How to Avoid a Bad Trip from Smart Drugs

It is every drug user's worst nightmare: a bad trip. The nerves are racing through your body when you take a trip drug and meanwhile you wonder if it will all end well. Absolutely normal when you use psychedelics for the first time. In your mind you know that for a few people things have gone wrong. However, do not be fooled by stories of people who have had a bad trip, because there is a big chance that they have done something wrong. Want to prevent a bad trip? The do’s and don’ts when taking psychedelics starts with a good preparation.

What is a Bad Trip?

Preventing a bad trip is all well and good. But what exactly is a bad trip? A bad trip is a bad experience on (psychedelic) drugs. Drugs that cause a trip with a strong change of mind and/or hallucinations are called psychedelics. A bad trip is characterized by hallucinations, visions, thoughts or thought patterns that are negative, scary or destructive. It seems that the negative spiral of thought is endless and there is no prospect of improvement.

What is not a bad trip?

Going bad on drugs or going bad can be drawn a bit wider than just psychedelics. In theory, a joint can also go bad. But since you don't go tripping from too much weed, we don't speak of a bad trip with other drugs than psychedelics. We save the discussion and definition of tripping for another article.

A real bad trip is has an end, by the way. The Indian stories about "you get stuck in it" are not true for healthy people. Only people who have a history of psychological complaints or for whom this runs in the family, can actually suffer permanent mental damage after a bad experience with psychedelics. These people cannot see the difference between fantasies from the trip and reality anymore.

Although a healthy brain is unlikely to suffer any lasting mental health problems after a night of tripping, a bad trip is no fun at all. Therefore, in the rest of this article we are going to tell you what you can do to prevent this from happening.

Proper Preparation

Everything depends on good preparation. Is your preparation not good? Then you run the risk of things going wrong.

Know what you’re taking

The most important thing is to know what you are taking. Although we only sell smart drugs that are legal, you can still go crazy on our natural trip substances. Still, in terms of preparation there are similarities with psychedelic drugs that are not available in shops. LSD, DMT and 2C-B for example. After all, there are plenty sold on the street. Do you buy your drugs on the street? Make sure you buy from someone you know and trust. Never buy drugs from someone you don't know, because if you don't know what's in them, the chance of a bad trip is much greater. Have your drugs tested free of charge at a drug testing center or do it yourself with a drug test.

Alcohol & Eating and drinking

However, preparation does not only consist of knowing the list of ingredients. Buying your smart drugs is step one. But stocking up on food and drinks is just as important. While using drugs, it is important that you keep drinking. And we're not talking about alcohol. Alcohol throws a big unpredictability factor into your trip. This increases the chance of a bad trip and the hangover or Tuesday dip is usually a lot heavier.

At the start of the trip it is important that you have an empty stomach. Our advice for tripping is not to eat or drink for at least 2 hours before taking the drugs. Preferably even 3 hours. This will give your stomach and intestines the rest they need to absorb the drugs. With magic mushrooms and truffles it is actually so that a full stomach leads to a reduced effect. Psilocybin is very sensitive for decomposition by gastric acid and with a full belly you have more gastric acid than when you start the trip sober. 

What and when can you eat and drink? Water is always good. Also for example to wash a bad taste out of your mouth after a bite of bitter truffles. But do not eat anything if you want the effects to proceed according to our magic truffle & magic mushroom calculator

Weed and psychedelics are often compared with each other. But that is like comparing coffee and XTC. The effects are completely different. However, people think that just like getting high from a puff from a vaporizer you also get an "eating kick" from trip substances such as magic mushrooms, ayahuasca, LSA seeds or peyote. During a trip the appetite is often limited. In fact, most trip drugs cause a feeling of nausea. This is partly because classic psychedelics struggle with our balance and digestion. So, in short, there is no point in taking a lot of food. Fruit and sugar sweets (for example Dextro) are okay if someone is not feeling well during the trip, while ice creams will make you enjoy them when the weather is hot. Although you will not eat much during the trip, it is nice to be able to eat afterwards. Especially if you are tripping on LSD or mescaline. Such a trip can last up to 12 hours. After that you will often feel hungry. A light to normal meal a few hours after the trip is fine.

