What is it Like to Have a Bad Trip

Many people who are starting to experiment with drugs have been warned off hallucinogens by being told they could have a "bad trip."

"What's the problem?" many people think. "It can't be that bad, and soon the drug will wear off. Everyone knows that the government exaggerates the effects of drugs, to try and scare you out of taking them and having a good time." If only it were so simple!

While many portrayals of drug problems seem over-stated and melodramatic, such as the famous "Reefer Madness" and "This is your brain on drugs" films, it is actually concern for the well-being of the population that is behind these seemingly ridiculous campaigns. The truth of it is that drug experiences are really internal experiences, that range from non-descript to overwhelming, and they are very difficult to convincingly convey through words and pictures.

But people thinking of experimenting with drugs do need to be warned that bad trips are a real risk of hallucinogenic drugs, such as acid and magic mushrooms. Most pass relatively quickly without consequence, although at the time, they can seem to go on forever, while others can lead to emotional after-effects, and others can have quite devastating long term effects. With the specific experiences of hallucinogenic drugs varying greatly from drug to drug, batch to batch, user to user, and from one time to the next, it really is impossible to predict what a bad trip might be like for you.

If you want to get a sense of what a bad trip could be like, take a read of these Five Bad Acid Trip Stories. Remember, they are not supposed to describe what taking hallucinogens would be like for you, but serve as a warning through describing the worst case scenarios that have actually happened when real people have taken acid.