drugs and the ego

[infekt]

I was just thinking about this the other night. Say your ego is something that needs things to live, such as compliments, self-pity, gratification, pride etc. In a sense it breathes them in. The ego needs these things to survive.

Now we all know different drugs can have an effect on the ego..what exactly are these effects? Keep in mind this is supposed to be pretty light hearted..

Psychedelics - Temporarily send the ego to pack his bags and leave the mind

Opiates - Put the ego on a respiratory machine type of deal, where it doesn't have any problem breathing in and out, all that's necessary is supplied. The ego takes deep long breathes and is able to relax.

Deleriants - Smacks the ego repeatedly with a spiked bat



Anyone have one for stimulants, downers, dissociatives, empathogens, etc?

[Wierd Logic]

Once on four cubes of acid Monkey completely forgot who he was for hours (he forgot where he was and how he'd got there too, but that isn't relevant). Monkeys head had to work pretty hard to keep it all under control, but eventually he wrote down and carried round with him "You don't know who you are or where you are but you're having stupid amounts of fun. You will probably become sober at some point but for the meantime just party".

Monkey still has the piece of paper, and treasures it. Monkey thinks his ego went through a transformation that night and came out the other side stronger for it. The feeling of not needing to know who Monkey was was very liberating.

Reputation Comments on this post:

I enjoyed "You will probably become sober at some point but for the meantime just party".

[lostmente]

Those moments make me wonder who swim in when he's not present, unfort no one present at those times is sober or present enough to really comment later on.

Some drugs appear to make swims ego drastically present, swims analytical mind having over emphasized observation of self is really limiting for the self confidence

[splish6]

Just the action of doing drugs can be boosting for the ego, giving you that "badass" feeling of being a druggie.

SWIM must admit his ego likes this.

[Nature Boy]

SWIM has experienced ego loss on psychedelics but only for fleeting moments, not necessarily the blown-open ego loss you read of in some trip reports. This ego loss may have been down to inexperience or a particularly high dosage but it's a very difficult state to attain if you are somewhat disciplined or prepared for it. Once you have a good grasp of psychedelics, from the experience side of it to the informational side of it, ego loss might be harder to find.

[Pope Albacore]

SWIM suffered ego loss when he was a more inexperienced user of chemicals and learned a lot from it. Ego loss for SWIM was often realizing his weaknesses and in doing so he saw ways to mend and repair his ego or id if you will. SWIM says that through the use of chemicals he learned to appreciate many things including life itself. He did note that ego loss seemed to occur more often with psychedelics. SWIM says with stimulants his ego seemed to be boosted to the point of bordering on sociopath like behavior.

-Pope Albacore

[Euthanatos93420]

Originally Posted by Nature Boy

SWIM has experienced ego loss on psychedelics but only for fleeting moments, not necessarily the blown-open ego loss you read of in some trip reports. This ego loss may have been down to inexperience or a particularly high dosage but it's a very difficult state to attain if you are somewhat disciplined or prepared for it. Once you have a good grasp of psychedelics, from the experience side of it to the informational side of it, ego loss might be harder to find.

Could this be a form of self preservation? Can't we just tell the ego to take a perma-hike? Is the ego essential to coherent cognition of reality? Would true and permanant ego death result in insanity? Considering that the ego is what divides the mind would such state actually be sanity? Is the ego a truly destructive force in our mind if not fed to the excess prevelt in today's culture?

These are the questions that Swim is currently mulling over and returning to the original author on the ego...Jung.

[fiveleggedrat]

Swim has a huge nasty ego, and drugs show this. Swim won't even touch stims because he acts like such an idiot on them, ugh. Swim likes drugs that DO NOT affect how he acts, eg, opioids. Swim likes to be the same, normal person on drugs.

Swim's been afraid of psychedelics, that since Swim has such an ego, they would shred him up and leave him looking like a smooshed banana peel. Ego death sounds scary, but Swim'll cross that bridge one day soon.

Swim knows drugs give him more ego, and make him feel special.

[humdroid]

Unsure if anyone else knows of this phenomena, but Y's ego gets bigger and bigger the longer they're off drugs. Y sometimes has to check that he dosen't come across full of himself, as he is so proud to be able to put yet one more straight day under his belt.

Psychedelic wise, the ego has to be secure in order to be able to hover on, or fly over the threshold of consciousness.
As Y's ego isn't secure, (given how egocentric he gets when straight) small doses of psychedelics have found to be a good medicine. Y knows small doses can cause anxiety, but they strengthen Y's ego, not in an egotistical way, more in a security way.
They teach Y things he, perhaps, could have done with knowing as a toddlert, plus fascinating lessons on science, humanity and the universe.
All Y needs to do, when on psychedelics, is to be prepared to honestly acknowledge the parts of Y's consciousness the psychedelics deem Y is ready to face. A tad uncomfy at time, but worth it, as Y feels this balances things out and grounds him more.

Speed, Y can be arsed to get down to some serious work. The aftereffects of taking it too often, seemed to have been a hurdle when Y was not taking speed, for health, financial, availabiltiy, or ego-centric reasons.

Y has tentatively been experimenting with kratom. Y shied away from Kratom as opiates scare the shit out of Y. Y has had DF118 experiences, which while relaxing and fluffy, were missing something?
Y worried Kratom may lead him in the same place as his poor heroin addicted mates.
Y is waiting to come up on some Kratom now, after taking about seven grams about fifteen minutes ago.
Y likes the opiate high but wishes there was something else to it.

Y has not experimented with deleriants or the higher psychedelics like DMT or Salvia, or Datura.
Its not that Y is scared of them in the same way as smack, it's just not Y's time for these.

Stimulants (speed only as Y don't like coke) Y said that, with speed, the downs are a real part of the package, the user needs to know that personally, they can be accommodated for. For instance, one user may cope with waiting to score, or not scoring, better than another.

Dissociatives, Y has only done K, as the smell of nitrous put Y off.
This is a compulsive thing. Y only had an intermittent supply, but still got obsessed with the experience. Y wasnt a K holer too. Apart from the normal health problems, psychological compulsion is a bugger with K.

K reminds us that we are not just individuals but we are all that is, was, and ever will, be. Actual, thought, dreamt or otherwise, by every one that is, was and ever will be.
For self abosrbed Y, this feeling was good, as Y gets insecure by feeling singled out and alone. Ket reminds us, in its very odd way, that we are one and all. (sorry for the starry description, K is a funny one)