Can You Smoke Shrooms? 9 Risks and Facts

Magic mushrooms are among the most enjoyed psychedelic substances. People eat them, cook with them, and soak them in lemon juice. They are also simply called “shrooms.” But can you smoke shrooms? Psilocybin, a substance found in mushrooms, is what gives users a tripping or high feeling on a physical and mental level. It is possible to amp up their effects by consuming them in different ways, but at what expense? These kinds of psychedelic substances can harm your physical health and overall well-being when consumed or mixed with other substances. Here’s what you need to know before smoking magic mushrooms.

What is Smoking Shrooms?

Psilocybin and/or psilocin-containing mushrooms are commonly known as magic mushrooms or shrooms. These drugs produce different emotions, including hallucinations. Shrooms are typically consumed fresh or dry, though they can occasionally be found in capsule form. In addition, they can be baked into delicacies like mushroom chocolate, brewed into tea, added to cooked dishes, or mixed into juice.

A few psilocybin-containing magic mushrooms are also toxic, which can harm the liver or even result in death. These mushrooms can alter your senses of taste, smell, hearing, touch, and sight, which can impact how you see the world and yourself. When high on mushrooms, users’ bodies might also feel extremely light or heavy. Some even compare getting high on mushrooms to having a religious or spiritual experience. Although the euphoria and other effects are compelling reasons to consume mushrooms, users frequently report having “bad trips” when under the influence. Uncomfortable bodily sensations, unsettling hallucinations, and other symptoms usually accompany these kinds of highs.

Associated Risks & Dangers

Although it is possible to smoke mushrooms, no studies have been conducted to determine the effects of smoking psilocybin. The majority of participants claim to have had minimal, if any, hallucinatory effects. Not like drugs like tobacco or cannabis, the active ingredients in mushrooms, like psilocybin, are heat-sensitive. Put otherwise, smoking mushrooms could not give you the desired high—rather, it might only have the adverse effects of substance use.

Side Effects

Dried mushrooms can have a variety of adverse consequences when consumed or brewed into tea, such as hallucinations and changes in perception of time. Magic mushrooms frequently have the following effects,

• A sense of well-being and joy: Shrooms can often bring a sense of euphemism to a person after consumption.
• Random laughter: Shrooms can make you lose control of your emotions which can lead to random outbursts of laughter.
• Shifts in perception, emotion, thought, and consciousness: Shrooms alter your present reality which can change your perception and thought process for the time being.
• Bodily effects: Shrooms can affect our body as soon as they enter the system. Some of these effects include expanded pupil size, vomiting, nausea, and stomach aches.
• Hallucinations: This is a very common occurrence while dealing with shrooms. A large chunk of people who have consumed shrooms report various hallucinations both visual and auditory.
• Heart issues: Shrooms affect our cardiac system which can result in elevated breathing and erratic or rapid heartbeat.
• Headache: One of the most common effects of shrooms is headache. You can feel like you are having a migraine.
• Alteration of body temperature: Shrooms can often alter our body temperature. You can either feel too cold or too hot. Some people even experience excessive sweating after consuming shrooms.
• Alterations in mood: Shrooms can either make you too happy or get you in a depressive mood. It primarily depends on the emotions you had before consuming the shrooms. These psychedelic substances can also make you feel fear, paranoia, or anxiety.

Risks Associated with Smoking

The same harmful side effects that come with smoking anything can also be caused by smoking mushrooms. Smoking of any kind is harmful to your health. Toxins found in smoke can destroy blood vessels and lung tissue. Smoking psilocybin mushrooms often can cause inflammation and irritation, as well as potentially fatal illnesses like lung cancer. You will also have to deal with the negative consequences of smoking tobacco or marijuana if you combine shrooms with those drugs.

Mold Spores

Since mushrooms are damp-loving fungi, they are often covered in mold. You face the risk of letting mold spores enter your lungs when you smoke mushrooms that contain mold. Certain molds can cause lung irritation and serious illnesses when inhaled. Mold spore inhalation can also result in major and sometimes fatal health issues if you have a mold allergy, a pre-existing lung ailment, or a weakened immune system.

