stage and some guy got killed?

[ClintonTyree]

5. I worked both wholesale and retail....

in "the business" back in the 60's and 70's and of course a good salesman always has to sample his wares. The birth of my daughter brought an end to that foolishness and other than coffee and cigarettes I've been clean and sober for over 20 years.
During my illustrious career I took every mind altering substance known to man EXCEPT heroin. That was one line I would not cross. Everyone must draw his/her own line in the sand and heroin was mine, probably because I knew I'd enjoy it too much, thus sacrificing the remainder of my life to a drug. Of all the substances I partook of I would have to say peyote was the big kahuna. Simple words cannot describe the effect those bad boys had on me.
I could never do any of those substances again. Those days are over. I appreciate and respect reality now even though it sucks much of the time. But I can always reminisce.... ;)

[sweetheart]

9. Peyote

Never got to do that one, you lucky.

[OneBlueSky]

6. I don't remember the 60s -- and I was there . . . nuff said . . . n/t

.

[B Calm]

8. Did a hit of acid and then went to an all female debtor prison in Curacao

with 4 other sailors..

[madokie]

10. Hell I could have been a rocket scientist but I took up drug research instead

[PADemD]

11. Meditation, anyone?

[hwmnbn]

12. My chemical research was extensive........

and for the most part FAR OUT!!

I'm still of the opinion everyone should do psychedelics at least once in their lives. It broke the grip of sensory information and made me question the basic nature of reality. It was the tool I used that stoked my curiosity and creativity.

That dovetailed nicely into being politically aware because I began to question everything any politician or authority figure had to say.

I still feel a kind of kinship with those who've tripped.

[gumby]

13. Just had food poisioning/stomach flu.

I've been Very altered for 2 days. Just got vertical.

[Schema Thing]

14. Never took a drug till 37

Only even got drunk a handful of times (I don't really like the feeling of being drunk).

Left my fundamentalist belief system behind 5 years ago, and gave myself permission to see what was tucked away in that mind.

Have tried:

Pot... just ok for me. Took 5 attempts to even feel high.

Adderall.... for my ADD. Love this stuff. So much that I don't take it regularly; don't want to get hooked. Doesn't "fix" my ADD really, it just makes me very optimistic, and lends to my creative thought.

Salvia... funny eh? A person who'd never tried ANY hallucinogenic takes Salvia as their first. Interesting, but not really fun. I feel sure it's only legal because almost no one wants to do it twice.

Acid... just did this recently. Interesting, and fun. Became one with the universe, cried like a man redeemed, and forgave everyone. Yes, everyone. And everyone should try this trip.

E... just did this recently, evidently got a fairly mild tablet. I was surprised how much it felt like adderall (actually not all that surprised, I knew the chemical similarity) but milder and yet with more dramatic effect at the same time. Me likes.

And that's it. I would still like to try the other hallucinogens: mugwart, wild lettuce, etc. lol, just kidding, sort of... Peyote, mushrooms, etc., maybe even K. I won't get close to anything too addictive.

[toddaa]

15. Dabbled in magick in my younger days

Mostly sigils and what not. Coupled with herb, the rituals were quite effective in altering my consciousness, even days later. Old Uncle Al was a charlatan, but the mind altering effects of magick can be quite powerful and sometimes scary if you're not careful.

[valerief]

16. Isn't it more difficult to find someone who hasn't played with

recreational drugs? I don't care what the polls say. Everyone does something sometime. Heck, even wild animals eat fermented fruit when they can.

[dollydew]

17. No

But I once hemmed my pants. Does that count?

[shadowknows69]

18. Good book if you get a chance

"The Natural Mind"

<http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Mind-Investigation-Higher-Consciousness/dp/0395911567/sr=8-2/qid=1166287106/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-1041005-9575137?ie=UTF8&s=books>

Explores the theory that man's desire to alter his consciousness is an instinct we're all born with, we just chose different ways to do it.

[OxQQme]

19. Another good book about altered mind states

http://www.grahamhancock.com/supernatural/

[alfredo]

20. Runner's high = Endorphins.

I've tried just about everything at least once. Tobacco was the only thing that got me hooked. I haven't had a cigarette since 1973.