Your palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. You might not be splattered in your own vomit yet, but you’re not feeling great. What happened? Instead of your regular three toke pass, you smoked a whole joint and now you’re convinced everyone is mad at you? Maybe you ‘forgot’ you were only meant to take half a pill, and you’ve skipped over euphoria and gone straight to sweaty, jaw-clenching delirium? In any case, what was meant to be a good time has turned into a high from hell.
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If you dabble in the illicit stuff, then the chances are you’re going to have a bad experience at some point. In the words of clinical cognitive neuroscientist Lucy Troup: “All drugs can give you a negative experience – you can have years of good trips only to suddenly find yourself on a bad trip.” But is the only option to simply wait for it to wear off, or can you take more drastic action? Is there such a thing as getting… un-high?In the interest of public safety we rounded up a team of experts, and went drug by drug, exploring what you can do if you find yourself excessively stoned, lost in a k-hole or spiralling into a shroom-induced nightmare.“Overdoing it on cannabis is pretty much a right of passage,” says Liam O’Dowd, co-founder and editor of leafie, an online magazine focusing on the changing world of cannabis and psychedelics. “Who hasn't pulled a whitey at some point?”While THC intoxication might feel like it’s never going to end, it's important to remember that it will, and most likely won't do you much harm. “Removing yourself from any enclosed space, noise or otherwise chaotic environment is a good start,” O’Dowd says. “Fresh air can help, but finding a comfortable spot to take a moment is key. Take some time to focus on your breathing, inhaling deeply through the nose and out through the mouth… And don't feel too concerned if you vomit.”
Weed
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As the most commonly tried illegal drug, there’s plenty of folk remedies for getting too baked. “Many stoners swear that chomping on whole black peppercorns can help bring you back from the high… and for good reason,” says O’Dowd. Pepper contains two terpenes, pinene and caryophyllene, which are both known to soothe the psychoactive elements of THC. Caryophyllene is actually found in some cannabis strains, adds O’Dowd, “so if you're finding your usual strain gets you too high, look for a strain rich in caryophyllene.”If peppercorns aren’t cutting it though, it might be time to turn to the medical professionals. Dr Peter Grinspoon is a primary care doctor and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. “If one is truly panicking on cannabis – or, for example, one has a cardiac condition – we would worry about the elevated heart rate and blood pressure that typically accompanies a panic attack, and this might be a good time to consider being checked out in the emergency department, even though it’s 'only for cannabis’,” he says.Having given this warning though, he also adds, “It is more often a question of calm, empathetic support; sitting somewhere quiet, taking some deep breaths, and talking to a friend.”
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Magic mushrooms and LSD
Ketamine
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