Bad Trips

While some people who use mushrooms report great experiences, others struggle with what is known as a “bad trip.” Those who have a bad trip may feel worried or paranoid and be scared by the shifts in perception, rather than experiencing excitement and appreciating the hallucinations. People frequently experience a bad trip when they are in an unfamiliar setting or are experiencing unpleasant emotions prior to eating mushrooms. It’s advisable to stay away from smoking mushrooms completely because you can never be sure how it will impact you.

Alternative Safe Practices

Practices like microdosing are safer substitutes for consuming magic mushrooms. The practice of taking small doses of psychedelics to achieve modest benefits without experiencing a powerful psychedelic experience is known as microdosing. This method seeks to lessen the possibility of intense feelings and possible psychological discomfort that may accompany higher dosages. Actually, a lot of enthusiastic microdosers discover that taking mushrooms in lesser quantities promotes more creativity and a more laid-back attitude toward the day. Furthermore, combining mushrooms with teas or candies might lessen the uneasy feeling that some users may get while consuming the raw fungus.

Safety Precautions

Although there is no such thing as totally safe chemical use or smoking, there are steps you may take to lessen your risks. If you decide to use shrooms, keep the following advice in mind,

• Select an alternative approach: In general, smoking is not advised, particularly when using shrooms. Most likely, you won’t experience any emotions. Furthermore, you might breathe in dangerous spores.
• Consider your dosage: you should start with the lowest dosage and work your way up gradually. Higher dosages of shrooms mean more unpleasant effects and bad trips. Hallucinogens can be unpredictable.
• Don’t inhale the smoke: Your bare lungs are directly exposed to pollutants for extended periods when you inhale deeply and hold your breath. If you plan to smoke shrooms, make sure to immediately exhale.
• Get a trip sitter: It is recommended to have a sober and reliable person on hand who can help you if you have an intoxicating experience.
• Select the ideal moment: When it comes to psychedelics, your experience is highly dependent on your mood. Regardless of the method you choose, make sure you only take shrooms when you’re feeling good.
• Select the appropriate location: It’s best to go somewhere you feel comfortable and safe. It will calm you down in case you have hallucinations or anxiety.
• Remain hydrated: Mushrooms often cause dry mouth and increase your body temperature. To stay hydrated before, during, and after your psychedelic trip, drink a lot of water. It might also facilitate the downsizing.
• Consume food: Mushrooms can be quite uncomfortable for the digestive system, especially if you consume them orally. Eating anything beforehand will lessen the likelihood that this may occur.
• Avoid mixing: In general, it is not a good idea to combine substances because this increases the unpredictability of the effects. The same applies to alcohol.

Overdose and Addiction

After taking mushrooms regularly for as little as three or four days, it is possible to build up a tolerance. This indicates that in order to have the same high, you would need to consume more mushrooms. Regular mushroom use increases the risk of tolerance, which can result in mental reliance or the need to use the substance in order to feel normal.

Drug users also frequently have severe personal issues. Drinking or doing drugs starts to become a priority rather than friends and family. When substances like mushrooms become too strong for you to handle, you might be tempted to attempt stronger drugs. You might even decide to keep using drugs even if they negatively impact your academic performance. Fortunately, drug rehab centers can treat the long-term psychological effects of abusing psilocybin shrooms in addition to helping you overcome your substance use disorder. You can create a solid, dependable basis for your recovery by combining evidence-based behavioral therapy with group counseling, and relapse prevention planning.

Legal and Safety Concerns

In the United States, smoking shrooms is illegal as they are classified as a Schedule I controlled substance with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Addressing the legal and safety issues related to magic mushrooms is of utmost importance. Psilocybin, the key active ingredient in these mushrooms, is listed as a controlled substance in numerous countries, rendering its possession, usage, or distribution against the law. This legal status extends to smoking shrooms, potentially leading to significant legal repercussions. Moreover, the unregulated nature of these substances means quality and content can vary, posing additional safety risks. Experimentation with smoking shrooms not only ventures into a legal gray area but also raises health safety issues, given the unknowns about the effects of combustion on psilocybin. These factors make it imperative for individuals to be well-informed and cautious, prioritizing their legal safety and health.

Disclaimer

This article is exclusively designed for educational and informative objectives, and it emphatically does not endorse, promote, or suggest the use of any illegal substances. The content herein is presented purely from an academic perspective, aiming to provide knowledge and insights, and should not be interpreted as encouragement or endorsement of any illicit activities or the consumption of controlled substances.

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