On Being Stoned

DRCNet Homepage | Sign on to DRCNet

Contents | Feedback | Search

DRCNet Library | Schaffer Library

The Psychedelic Library | Book Menu | Table of Contents

Charles T. Tart, Ph. D.

Chapter 25. Experience in Using Drugs

THE 150 USERS had a wide range of experience in drug use. Marijuana use ran from less than six months experience to more than eleven years use. Seventy-two percent had tried major psychedelic drugs such as LSD.
Three background analyses for drug use were carried out, namely, by total amount of use of marijuana, frequency of use of marijuana in the six months immediately preceding filling out the questionnaire, and use or non-use of major psychedelics.
Total marijuana use was divided, according to the method described in Chapter 5, so as to yield three groups, termed Heavy Total users, Moderate Total users, and Light Total users. Frequency of use in the preceding six months also produced three groups, the Daily, Weekly, and Occasional users. Users of Psychedelics were those who had tried any major psychedelic drug at least once.
The number of significant comparisons for each of these background variables is presented in Table 25-1, below. While Frequency of Use yielded only a few more significant comparisons than might be expected by chance, Total Use and Psychedelic Use yielded many more, and so are highly significant factors affecting marijuana intoxication.

TABLE 25-1
NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT COMPARISONS,
VARIOUS BACKGROUND VARIABLES
SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL	TOTAL USE	FREQUENCY OF USE	USE OF PSYCHEDELICS	EXPECTED BY CHANCE

</= .05	42	21	33	19
</= .01	9	7	13	4
</= .001	5	1	4	0

As detailed descriptions of the effects of each of the three background variables have been presented with each item description, this chapter will summarize these effects on a dimension of greater or lesser drug experience. That is, Users of Psychedelics have more drug experience than Non-users, Heavy Total users more than Moderate Total users, Weekly users more than Occasional users, etc. Most of the three category comparisons (Total Use and Frequency of Use) showed a linear trend, i.e., the Heavy or Daily category users showing the greatest frequency or highest minimal level, the Moderate or Weekly next highest, and the Light or Occasional users the least. Thus the summary statements in the following tables that "users with more drug experience report effect X more or less frequently or at higher or lower levels than users with less drug experience" generally adequately summarizes a finding.
Ten percent of the significant differences were not linear: the Moderate or Weekly users showed the highest or lowest value. These nonlinear effects, mostly from the Frequency of Use analyses, are shown in a separate table.
Table 25-2 summarizes 40 effects experienced more frequently by users with greater drug experience. Overall frequency of occurrence is summarized in the usual type style code.

TABLE 25-2
EFFECTS MORE FREQUENT IN USERS WITH MORE DRUG EXPERIENCE
CATEGORY	INTOXICATION EFFECT [a]	SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL


Vision	SENSUAL QUALITY TO VISION, T AURAS AROUND PEOPLE, P AURAS AROUND OBJECTS, T, P FACE CHANGES, P VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS, T	.01 .0005 .05, .05 .01 .05
Hearing	SPACE BECOMES AN AUDITORY SPACE, P	.05
Touch	VIVID TACTILE IMAGERY, T	.05
Taste	SALIVATE A LOT, T RETASTE FOOD WHEN BELCHING, T	.01 .05
Smell	NEW QUALITIES TO SMELL, T SMELLS, RICHER, MORE UNIQUE, T. P	.05 .05, .05
Space/Time	TIME PASSES RAPIDLY, T	.05
Paranormal	TELEPATHY, T Precognition, T, F Magical operations, F	.01 .05, .001 .01
Body	AWARE INTERNAL ORGANS IN DEFECATING, T FEELINGS OF ENERGY IN BODY, P Feel energy in spine, P Aware of chakra centers, T BODY FEELS SMALLER, T FEEL STRONGER, T MOVEMENTS AWKWARD, UNCOORDINATED, T, F, P	.05 .05 .05 .05 .05 .01 .05, .05, .01
Social	LESS NOISY AT PARTIES THAN WHEN STRAIGHT, F	.05
Sex	MORE NEED FOR SEX IF SITUATION APPROPRIATE, P CLOSER TO SEXUAL PARTNER, UNION OF SOULS, P	.05 .0005
Thought	ABSORBED, ATTENTION MUST BE GOTTEN FORCIBLY, P MORE SUBTLE HUMOR, T EASIER TO READ, T	.05 .05 .05
Memory	RECALL MORE OF MATERIAL READ, T, F, P GOOD MEMORY FOR PERIODS OF INTOXICATION, F	.001 .05, .05 .01
Control	EASILY SIDETRACKED, P COMPULSIVE DESIRE TO GET HIGHER, T, F EXTRA ENERGY, EFFICIENCY FOR TASKS, T CAN COME DOWN AT WILL, T, F, P	.05 .01, .05 .001 .05, .05, .01
Identity	PERSONALITY CHANGES TEMPORARILY, F FEEL POWERFUL, CAPABLE, INTELLIGENT, T EVENTS, ACTIONS ARCHETYPAL, P	.05 .05 .05
Spiritual	IN TOUCH WITH A HIGHER POWER, P MEDITATE MORE EFFECTIVELY, F	.01 .01
Miscellaneous	GO UP IN JUMPS, T	.05

