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03 August 2008

My first (and last) joint, hopefully! [More:]Another week-end, another night at Vijay and Avinash's. Only this time, we thought we'd make things a little bit interesting. George, who's had the most experience amongst all of us as far as getting and using dope is concerned, offered to get us some good quality weed to light up on Friday afternoon/evening, after we all got off from work. Since I've heard so much about weed from my US friends, and all the television soaps that I've seen--Iwanted to try it out and see what would happen.

Our salaries were supposed to be credited by 1st, but we had to wait till 8 PM it had been informed to us until we could start taking cash out from the ATMs. Everyone was broke so we were waiting around at Avinahs's and Vijay's for the clock to strike 8, and then make a bee-line for the ATMs. George had already left directly from office to a place called Dhoolpet, which is on the outskirts of the city, to get the weed.

By 8 o'clock, everyone started heading out to check up on their accounts. The first two to come back were Arijeet and Jude. Arijeet had apparently gotten 5,000 Rupees, 12,000 short of what was due to him. Jude hadn't checked up on his yet, so we all freaked out a bit and everyone went one by one to see what the fuck was going on. I took Vijay on my bike to the nearest ATM (I'd told him that we'd go to the one that was a little further down the road, the one which belonged to our bank, but he said it was alright since we could make upto ten free transactions on any ATM in the city without being charged for it).

So we stopped at ICICI bank and Vijay went inside to look up his account info. (By the time he came out he also seemed miffed--he was missing 10,000 Rupees).

We decided to go home from there. I'd already given Avinash a lift to another ATM and his account seemed alright.

A couple of the other guys also came back and they'd had the same problem. Me, I hadn't gotten paid for the past two months because I had not yet given my pan card number to the Pay Roll department, which our government has made it mandatory in order to get paid. So when I'd handed it over to the PR desk last week, and asked them if both the months' salaries would get credited into my account--they said yes. However, I only ended up getting one month's pay--9,000 Rupees, but at least I'd gotten the full amount.

Everyone seemed a little disheartened but we decided to take it up with HR on Monday, and rip the bastards to shreds. We weren't exactly in the mood to party, but we'd all gathered at Vijay and Avinash's, and we were all feeling hungry, so we decided to at least put some food into our mouths. I've been on a diet for the past few weeks, so I usually skip lunch (yeah--yeah--I know how bad that is for my health in the long run, etc, etc,--but my mom's been on my back forever to lose the weight I'd gained in the interceding months by binging on Mc Donald's and Pizza Hut and KFCs, so I thought I would--and by god I've lost some weight; my pants are literally falling off of my hips, and I've gone from a size 42 to a size 38 in a month or two)!!!

Anyway, so as we were all feeling hungry, we started making our trips to the Chicken Centre and the Liquor shops to get what we could. By the time we'd gotten back it had started to pour really heavily but thankfully the food wasn't drenched. It was quite hot actually. 8 fried chickens, and a couple of bottles of Bacardi Rum, along with some orange juice I think.

George had been calling us all evening and giving us updates about where he was and how long he would be taking to get to our place. By the time he'd actually gotten there it was already ten and we had started to dig in, not wanting to let the food turn cold.

George had brought along a couple of friends of his who were also marijuana users, so they sat there and started rolling a joint. Took them quite a while too. I had already finished my food and was ready to see what all the fuss was about. George had already told me about what to expect (think happy thoughts, and you'll be in a good mood; think bad thoughts, and you might get upset--so just chill and let it take you wherever it does). I thought that was a lot of bull--no cigarette like thing was going to take control of my brain. He'd also told me that I'd start seeing things and that I'd be in a magical place all of a sudden. I said okay, and went into the room where we were going to light up with Vijay and Jude, who were going to join me and George and his three buddies.

So there we were, all sitting in a perfect circle, and George did the honours. Jude was sitting next to me and he took the next few puffs and passed the joint onto me, advising me on how to do it (I'd gotten plenty of this from almost everyone even though they thought it was a bad idea for me to be doing it, but I was adamant--I wanted to see for myself what this thing was that everyone kept talking about).

I took the three drags that they'd told me to take, but I think I didn't take it all that well, because I couldn't feel anything the first time, just a slight buzz. The next time, after George's three friends, Vijay and he had had a drag, I saw Jude and made a note of how he was sucking it in; he wasn't letting any of the smoke out, but swallowing it for some reason, so I decided to do the same and see what would happen.

