Responsible use

If you're considering using psychedelics, it's vital to education yourself on responsible use, especially if you have a pre-existing mental health problem or a predisposition to mental health problems (such as close relatives with anxiety, depression, psychosis or schizophrenia). As a minimum we recommended reading:

• How to Use Psychedelics' guide on the safe use of psychedelics
• PsychonautWiki's page on responsible use
• The DrugScience pages on LSD and psilocybin
• Detailed information on the substance under consideration

You may also benefit from checking out:

• The chapter on psychedelic safety from The Essential Psychedelic Guide
• Erowid's Fundamentals of Responsible Psychoactive Use
• The everything2 Responsible Drug User's Oath

1. Investigate the health risks and dangers of the specific psychoactive and of the class of drugs to which it belongs.
2. Learn about interactions and contraindications with other recreational drugs, medications, supplements, and activities.
3. Review individual health concerns, predispositions, and family health history.
4. Be aware of relevant laws and penalties.
5. Choose a source or product carefully to help ensure correct identification and purity. (Try to avoid materials with an unknown source or of unknown quality.)
6. Know whether the drug is likely to impair the ability to drive, operate equipment, or pay attention to necessary tasks.
7. Take oneself "off duty" from responsibilities that might be interfered with (job, child care, etc.), and arrange for someone else to be "on duty".
8. Anticipate reasonably foreseeable risks to oneself and others, and employ safeguards to minimize those risks.
9. Choose an appropriate occasion and location for use.
10. Decide how much to use and measure dosages carefully.
11. Begin with a low dose until individual reactions are known and thereafter use the minimum dose necessary to achieve the desired effects: lower doses are safer doses.
12. Reflect on and adjust use to minimize physical and mental health problems.
13. Note changes in health over time that may be related to use.
14. Modify use if it interferes with work or personal goals.
15. Check in with peers and family, and accept feedback about one's use.
16. Track reactions to specific drugs and dosages in order to avoid repeating mistakes.
17. Seek treatment if needed.
18. Decide not to use if the time isn't right, the material is suspect, or the situation is otherwise problematic.

Fundamentals of Responsible Psychoactive Use, Erowid