[_asli]

Ecstasy.

I had massive problems speaking with people. I ended up going to a rave with some friends, took some molly, had an amazing time talking to people and then realized that if I could do that with a drug then I could probably do it without a drug. (I haven’t done e in over a decade).

I still had some issues with public speaking so during my mba I forced myself to give every presentation possible. This largely solved that problem.

Note that mdma can kill you, especially if taken without experience. This is not an endorsement of drug taking.

[sph]

Same here. As a shy guy in my 20s I went to a small club on 300mg of Ecstasy, and over 5 hours I introduced myself to pretty much everybody in the place, asked a random girl to dance and went backstage to chat in another language with the band. I just felt I was a human among other humans. At home among friends.

I must've been pretty clearly high as a kite, but the lesson I learned that night is that people generally are approachable, not that scary and we just want to have a good time. The negative side effects was thinking I had fallen in mad love with a complete stranger, and the extreme dehydration that caused me to drink about 5L of water over as many hours.

I haven't taken MDMA since, I plan to try it again later in my life when I'm content with my place in the world (no more than once a season, as Shulgin recommended), but it was certainly an eye opening experience I will treasure forever. This relaxed and optimistic view of the world and other people has been with me since that very night.

With the correct set and setting, MDMA is something everyone should experience once in their lives.

[specproc]

For anyone thinking of doing this, maybe I'm just being old and cautious, but 300mg is a lot to take in one go if you're new to it.

You'll get the full experience on 100. You can always take more, but never untake what you've had. My brother had a rough first time because he dropped with someone who was a bit of a warrior.

MDMA is a great drug, but best when used responsibly. I avoid alcohol with it these days too, makes for a much cleaner night and a better morning.

[sph]

Good call, I was aware it was a strong dose, but it was my 3rd roll at that point.

I agree with starting with 100–150mg, and my suggestion for harm reduction is to take 5-HTP for a few days after a trip to restore some of the depleted serotonin. The post-MDMA funk is real.

Also, never redose and never chase the dragon. You will never relive your first MDMA experience, so make it count and enjoy it.

[cedws]

I can echo your positive experience but the effect this has on people around you should also be taken into account. On MDMA you're going to want to talk to everybody about everything and that can lead to awkward situations once you've come down. Not only that but upon noticing your gigantic pupils some people might be a bit freaked out or feel like they're trapped in a conversation with you.

TLDR do it around people who aren't going to mind that you're obviously on MDMA

[sph]

Certainly, but one aspect of my shyness was being preoccupied over what people would think of me, and sometimes it's good to be oblivious you have dilated pupils and you look on drugs. Sometimes it's good not to overthink and just do and see no harm comes of it.

But of course socialising sober is and feels better, though it does not come as easy.

[punkspider]

I had a similar situation. The only time I took half a pill out of curiosity, and I suddenly opened up with everyone around. It was during a time that I was quite grumpy and would often drink heavily, and didn't know how to deal with my feelings.

I felt this odd urge to express myself towards everyone around me and was being very wholesome about it. I was aware that this was odd behavior for me, but I liked it and it felt like I was "letting go".

I noticed what I was feeling and how I was expressing myself and that it was ok. That was enough validation for me to keep on without taking mdma.

This happened just the once. I haven't felt the need to try it out more since then.

[globular-toast]

Worked for me too.

Note to readers, before you try it you should know the difference between ecstacy, molly/mandy and MDMA. The drug you want is MDMA. Do your research[0] and this drug will be safer than climbing a mountain or something (and way safer than alcohol). Very few people have actually died from this drug but you should understand why they died.

[0] https://erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_basics.shtml

[MileyCyrax]

Safer in terms of the risk of death, sure, but there seem to be other risks involved.[0] That paper doesn't necessarily disagree with anything in the page you linked, and it's pretty old now. I just want to emphasise that it's not a simple decision to make.

