Intox Play Primer
Vet for high risk play. If you don't have the utmost trust in someone, control what you're putting in your own body and know where it all came from.
Check for interactions. Yes, this means sharing complete information about whatever medications the person getting drugged is on. No, the interactions are not always intuitive. Yes, this includes things like alcohol. Ideally, ask your doctor about interactions with whatever you're about to play with- they're trained in spotting interactions, you're probably not.
If you've checked the interactions yourself, assume you might have missed something. Even if you've gotten your doctor to check, be aware they might have missed something. I once caught a potassium deficiency issue in someone's existing medication that their doctor prescribed them.
ROUND 1- Use it for its own sake before you play with it. Spend the time together and set yourself up for success: easy access to food, water, comfort media, and comfortable places to sit and lie down. Know how long it should last. Get someone who's used it before to tripsit if you can. Don't give yourself any tasks that involve new skills. Be ready to offer yourself or your partner a redirect from negative or anxious trains of thought.
Know what a good time on your drug physically looks and feels like. This is crucial, because things might go sideways in a way you're not expecting. Don't just be watching for specific signs of an overdose (though those are worth keeping in mind too)- if something seems wrong, get help. Seconds matter and you're probably not a professional.
Similarly: if the drug is at all sedative, or a downer, or long-lasting, and they're unconscious before it's out of their system, check for breathing and check for pulse. Also, your risk profile is your own, but I don't fuck around with hard sedatives- there's too fine a line between which body systems they shut down.
Start with a low-to-standard dose, and adjust doses for any relevant interactions (e.g. estradiol approximately halves liver tolerance [alcohol, weed, diphenhydramine], SSRIs approximately double psychedelic tolerance).
In order to avoid dependence issues, I wait a default of two weeks between recreational uses of any drug. (I only count caffeine here if I'm having more than two cups of tea in a day.)
ROUND 2- Play with it scripted and above board before you play with it in an explicitly cnc way. Your communication and mental state will have shifted, and you'll need to learn to accommodate that; make sure you try things out without added communication barriers first. Also, make sure to talk about how everything went afterwards when you're both sober!
If you're going to adjust doses, do it slowly and carefully. Most easily accessible recreational drugs can be incremented by half the standard dose. Some drugs are incredibly sensitive to fine adjustments; this is why Fentanyl, for example, is so dangerous and not recommended to use.
ROUND 3- Don't get comfortable. Try to have as peaceful and relaxed an experience as you want, and keep an eye on things as you play with different emotional states- but DEFINITELY continue to keep an eye on safety. It doesn't stop being a concern because you've done it once and everything went fine.
ETA- Mind how drugs affect things like pain tolerance! You might miss important signals from your body. Also, pay attention to overlap with your neurotype when planning and risk profiling. You might desire or achieve different effects depending on your own specific brain.
@bubblegumgothglados inspired by an ask I saw you get
ETA- @vekarin-striae mentioned that pharmacists are often cheaper, more specialized, and less invasive to talk to about drug interactions.
Yeah this is great advice, thank you
If I started a list of guides/ primers not written by me could I please include this?
You'd actually be surprised how little doctors know about recreational drug interactions. Pharmacts have better training on this but both are only trained on prescription drugs.
Alcohol is not only a factor: its one of the worst offenders for having numerous dangerous interactions.
If someone becomes unconscious unexpectedly you also need to roll them on their side in case they vomit. Do not leave them alone until they are through it.
SSRIs may cause drugs not to work, but that doesn't make it safe to take more. Seratonin syndrome is deadly, and it will hurt the whole time.
MAOIs have similar risks
Many over the counter cold medicines include DXM which act on seratonin and carry similar risks. (In general, don't mix things that inhibit seratonin with things that generate excess seratonin.)
Erowid.org is your friend: they have dose amounts, onset times, interaction information as well as detailed accounts of others experiences.
Dancesafe.org is your friend. They have test kits, narcan, and a wealth of other harm reduction tools.
Another good source about recreational drugs (how they work, interactions, etc.) is psychonautwiki.org. There's also an app, PsychonautWiki Journal, which can be used to keep track of your drugs intake.
Also, if you're planning to take multiple doses (only recommended for certain drugs): make a clear and well-informed plan and stick to it. (Some drugs may give you the urge to redose more than you planned/is healthy.) And keep track of time between doses! Set a timer for the next dose and stick to that. (Time experience is altered by most drugs, and redosing at the wrong moment can be dangerous (too soon) or pointless (too late).)
More good additions!
