Let's shake things up, shall we, spirits?
You see a nothing at a gallows, being prepared to face public execution--presumably for some crime. All of a sudden, fourteen underscores appear in the air, magically floating above the gallows. As if by instinct, you realise you must guess the letters of a phrase, to save that nothing from slowly turning into a man to be killed. Luckily, you're a spirit, with other spirits about--conveniently capable of speaking a single letter at a time, and assembling many letters in unison. You can prevent this nothing from turning into a very executable man.
Importantly, for some reason, you also know that spaces are not recognised as letters. That the fourteen-letter phrase could be multiple words. This mysterious voice in your head may also be playing tricks. Who can say for sure..
You don't understand how a nothing can turn into a man, or how a trial can be held for a nothing, or even how any of this amounts to any real-world logic whatsoever. However, you do recognise an opportunity--an opportunity to do something good. Probably.
With this in mind, what do you guess?
The nothing used to be a man--Gregory McFarlane was the name. If you save Greg, you get to know his crime (by writing history, if stuff wasn't nonsensical enough already). However, if you fail, your day will be brighened up by having to create his headstone. Oh, and his middle name, too. He won't be alive to care what it is.
Greg looked like this, before becoming nothing:
O
/|\
/\
Six strikes, you realise. A letter bank below. Letters only--no spaces, numbers, specials or the like. You feel the possibility of a hint after three strikes. You also sense you can guess the entire phrase at once, if you're daring. A response is only heard after saying "Goodbye". Good luck, spirits.
STRIKES: 5/6
BAD LETTERS: A H I N X
HINT: Music
THE [Imaginary] GALLOWS, AND GREG BEING ASSEMBLED, DESPITE ALL LAWS OF PHYSICS:
O
/|\
/
Super long read, sorry in advance! I'm honestly a yapper. First part.
The thing is, they call them "painkillers" instead of "opioids". I research drugs so much before trying them. I know my limits. I practice harm reduction, which minimises my chance of having a bad experience. Oxycodone is a highly dangerous drug, and people are not made aware of these side effects before being given them as a prescription.
It's just a painkiller for surgery called Percocet.
Having never done oxycodone, probably means that I should already know that oxycodone could end up being a miserable time for me, instead of the misery being unexpected. When the time comes for surgery, I am prepared and equipped with as much information on the substance as possible. A side benefit of my LSD usage is the building of my resilience to narcotics, essentially, because that is genuinely something I have a skill in. Truly, and genuinely. Practice makes permanent.
The chance of me disliking oxycodone are now minimalised, due to research, and practice of harm reduction. Being specifically skilled in this is an incredible gift. I now know how to perceive the high. I'll talk about my opioid use later, I want to discuss something else.
Why choose to use them?
Not only does LSD help me become more headstrong and self accepting, it is also one I am remarkably tolerant to, and can push to extremes. I took 150μg of LSD with 300mg of DXM (dextromethorphan, cough suppressant, dissociative similar to ketamine, if you didn't know), and a 25mg edible, which felt like my first life-altering experience, and it was deeply healing. Not only that, but I had 150mg of diphenhydramine (yes, Benadryl challenge) because I enjoy deliriants, and also not throwing up. Benadryl does reduce the nausea caused by DXM, typically.
Also, yes, I enjoy deliriants. Be extremely careful with these, they are very harmful when overused. I take protective supplements and only use quite rarely.
It's odd, because deliriants are typically described as hellish. However, I am very tolerant to it. I find its visuals mesmerising, with minimal psychological change or turmoil. It's a gentle ride for me with barely any hallucinations at all. Related is how MDMA can cause severe depression despite its initial benefits on the body, due to repeatedly raised serotinin levels (essentially shocking the brain). Benadryl is similar. Otherwise, it's a very subdued high for me. I'm not destroying my brain by overindulging in the drug like many inadvertently do. I am aware of its impact, and limit myself. Harm has been minimised to a degree I find consensual.
I understand what goes into my body very well. I understand the majority of drugs' impact on receptors in the brain, and parts of the body. I understand every effect, every side effect, every impact of use. This does not mean I will not be harmed at all, this simply means I am equipped with as many ways to reduce harm to myself as possible. I must stress how important moderation is, as Benadryl is linked to dementia. I take huperzine A to reverse damage caused by depleted choline, which is the cause for dementia. This is also why nicotine negates Benadryl's effects well, because nicotine is neuroprotective in some aspects due to raised cholinergic activity.
Did you know that in moderation, nicotine actually supports memory? Prevents dementia? And, yes, increases the risk for cancer. Imagine if we treated it as such? There is, however, often some form of cost, somewhere, not necessarily due to physical harm, but mental harm as well, if you are unprepared. A key is that I am an overall healthy individual, and I practice in careful moderation, and never make decisions I'll regret. As well as this, because I practice harm reduction, I recognise my own impulsive decisions, and minimise how often I use a substance.
DXM is one I overindulged in. I slightly hurt myself, but impact was extremely minimal, because I caught it early, and slowed down. That doesn't mean it's all bad, though it has downsides. A positive is, in some instances, DXM may actually have neurological benefits, and support the brain positively.
A second source.
And, a third.
Did you know that NyQuil, the horrible drug teens are using to get high, actually contains harmful additives for further cough suppressing effects? It is safe in moderation, of course, and is great for this purpose, but getting high off of DXM requires entire bottles, which causes major stress on the body, and may require medical attention. That is not what it is made for.
But DXM isn't actually that harmful.
DXM, on its own, in tiny 30mg pellets, with no addatives, is pure. It has no toxic additives. It is, therefore, neuroprotective in some cases, in moderation. I may use 300mg in one dose every few weeks, and may stand to somewhat benefit from it. The benefit isn't something I'm chasing, however. It's just interesting.
Yet, nobody knows this, and laws are being passed to restrict access to these medications, because people do not understand what's going into their bodies. This is why it's so important to thoroughly research everything.
I'm not perfect, either. I accidentally mixed DXM with 5-HTP, and suffered minor serotonin syndrome for a few hours. It was bad, but not serious. I started to understand all drugs' affects on the brain more thoroughly after this incident, and now understand its impact on the body in conjunction with all other substances.
I can read any drug combination before I decide it's safe to try. DXM and 5-HTP is hazardous. Now I know better, and won't repeat the mistake.