Tales from the Drugged Side, Episode 1

The first time I ever drank alcohol was when I was 14... I believe it was brandy and milk.

I threw up shortly after my first sip. Wouldn't be the last time.

First time I smoked pot, I was 15. Totally not my bag, baby.

BUT, the first time I tried acid...I was 16, and well, it turned into a love-affair for a good couple of years.

My first hit was provided by some stoner friend who I had a crush on.

It was a teeny tiny piece of paper, with a believe a peace symbol on it.

Stoner friend and I split it. I think it was a single hit, but it could have been a double. Not sure.

We were at school.

I started to feel a little groovy around lunch time and I believe we cut the rest of class, because I distinctly remember the following:

In Cupertino, there were some sewer tunnels which happened to be permanently out of order. In the beginning, I never really went far into the tunnel, but eventually, when high, I would. Graffiti would line the walls, tagging of kids from the Cupertino area and beyond. There was some really beautiful artwork in there.

But back to my story...

For some reason, and I don't think we had like a portable radio with us or anything, but I recall hearing Depeche Mode's (my favorite band) song "World in my Eyes" throughout this trip.

And I tell you with all sincerity, that I'd never heard anything so beautiful in my life... to that point.

I could hear every nuance of that song; every note; every beat; every word.

Everything turned crystal clear. My hearing was magnified.

The sky was the most beautiful shade of blue without a single cloud in sight.

In the tunnel, our laughter echoed.

That's one of the good side effects from acid... you get a kick out of everything. An ant crossing your path could send you into a good ten-minute laugh.

And your mouth... it hurts after a while from all of the smiling you do. You have temporary happiness spread wide on your face.

I think we peaked about two or three hours from taking the hit. At peak, you are feeling the grooviest of groovies. Everything feels so good, tastes so good...

We didn't take enough to start seeing things. We took just the right amount.

After you peak, it's only downhill from there. After gaining much experience in the acid field, I'd learned to be prepared for coming down. It takes oh, anywhere from about 5-6 hours.

I could see how some people might have gone insane.

It was best to drop during the day, so you could actually sleep at night, but if you took it at night... forget about it. You're screwed.

Drinking orange juice too made the effects from the acid stronger... or maybe that was all in my mind.

Nevertheless, this love affair between acid (whom my friends and I would refer to as Bill) and myself wouldn't end for some time...

... I still miss him.