[a] The letter T (Total Use), F (Frequency of Use), or P (Use of Psychedelics)
following each effect indicates which background variables were the significant ones.
One would expect that users with more drug experience would have experienced a wider variety of effects. Three rare effects and 18 infrequent effects are indeed experienced more frequently by users with more drug experience.
Table 25-3 summarizes 23 effects experienced less frequently by the more experienced users; Table 25-4, the 20 effects for which more experienced users have a higher minimal level of intoxication; and Table 25-5, the 18 effects for which they have a lower minimal level.

TABLE 25-3
EFFECTS LESS FREQUENT IN USERS WITH MORE DRUG EXPERIENCE
CATEGORY	INTOXICATION EFFECT	SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL

Vision	PERIPHERAL VISION CHANGES, P	.01
Hearing	UNDERSTOOD WORDS OF SONGS BETTER, T. P	.05, .01
Touch	OBJECTS SEEM HEAVIER, MASSIVE, P	.05
Taste	DELAY BETWEEN CHEWING AND TASTING, P ENJOY EATING AND EAT A LOT, P	.01 .05
Space/Time	LOSE TRACK, NEED TO REORIENT, P	.05
Body	LOSE AWARENESS OF BODY PARTS NOT FOCUSED, P PAIN MORE INTENSE IF CONCENTRATED ON, P LOSE ALL CONSCIOUSNESS OF BODY DURING FANTASY TRIPS, F MOVEMENT EXCEPTIONALLY SMOOTH, P	.0005 .05 .01 .01
Social	HARD TO PLAY ORDINARY SOCIAL GAMES, T FEEL PARANOID, P	.0005 .01
Thought	LESS THOUGHT TO CONSEQUENCES OF ACTIONS, T THOUGHTS SLIP AWAY BEFORE GRASPED, F. P HERE AND NOW, T MIND FEELS LESS EFFICIENT, T, P HARDER TO READ, T MIND GOES BLANK, P	.001 .05, .05 .01 .05, .05 .01 .05
Memory	THINK SAID SOMETHING WHEN HAVEN'T, T P	.05
Control	Worry about losing control, F CAN'T COME DOWN AT WILL, P	.05 .05
Aftereffects	HARD TO ORGANIZE NEXT DAY, T. P	.05, .01
Miscellaneous	INNER VISIONS AS REAL AS NOCTURNAL DREAMS, F	.05

TABLE 25-4
EFFECTS THAT USERS WITH MORE DRUG EXPERIENCE
MUST BE MORE INTOXICATED TO EXPERIENCE
CATEGORY	INTOXICATION EFFECT	SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL

Vision	PERIPHERAL VISION CHANGES, P BLURRINESS OF VISION, F MORE CENTRALITY OF VISION, F PULSING OF VISION, P	.05 .05 .05 .05
Hearing	SPACE BECOMES AN AUDITORY SPACE, T	.05
Space/Time	TIME PASSES MORE SLOWLY, T EVENTS FOLLOW EACH OTHER JERKILY, P	.05 .05
Social	TALK MORE, P PEOPLE HAVEN'T NOTICED I'M STONED, T. P	.0l 05, .05
Thought	ABSORBED, ATTENTION MUST BE GOTTEN FORCIBLY T	.05
Memory	FORGET START OF CONVERSATION, T THINK I'VE SAID SOMETHING WHEN HAVEN'T, P	.05 .05
Emotion	Usually feel bad when stoned, T GIGGLE A LOT, T	.05 .05
Control	EASILY SIDETRACKED, P EXTRA ENERGY, EFFICIENCY FOR TASKS, T CAN COME DOWN AT WILL, P	.05 .05 .01
Sleep	EARLY EVENING DROWSINESS, T, F SLEEP PARTICULARLY REFRESHING, F DREAMS LESS VIVID OR FORGOTTEN, T	.001, .01 .05 .05

