November 11, 2025
Trip-splainers vs doom-sayers
On Trying Two Dozen Different Psychedelics
From mail‑order powders to 'merit badges': fans, skeptics, and shroom evangelists collide
TLDR: A writer tried about 24 psychedelics and shared the mail‑order “research chemical” era. The comments exploded: some mocked trip-bragging, others urged safe first steps with mushrooms, while skeptics warned about tampering with the mind’s wiring—making this a clash of curiosity, caution, and culture wars over altered states.
The author admits to chasing two dozen trippy chemicals—some bought as “research chemicals” back in Moscow—and the comments instantly turned into a psychedelic family feud. One camp rolled their eyes at the “I survived X” brag culture, with homeonthemtn calling out the new wave of trip flexing as messed-up “merit badges.” Another crew showed up like festival guides, insisting that, if you’re in a good headspace and a safe place, mushrooms are the beginner-friendly door to wonder.
Then came the buzzkill geniuses, waving caution flags. cannonpr dropped the big existential question: why roll the dice on chemicals that could alter your mind in ways science barely understands? Meanwhile, the thrill-seekers teased obscure picks like ibogaine, whispering “maybe it’s underhyped… because danger,” while rsynnott joked that trip #24 probably feels like binge-watching Season 8 of your brain.
Between talk of plain-envelope powders and nods to Alexander Shulgin’s “magical” molecule tinkering, the thread split into three vibes: the badge-haters, the shroom evangelists, and the philosophical worriers. And yes, there were giggles at ordering brain “gears” by mail with labels that scream “Not For Human Consumption.” The real trip? Watching everyone argue whether the dose is the story—or the brag is the trip.
Key Points
- •The author tried about two dozen different psychedelics, largely obtained as “research chemicals.”
- •At the time in Russia, many psychedelics were not scheduled, allowing legal purchase via online vendors using “Not For Human Consumption” labels.
- •Packages arrived as labeled powders in small bags, contrasting with legitimate suppliers like Sigma-Aldrich.
- •The article explains why many psychedelics exist: structural modifications to known compounds, with outcomes ranging from inactivity to harmful side effects or psychoactivity.
- •Sasha Shulgin’s “Magical Half-Dozen” illustrates potency variation among similar phenethylamines, e.g., DOM (≈1–7 mg) versus mescaline (≈100–1000 mg).