Trip sitter

Only experienced psychonauts travel alone. If you are tripping on psychedelics for the first time or even for the second or third time, it is literally of vital importance that you take along a sober co-pilot. A trip sitter will not only help you with the basic needs during the trip, like going to the toilet and getting a glass of water, but will also guide you to rest and safety when things are not going well. A trip sitter can use the right words to prevent a bad trip, but also to get you out of a bad experience. The best trip sitters have:

  • Angelic patience. With some drugs, a trip can last up to 14 hours. If you are bored as a trip sitter during such a long time and start acting funny with the person who is tripping, this function is not for you. Panic is impossible to a trip sitter.
  • Having your best interest at heart. The trip sitter's goal is to let the tripper come out better at the end than he/she went in. Trip sitters are often your spouse, best friend or spiritual guide.
  • Preferably some experience, but in any case a lot of knowledge. Knowing what the drug does to someone, how long it lasts and the do's and don'ts of tripping are incredibly valuable information.
  • They haven't had any drinks. And no drugs taken. Trip sitters are sober and can act when things go wrong. They know when to calm someone down and when it's time to call the ambulance.

Are there more people? Make sure at all times that you are with people you know and trust. So preferably someone who is completely sober. Of course, we do not assume a bad trip, but if it does happen, there is always someone who can help you.

Set & Setting

In short, set and setting are very important things to have in order to avoid a bad trip. Set is the state in which someone is. The dosage and the set are inseparable. So physical build, mood, health, condition, age, experience and tolerance are all things you should take into account when determining the dose. As a trip sitter you try to help each other with this. Do you see that the tripper does not feel well or is not well rested? Then advise him or her not to use drugs. The same goes for potential users who are depressed, stressed or unhealthy. Drug users who are optimistic, cheerful and healthy are much less likely to have a bad trip.

Besides the set of a person, we also have the environment that plays an important role during tripping. This is also called the setting. The setting has a strong influence on a person's trip. Some users feel more comfortable in a quiet and familiar environment such as a cozy living room at home, while others prefer to trip in nature.

Set and setting can be discussed much more extensively than we do here in short. That is why we have written a complete article about them. What you learn there is of great importance for a pleasant experience and preventing a bad trip.

This often also has to do with the trip drug you use. When using Magic Truffels or magic Mushrooms you probably prefer to trip in a safe and quiet environment. If you have no experience with psychedelics, you certainly shouldn't use them at parties or festivals. Even if you do have experience with them, psychedelics are not the right substances for these occasions. Party drugs and Energy pills are more suitable for parties and festivals. These tablets or capsules give you energy and a positive vibe.

Be careful with the dosage

A common cause of a bad trip is an overdose. Therefore, always pay attention to the dosage of the smart drugs you take. Psychedelics can make you lose control in higher doses. If you don't feel comfortable with that, you shouldn't do it. With our products we always recommend a certain dosage in the product information, so read this carefully too. It is better to take a little too little than too much. You can always take a little bit more during another session to find the edge where you can experience the joys, but not the burdens of a bad trip. Especially with products such as Salvia Divinorum and Ayahuasca & DMT herbs caution is advised. These products are known for their strong effects and taking too high a dose can cause problems. This is especially true for drugs from the illegal circuit. Let it be clear that we do not recommend illegal substances at all, but if you want to do it anyway: get your drugs tested at a test service, or at least use a test kit like this one and be extremely careful with the dosage!

What to do when having a Bad Trip?

If you or one of your friends does have a bad trip, don't panic and stay calm. Take some food and drink something, preferably something with sugar. A cola, Mars or Snickers can help tremendously. In the meantime, go to a quiet place where you can sit down and relax. Let the trip come over you and wait calmly until you feel better again. If you can't do these steps yourself, ask a friend for help. But it is natural and logical that you help each other as good friends.

The last thing you should do is to resist what happens to you during a trip. This will increase your stress level and your resistance to the trip. If you have thoughts, hallucinations or ideas that are confrontational, scary or frightening, realize that it is temporary. Every trip goes away by itself. Also the bad experiences. Sometimes you cannot realize this yourself during a trip, because you are completely involved in the trip. That is why a trip sitter is so important. If you can't distinguish between images or hallucinations and reality, the trip sitter is there to help you. So don't think too lightly about it and arrange a sober trip sitter. He/she can prevent a lot of trouble.

Everything in a nutshell...

To prevent a bad trip, we briefly summarize the main factors you should take into account.

  • Keep drinking (water) during the trip.
  • Be aware of and well informed about the trip substances you are taking.
  • Do not trip alone, but with someone you trust.
  • Take into account your set and the setting you are tripping in.
  • Never exceed the recommended dosage.
  • Do not panic and stay calm.

Before you start tripping, memorize this list. Above all, we wish you a nice and enjoyable trip. And remember: With responsible use of psychedelics the chance of a bad trip is very small!