Shit, that just about killed me. I was able to swallow it, but after that, I felt like puking, but I was able to control it. By the time the joint was over I'd already passed on two consecutive turns saying that I'd had my fun, and since the room was completely closed--the smoke in there had really gotten too much. Jude, who was sitting next to me, started waving his hands around and saying that it was enough and that we should stop, thinking that I could not see his hand. I was laughing from within and wondering what do these guys think I am--retarded or something. I told Jude without even looking at him that I knew what he was doing.

By this time Vijay had already put out the joint saying that it was over just for the sake of getting me out of there because the other guys were going to finish it till the end. We all came out and closed the door behind us and I could feel sweat all over my brow, and this funny feeling in my stomach. They told me that whenever you're planning to take this stuff that you should have plenty of food and water.

I came and sat down with the rest of the guys and everyone kind of sort of started acting funny. They were obviously curious to know how I was feeling since Ravi, Sudhakar, Naren, Avinash and Arijeet had not joined me. Arijeet was kind of upset asking George why he had to do this to me, and George said that he had done nothing--that I'd wanted to try it out, and I reiterated it in unison.

I started noticing that they were putting on all the girlie channels, with women showing their butts in bikinis and busts in tight tops. I started laughing again and said that they were lame, and added that I was more happy being there with all of them than watching some crap on tv.

George turned around and said, "What did you say??? What did you say???" and seemed to be satisfied with my response. I tired to focus on his friends but no one seemed to be as out of it except me, and Jude of course, who had already stepped outside the house and kept walking for a couple of minutes.

Vijay sat in the living room for some more time and then decided to join his girlfriend in their bedroom. He was actually supposed to get her admitted into a Paying Guest house but since he didn't have the cash now she had come home with him.

She's a cool girl so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Only problem was I was starting to hallucinate, which I didn't realize at that time. Arijeet, who had on the previous week-end told me that he had quit doing Korex (which is an ink-correction liquid whose fumes you inhale to get high on; it's cheap and basically available at any stationery shop, including mine, and when my dad found out that this is the use that people would make out of it, he'd banned all the college kids who would come by to buy the bottles from him).

So, as soon as I saw him doing what he was doing--you take the polythene cover and use it's handles to place it over your ears, and you put the correction fluid in that and start breathing it in--I went ape-shit. At first I couldn't believe what I was seeing, because it was the most disgusting thing I'd seen. I wanted to get up and punch him, good and hard. But then something else came over me, for some reason I began to think that this whole thing was a joke and Arijeet would not do this to me, and so was able to relax a bit. I sort of laughed again and declared to everyone that I knew everything that was going on and that they had been planning this for weeks.

That's what really bugged me: had all of these guys got together to see what would happened to me. The drug was really starting to take effect now, and I could feel it.

I got up once again (not to fall for the prank that everyone was anticipating I would, or at least that's what I believed). Some one told me that I'd smoked 7 cigarettes continuously so everyone was keeping an out for me.

I'm still feeling sleepy, although this is a Sunday morning, and I'd had it on Friday evening. (I'm listening to Bruce Springsteen songs and can hardly keep my eyes open, although I've just gotten a call from a friend of mine who wants to go out somewhere, I guess I'll have my lunch and head on over to his place.)

Has anyone else had weed before? C'mon--you guys must've--in your youth at least. How did it feel the first time you took it, do you still take it, and how does it make you feel now if you do. Don't worry, I don't plan on making this a habit or something; I enjoy my cranial powers too much to be usurped by this shit.
Nah, never have. Them as wants it is welcome to it.
posted by Wolfdog 03 August | 06:16
I tried it once when I was 12 or so and didn't much take to it. Methamphetamine and alcohol is much more enjoyable.
posted by cmonkey 03 August | 07:01
No, never tried it.
posted by essexjan 03 August | 08:48
Yes. Many times. It wasn't that great for me. I had a couple good highs but mostly I felt like crap. I was young and inexperienced and stupid. I have a lot of bad memories associated with pot, so it makes it doubly undesirable. I haven't smoked it in nearly 15 years. I don't anticipate ever smoking again. I have no desire, and besides I could lose my nursing license.

For people that do indulge, great for them. Everybody's situation is different. I'm not against marijuana. I don't think it should be illegal for adults.
posted by LoriFLA 03 August | 09:34
Couple hundred times. It's cool, but I like it best combined with booze.
posted by jonmc 03 August | 09:39
To the degree that I have one, it's my drug of choice.
posted by box 03 August | 10:34
Why's everyone looking at me?

Man, I could demolish some ice cream.
posted by BitterOldPunk 03 August | 10:39
I could go for eight fried chickens and a couple rum screwdrivers.
posted by box 03 August | 10:42
What's this thread about again?
posted by Hellbient 03 August | 11:02
Has anyone else had weed before? C'mon--you guys must've--in your youth at least.

