Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit • Hacker News Board

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#11

Post by MichaelApproved » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:38 PM UTC

ToonDoom wrote: post #8

MichaelApproved wrote: post #5

Time and Time again, we see how stupid the war on drugs had been for humanity. Look at all the negatives: - Racist origins which disproportionately targeted minorities. It allowed police and prosecutorial discretion to arrest more minorities and give them longer sentences. - Stopped medical progress. Finally a flood of studies are showing us mushrooms, marijuana, MDMA, acid, and more have positive medical uses. - Gav…

There is a decent Netflix show that discussed how America’s war efforts and their fear that they could diminish their control over the people in effect put back research in the area back half a century. https://www.netflix.com/title/81098586?s=i&trkid=13747225

Thanks. I'm assuming you're talking about the "psychedelics" episode but I noticed the one about dreams. The synopsis asks:

"what’s the significance of dreams and What can they teach us?"

From what I understand about dreams, no one has the answer to that question. It seems like they're going to make unfounded claims which makes me worried about their info.

Do they tend to pose speculation as truth or are they avoiding pseudoscience?

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#12

Post by phillc73 » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:38 PM UTC

A similar story, with a sample size of one - me. Smoking marijuana helped me quit smoking cigarettes.

One of the reasonably well known side effects of smoking pot is sometimes a feeling of intense paranoia. Well, over a period of a few months, I was regularly smoking pot in the evenings and convinced myself that smoking cigarettes would kill me and while stoned I was able to exaggerate these feelings to the point of paranoia (I was thinking very, very hard. Overthinking, another well known side effect).

Subsequently, even during the day when I wasn't high, I could still "feel" that paranoia whenever I lit up a cigarette.

It took maybe 2-3 months, but eventually I stopped smoking cigarettes all together, and even now almost 20 years later, just one drag starts to make me feel sick.

Of course, then I had a pot smoking problem, but that's a different story, which required a different solution.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#13

Post by collyw » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:39 PM UTC

happythen wrote: post #7

Awesome. So the last two years I have asked people if they know anyone with shrooms, I really wanted to quit dipping (Copenhagen tobacco), been dipping for 15 years, and heard this really works. No one I knew had any leads, not really shocked by that. But I quit dipping anyways, about 6 months ago. Moral of the story: sometimes your friends don't have illegal drugs and you have to suck it up and do right things the h…

You aren't too far from the Netherlands where they sell truffles as far as I understand.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#14

Post by JonAtkinson » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:39 PM UTC

I used another psychedelic (DMT) to self treat my alcoholism. While it is early days still, I am almost 600 days sober.

The drug allowed to me introspect and access my mind in a way which was previously blocked. From the perspective it unlocked, it was easy to see the harm I was doing to myself and others. It changed my life.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#15

Post by npo9 » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:40 PM UTC

happythen wrote: post #7

Awesome. So the last two years I have asked people if they know anyone with shrooms, I really wanted to quit dipping (Copenhagen tobacco), been dipping for 15 years, and heard this really works. No one I knew had any leads, not really shocked by that. But I quit dipping anyways, about 6 months ago. Moral of the story: sometimes your friends don't have illegal drugs and you have to suck it up and do right things the h…

More than any other illegal drug mushrooms are the easiest to obtain for someone who’s social network is failing themes.

Between spore syringes and mushroom hunting.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#16

Post by npo9 » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:43 PM UTC

phillc73 wrote: post #12

A similar story, with a sample size of one - me. Smoking marijuana helped me quit smoking cigarettes. One of the reasonably well known side effects of smoking pot is sometimes a feeling of intense paranoia. Well, over a period of a few months, I was regularly smoking pot in the evenings and convinced myself that smoking cigarettes would kill me and while stoned I was able to exaggerate these feelings to the point of…

How did you quit heavy cannabis usage?

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#17

Post by MichaelApproved » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:45 PM UTC

phillc73 wrote: post #12

A similar story, with a sample size of one - me. Smoking marijuana helped me quit smoking cigarettes. One of the reasonably well known side effects of smoking pot is sometimes a feeling of intense paranoia. Well, over a period of a few months, I was regularly smoking pot in the evenings and convinced myself that smoking cigarettes would kill me and while stoned I was able to exaggerate these feelings to the point of…

We're you worried the Cigarettes would pick up a knife and kill you? Because that would be paranoid.

Thinking they'd kill you with cancer sounds reasonable.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#18

Post by MichaelApproved » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:48 PM UTC

AllegedAlec wrote: post #6

Technically speaking, smoking also helps smokers kick the habit, albeit over a period of 40/50 years or so on average. Good for that woman that this helped her, but, as the article said, it takes you a few months and a whole lot of money to do this, as well as a host of other factors. It's hardly a cure-all.

Who's calming that it is a cure-all? This is one more tool people might be able to use in their struggle to quit.

It might be expensive but so is smoking. Between the cost of cigarettes, healthcare, and lost productivity, I'm sure smoking is more expensive.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#19

Post by rocelot » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:48 PM UTC

AllegedAlec wrote: post #6

Technically speaking, smoking also helps smokers kick the habit, albeit over a period of 40/50 years or so on average. Good for that woman that this helped her, but, as the article said, it takes you a few months and a whole lot of money to do this, as well as a host of other factors. It's hardly a cure-all.

I don't think the broader implication is that it's a cure-all, but there's significant research being done that points to it being far more effective than you may be giving it credit for. I'm at work and can't pull up sources but there's a group at John's Hopkins as well as a number of others - Tim Ferriss has a ton of links I believe, if you feel like looking into it. Speaking anecdotally, I have a number of friends who make very compelling arguments as to how remarkably transformative a single session (with the right intention set and setting) can be to your broader outlook with regard to addiction issues and depression. I wouldn't dismiss it outright or trivialize it just yet.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#20

Post by npo9 » Wed, Oct 16, 2019, 1:49 PM UTC

I think it’s clear that there is a push for magic mushrooms to follow the same path as Cannabis has.

It’s very hard to fight the war on drugs (from a personal liberty standpoint) one drug at a time. From my political position it’s personally insulting that institutions such as the DEA and FDA tell me what I can and cannot put into my body. I’m an adult, I can either make those decisions for myself or hire experts for consultation to help me make the decision.