[0] https://sci-hub.mksa.top/10.1002/hup.2318

[globular-toast]

It seems that heavy usage over time would do damage. That seems fairly obvious, to be honest. What would be surprising is if a single dose had long lasting negative effects.

You have to also consider that people like me are essentially broken. Being completely unable to socialise with people puts you on a path of loneliness and misery. Maybe curbing some of my brain's "abilities" is exactly what I needed. I've often noticed that stupid people are happier.

I didn't become stupid, though. If I became stupider then it doesn't matter because that is completely offset by being more able to apply my skills properly. There's no point being a genius if you can't communicate with people.

[lee]

I developed my social skills in a similar fashion.

I was incredibly closed off as a teenager and shy. Almost to the point of crippling social anxiety. I remember feeling anxiety even interacting with the cashier at McDonald's.

I was 19 when I went to a rave and took MDMA for the first time and it completely opened me up. I became incredibly social in that moment, talking to strangers, having a good time, and opening up emotionally. That enabled me to take more baby steps in social interactions and develop socially.

Magic mushrooms also seemed to allow me to open up. Both drugs have had positive lasting effects on me. I had stopped taking them in my early 20s, but have started experimenting with magic mushrooms again as someone in their late 30s. The shrooms renewed my openness to others.

[trollied]

> Note that mdma can kill you, especially if taken without experience. This is not an endorsement of drug taking.

Alcohol is a bigger killer over time.

[specproc]

Yeah, MDMA ain't really something you can get addicted to in the long run. Diminishing returns over time kinda puts a stop to that.

[barbs]

MDMA and the party/festival scene in general definitely changed me for the better in this sense. I hold those experiences in high regard, and strongly believe that substances can shift your perspective and create real change in your life for the better, if done responsibly.

I will also note that every substance comes with risk, and the best way to reduce that risk is to learn and know as much as you can about the substance and how it affects you. A lot of the general education around drugs is simply "don't do it", but there are plenty of reliable non-biased resources out there. A couple off the top of my head are:

https://drugs.tripsit.me/

https://erowid.org/

[jmcgough]

This was my first thought too, though not the only part of the puzzle for me. There was actually a study put out by MAPS recently where they found that MDMA can be effective in treating social anxiety for people on the autism spectrum.

[asfarley]

Not the first time I’ve heard of this.

[spicybright]

Same. Can't wait for this stuff to be studied and legalized at least for meditional use over the next 20 years (if we're being realistic on timelines for this)

[netizen-936824]

It needs to be fully legalized, along with all other drugs. Prohibition only makes things worse

[_asli]

Decriminalized, probably. But I really don’t want to live in a world where heroin is advertised and marketed without restriction. At least not until we figure out how to make humans less fucking stupid when it comes to things that can addict us for life.

I mean, can you imagine if McDonalds marketing budget was spent pushing meth instead?

[netizen-936824]

You say this like McDonalds food isn't already habit forming

Heroin and other opiates need to be available over the counter at a store. This is the only way to remove the black market and the fentanyl tainted supply. If you just decriminalize, people still won't be able to get it and will have to go through a black market.

The market doesn't need to be a free for all, we can choose to make advertising the compounds illegal but still make them available.

If you don't fully legalize, the problem never actually gets solved. Pretty much all drug problems are created by prohibition itself. Full stop.

[blackbrokkoli]

re "Pretty much all drug problems are created by prohibition itself"

Isn't the US opiod crisis (not heroin specifically) massively driven by the fact that it is fairly easy to get lavish subscription on legal pain killers?

I mean I give it to you that suburbian moms on Vicodin won't roll up to a gas station with a semi-automatic, but they still OD, and that's still a drug problem.

[_asli]

> You say this like McDonalds food isn't already habit forming

I said this because McDonalds has already proven that they can do a lot of damage to people with just food.

[netizen-936824]

Oxytocin agonism is some good shit

[esbeeb]

To that I would add listening to Mark Farina Mushroom Jazz, Vol. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIuW-OJY2uY

This is to get in touch with your inner mojo. Also Vol. 8 is awesome.