It's illegal in the US, with laws varying from state to state, and also, using it has social and professional consequences sometimes. Because of that many people who do indulge or have in the past are not much interested in talking about it in places like the internet. That will have some impact on the answers you get.
posted by Miko 03 August | 11:47
C'mon--you guys must've--in your youth at least.

Yes, many people in America experiment with softer drugs in their youth. And many people do not, for various reasons. They may not want to deal with the legal consequences of being caught. They might view drugs as something that losers and lowlifes do. They might have very strict parents who would not be indulgent towards any illegal goings-on.

As for me, I did drugs when I was younger. I've smoked pot a couple of times in the last ten years. But I have a fairly negative attitude toward drug use, mainly because I grew up in a hick town where there wasn't much to do. People got involved with drugs out of boredom. These early experiences have colored my view of drugs today. I view them as . . . lame. Dull. Repetitive. Not very interesting.
posted by jason's_planet 03 August | 12:26
What Miko said.
posted by small_ruminant 03 August | 12:32
Marijuana is my thing, has been for almost a quarter century now. Booze can make me do crazy things, things that I feel embarrassed about for the rest of my life. And feeling dry and shitty the next day. Weed zones me in, relaxing, a little bit fuzzy and stupid but focused and warm and content and all is good.
posted by Meatbomb 03 August | 13:09
You should tell your idiot friend that inhaling correction fluid vapors "can disrupt heart rhythms and cause death from cardiac arrest or lower oxygen levels enough to cause suffocation. Regular abuse of these substances can result in serious harm to vital organs including the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver." It also results in fatality often enough that there's even a name for it: Sudden Sniffing Death. No joke.

Stick with pot if you feel the need to get high. The munchies never killed anyone.

Incidentally, marijuana is not a hallucinogen; if you were hallucinating, it might have been laced with some other substance.
posted by TheDonF 03 August | 14:04
I agree with Meatbomb 100%. And I agree with TheDonF -- huffing paint (and paint-like substances) is possibly the dumbest thing you can do. The second dumbest thing you can do is hang out with paint huffers.
posted by BitterOldPunk 03 August | 14:29
Sure. New Zealand is a very weed-friendly society. I haven't smoked it much in the US though.
posted by gaspode 03 August | 15:37
Sorry, that wasn't TheDonF, that was me.
posted by Specklet 03 August | 16:24
Incidentally, marijuana is not a hallucinogen; if you were hallucinating, it might have been laced with some other substance.

Well, that's a bit debatable. It's not strictly a hallicinogen, but many users report mild visual and aural hallucinations. I'm also pretty skeptical of any claims of marijuana being "laced" with anything - mostly because any substance that could cause hallucinations at such a small, smoked quantity would be much more expensive than weed itself - it's just not economically realistic, in my experience.

I smoked quite a bit in college, as well as tried some other soft drugs once in awhile. I think that a common mistake is that newbies will smoke way too much their first time and then start to feel out of control. Heck, I recall one point about 2 years after I'd started when I smoked way too much and started having a pretty bad time of it. It's best to take it slowly, like with alcohol or anything else.

I quit because it had a real negative effect on my mental space - I had essentially become a recluse due to extreme social anxiety. Also, random drug tests.
posted by muddgirl 03 August | 16:37
The first thing is that if one is on medication for one's mental heath, it is not a good idea to smoke weed.

That said, I have smoked it a few times, mostly during my sophomore year in college. I liked the glow along my spine, but the first time I got high, a boy in my year killed himself in the dorm (not related; he was gay, came from a conservative Louisiana Catholic family and the junior who was his first male relationship had told him he wanted to break up). I still regret not telling him to come find me when came to E's (the BF) room and saw he'd been crying. The only time I ever had the giggles was that night (before the suicide) and they felt like they were being yanked out of me rather than genuine. Also, I wouldn't drive high.

I had space cake and blond hash(not at the same time) when I went to Amsterdam and those experiences confirmed that it's better for me to be around people with whom I'm completely comfortable when I indulge. There were also mushroom shops, but I've read that psychedelics enhance one's mood and my father had just had heart surgery.

Not hallicinougenic? Hmm. I was watching Logan's Run one night in E's room several months after M died and I thought it was real.
posted by brujita 03 August | 16:44
I'm still in my youth and I've never smoked pot (or anything). Never really felt a need to. I've gotten used to the smell, though, and prefer the lingering smell of pot smoke to the stale grossness of cigarettes (although no smoke at all would be great, it's not really realistic on a college campus where the rules are lightly enforced).
posted by dismas 03 August | 17:54
Never tried it.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 03 August | 21:05
I'm not a big fan, but the last time I did it was at a Tool concert a couple of years back. A cute fellow next to me offered me a few puffs, so I took 'em. I enjoyed the interaction more than I enjoyed the pot, because I never really get a buzz off of it.
posted by BoringPostcards 03 August | 21:21
I've found it enjoyable at times, and not as enjoyable at others. So over a lifetime of vices, my indulgence with this one has been... very moderate. And that's all I'll say.

