Yay! Or Nay! To Drugs?, pros and cons of using mind altering drugs for magical purposes Options

Forget right and wrong....do drugs help or hinder the magical process????

as loosely defined by our dear friend Wikipedia (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) a drug is:

"any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function"

I've narrowed it down to 'mind altering' in the description column but by no means do I wish to exclude even minor drugs like aspirin or even caffeine...because we all know that these ultimately affect the 'state' in which we perform our various agendas.

i have so many questions that could be answered.

how do drugs, (and which drugs) help the process?
is it necessary to use drugs to obtain an experience, or certain experience, for some people?
do drugs hurt or help ALL spiritual practices, or only certain ones? which ones are these?
which drugs are better, which drugs are worse for magick purposes?
do some of you use drugs ONLY during a ritual...or do you uses it for recreational purposes as well?
if you use drugs to induce certain experiences, do you feel like every time and every experience is valid?
How can you distinguish true from false, and what is the consistent mentality behind accepting what you experience?
do drugs open up gates, or do they tear down the walls of your mind, or do they close doors?
what is the theory behind the spiritual quality of drugs (or perception thereof)?

i am eager to hear what you guys have to say!!!!


(ooops. look like there was already a post like this. sorry guys. i have no idea how to unpost this...nvm haha.)
I like the topic, so I'll keep it up unless the author strenuously objects or a mod rules otherwise...-Bym

This post has been edited by bym: May 13 2009, 11:27 AM

Also no argument, but with a caveat: There's a bit of controversy as to the brain-damaging effects of dissociatives. Last I read it was becoming more uncertain as to whether or not Olney's Lesions were caused by DXM at all, or perhaps only excessive use (for example), but I haven't researched this a lot so anyone wanting to try ketamine or DXM should look it up. I wouldn't recommend PCP at all, ever. It's got a bad rap, but not entirely unfairly.

I actually know someone who tested positive for PCP while on nothing but DXM (I was there, the nurse told me). I have also seen people on DXM act like they were on PCP (not a pretty sight). Let's just say I've lived through enough to become a very anti-drug person. However I'm not one to tell people what to do, what you do is your business. I just feel the need to warn people.