TABLE 25-5
EFFECTS THAT USERS WITH MORE DRUG EXPERIENCE
CAN EXPERIENCE AT LOWER LEVELS OF INTOXICATION
CATEGORY	INTOXICATION EFFECT	SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL

Vision	SENSUAL QUALITY TO VISION, T	.05
Taste	VIVID TASTE IMAGERY, P	.05
Space/Time	TIME STOPS, P	.05
Paranormal	TELEPATHY, P	.05
Body	PAIN MORE INTENSE IF CONCENTRATED ON, T	.05
Social	LESS NOISY AT PARTIES THAN WHEN STRAIGHT, P SAY MORE PROFOUND THINGS, P People seem like robots, P PLAY ELABORATE GAMES, T, P	.05 .05 .05 .05, .05
Sex	MORE NEED FOR SEX, P CLOSER TO SEXUAL PARTNER, T. F	.0005 .05, .05
Thought	LESS THOUGHT TO CONSEQUENCES OF ACTIONS, F INSIGHTS INTO OTHERS, T SPONTANEOUS INSIGHTS INTO SELF, P	.05 .05 .01
Memory	MISTAKE FANTASY FOR MEMORY, T	.05
Identity	FEEL POWERFUL, CAPABLE, INTELLIGENT, T, F	.01, .05
Spiritual	MEDITATE MORE EFFECTIVELY, P	.05
Miscellaneous	MORE INVOLVED IN ORDINARY TASKS, T	.05

In the basic model of drug intoxication set forth in Chapter 2, it was hypothesized that increasing experience with drug-induced states of consciousness would generally result in the user's experiencing fewer negative, unpleasant effects and/or that such negative effects would be pushed to higher levels of intoxication. This is generally confirmed by the data. Of the 19 unequivocally "undesirable" effects (discussed fully in Chapter 21), about half are experienced significantly less frequently or have higher minimal levels for the users with more drug experience, with only one comparison being significant in the opposite direction.
It was also hypothesized that increased drug experience would generally lead to increased control of the intoxicated state. This is also confirmed by the data. Experienced users worry less frequently about losing control, find less frequently that they can't come down if necessary, must be more intoxicated to be sidetracked, and can come down at will more frequently and from higher levels. The one finding contrary to this hypothesis is that they experienced being easily sidetracked more frequently.
A heavy marijuana user would also have many more occasions on which he had to function in ordinary (non-drug subculture) situations with ordinary people. A number of background differences, in addition to increased control, would seem to reflect this need to function frequently in ordinary situations, namely, increased frequency of ease in reading and good memory for periods of intoxication; decreased frequency of losing track and needing to reorient, finding it hard to play ordinary social games, feelings of paranoia about companions, giving less thought to consequences of actions, here-and-now-ness (too much would interfere with planning), and thinking you've said something when you haven't.
The thirteen non-linear effects of background variables are summarized in Table 25-6.

TABLE 25-6
NON-LINEAR EFFECTS OF TOTAL USE AND FREQUENCY OF USE
CATEGORY	INTOXICATION EFFECT: WEEKLY OR MODERATE USERS	SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL

More frequently experience:
Space/Time	SPACE, AIR TAKES ON SOLID QUALITY, F	.05
Social	LESS NOISY AT PARTIES THAN WHEN DRUNK, T	.05
	STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY COMPANIONS, F	.05
Less frequently experience:
Thought	MORE WILLING TO ACCEPT CONTRADICTIONS, T	.01
Must be more intoxicated to experience:
Vision	VISUAL JIGGLE, T, F	.05, .01
	IMAGERY WHILE READING, F	.05
Body	PHYSICALLY RELAXED, DON'T WANT TO MOVE, F	.05
	MOTIONS EXCEPTIONALLY SMOOTH, F	.05
Thought	FINISH TASK EVEN THOUGH MENTALLY LOST TRACK OF, T	.05
Memory	CONVERSE INTELLIGENTLY DESPITE SHORTENING OF MEMORY SPAN, F	.05
	THINK SAID SOMETHING WHEN HAVEN'T, F	.01
Need be less intoxicated to experience:
Hearing	SPACE BECOMES AN AUDITORY SPACE, T	.05
Taste	CRAVE SWEET THINGS, T	.05

DRCNet Homepage | Sign on to DRCNet

Contents | Feedback | Search

DRCNet Library | Schaffer Library

The Psychedelic Library | Book Menu | Table of Contents

On Being Stoned

Charles T. Tart, Ph. D.

Chapter 25. Experience in Using Drugs

Chapter 26

Contents | Feedback | Search | DRCNet Library | Schaffer Library

The Psychedelic Library | Book Menu | Table of Contents