Mix and Matching: Acid, Stimulants, and Humiliation

by Ryleigh Stacy-Smith

A lot people tell you not to mix drinks because it will fuck you up. Drugs are the same. 

I won't tell you not to mix drugs because God knows I have done my fair share. I mean I have popped pills; I have smoked and drank. However, when it comes to psychedelics, mixing and matching is a dangerous game.

I remember the first time that I mixed LSD with other substances. It was News Year's Eve. My friend and I were looking to take things to another level. We had popped some concerta and drank the year before and we were planning to do the same this year. We were taking shots of god-awful sambuca and we popped a pill. Didn't feel anything, so we took another. I was starting to feel a lil buzz. I was feeling hyper and energized. But this was only the start of the night, so obviously, I took another shot and pill. 

By this point, I was yapping about nothing to my mate. We were doing what girls do when they have nowhere to go. We did our makeup drunk and drugged up. Looking back on it now, the makeup was awful. But I felt confident. So confident that when my friend mentioned she had acid, I was ecstatic. 

Now, neither of us had done acid. We didn't know what to expect. A lil hint though, don't mix stimulants with psychedelics. Within an hour of cutting up the tab and putting it on our tongues, I got major cotton mouth. My mouth was so dry that no matter how much water I was drinking, I could not for the life of me have wet saliva again. Then I started shaking. I didn't know why. It didn't bother me as much as the cottonmouth. 

When we had started to settle down, that's when my heart started beating rapidly. Another thing to note, is that mixing stimulants and psychedelics can cause anxiety. However, when my heart didn't stop beating for an hour, it quickly turned into paranoia. 

My friend and I did the worst possible thing you could do when you're having a bad trip. We went to Google. 

Google informed me that I was overdosing. I didn't want to wake my parents and tell them that their dumbass daughter had taken some ADHD medication and acid while drinking. They would never stop giving me shit for that. And don't even mention the family dinners. I would be ridiculed. So, in my drug fueled brain, I was prepared to die.

My friend tried to calm me down and it helped. She asked me what I planned to do after high school, if I wanted to go to University, what I wanted to study, and she asked me about my school mates. She was amazing.

My heart began to beat a million miles per hour. At this point, I was crying, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. But then it stopped, it began to beat at a normal pace. Immediate relief striked me. I finally got to sleep at 5 am.

Another thing to note is that much like a bad hangover, when taking stimulants with acid you will get the sudden urge to shit yourself. It's not like the kind where you fart and then you think to yourself “oh, better go to the bathroom.” No. It's the type of shit that is going to erupt from you. 

I immediately run to the bathroom, do my business, and try to flush. But alas, as if this trip couldn't get worse, it would not flush. My shit was so impressive that it could not go down the toilet. Now, I won't speak of what I had to do, but let me tell you, it wasn't beautiful. But what matters is that I made that toilet flush my shit down. However, I was much luckier than my friend. I was in the comfort of my own home. When the shits hit my friend, she was stuck on a bus.

I go back to my bed, try to get some sleep. My friend next to me is like Sleeping Beauty. Then I hear my parents get up and make some coffee. But oh fuck, I forgot about that ominous text I sent my mum before my mini heart attack. 

I'm still buzzing from the paranoia when my mum texts me back. So, I face the music. I go to the lounge and I'm met with suspicious gazes from my parents. My mum asks me why I texted her. And I tell her the truth, leaving out the acid. She just laughs. 

In an attempt to avoid the foretold prophecy of being ridiculed by my family, I fulfilled the prophecy myself. 

This is a funny story now. It's something that my friends and family laugh about. But at that moment, I genuinely thought I was one pill away from overdosing. 

So, just a friendly PSA:

• Please eat and drink water before, during and after mixing drugs and/or alcohol

• Do your research! Read about others’ stories with the drugs you’re about to consume, look for medical professionals’ advice, and try to find information from experienced trippers. 

• Don't get cocky about it, you always hear about the horror stories of thinking you can't feel another, taking another and then boom... it hits you all at once

• If you have symptoms of overdosing, don't prepare yourself to die to save yourself embarrassment. Call poison control, call the ambulance, go to a trusted person. Pumping your stomach or being put on IV, is much better than risking your life.

• To get your drugs checked, go to Know Your Stuff (233a Willis Street, Te Aro)

• If experimenting with drugs, is turning into a regular occurance and you're feeling worried about yourself, call 0800 787 797

Mixing and matching with drugs and/or alcohol can be a cool experience, but it can also be a horrible experience. So, be smart, be cautious, and be safe.