Except for this: listening to Ziggy Stardust stoned as a teenager was one of the most fabulously mind-blowing experiences of my life, and I'm glad as hell to have had it.
posted by scody 04 August | 00:39
Never smoked it but I have eaten a flapjack that was alleged to contain some (and was expensive). It did nothing for me, that I noticed, and made mr alto go to sleep for 5 hours in the afternoon, so all in all not worth it. I prefer wine. I wouldn't want to smoke anything - I like my lungs the way they are.

A boy at my school died while inhaling solvents - now *that* really wasn't worth the expense, or the high.
posted by altolinguistic 04 August | 07:36
Many report mild hallucinations early in their potsmoking career.

I've had it laced with PCP before and I don't recommend it. I've had it laced with opium before and I do recommend it. Also dipped in hash oil.

Increasingly, I like the way I feel when I'm not stoned, or more specifically, when I don't smoke at all for days or weeks. I practice guitar better when I'm sober. I'm like a fucking encyclopedia with my memory. Pot takes away my dreams.

I also rarely go around hating myself when I'm on a hiatus from smoking. I'm my own worst enemy and pot makes me nigh undefeatable.

But I can't drink like I used to, banging my head against the wall works better as a metaphor, and pot is so easy to get and cheap for me; like most people (and all but the most abstemious bonobos), I like to get out of my head a little bit sometimes. I take a new perspective on life. I'm running away.

But damn, I love the way it makes me feel. I've beein doing it since I was twelve, and it's ruined my life three times over, but I sure do like it.
posted by Hugh Janus 04 August | 08:18
I'm not a fan... it mostly makes me sleepy. But pretty much everybody I know likes it and uses it to some degree; and this has been true for me since high school. I've always been the odd man out on this one, but my dependence on nicotine (heavy) and alcohol (moderate-to-heavy) is enough to make me happy that for whatever reason, I haven't added other addictions to the mix - despite the '80s and early '90s, when I/we did have quite the party time going on, all-substance-wise. (When V. and I left New Orleans, part of it was because we had too much fun all the time - believe it or not. A larger part had to do with crime, and an even larger part was sort of what-the-hell-why-not. But, really - part of our discussion was "do we really see ourselves 10 years from now, still going out to Molly's, etc., every night - all-party, all the time? We're like the lotus eaters, dude."

I'm very glad I had some wild youth ride. I'm also glad I'm not still on the same bus. But if I could give up alcohol and cigs for low-level weed use, I'd do it in a second.
posted by taz 04 August | 09:24
Whoah, I had no idea you were such a wild child, taz!

Groovy, sister:)

High fives taz
posted by hadjiboy 04 August | 09:51
Depends on how often I see my friends who smoke it. Lately, I smoke about once a week. When I first started smoking it, for the first six months or so, I couldn't shut myself up. It pretty much completely shut down the filter between my brain and my mouth. My boyfriend of the time enjoyed smoking me up because it guaranteed him hours of (seemingly) hilarious comments. Eventually, I just started to feel slow and dumb. I had trouble focusing on conversations or completing thoughts. It made me uninteresting even to myself, and just sitting around feeling altered wasn't doing it for me anymore. I came to hate smoking the stuff.

Then I moved to California, where there are so many more varieties than on the East Coast, it's not even funny. I've smoked some that makes me giddy/manic, some that makes me slow/stupid, and one particular strain that knocked all of us sideways (in a good way). I've learned to appreciate it more now because I realize there are nuances and variations from supply to supply.

I've done enough drugs to know my body/mind, so even if I have a bad or an unpleasant trip on something, I can still "see the ground," so to speak, and get myself through. I can't say I recommend experimentation for everybody - or even the vast majority of people - but having a responsible, empathetic, knowledgeable, and experienced group of friends makes 500% of a difference. Doing it any other way - especially as a novice - is dangerous and foolhardy.
posted by mykescipark 04 August | 14:04
I'm not a fan - tried it plenty of times when I was a teen (also in NZ, where it's nothing big). Tried it a couple of times since I got all growed up and got very sick both times. I believe it's a lot stronger now, which might explain the sickness. Regardless, I won't be trying it again - I just don't like the effect.

Anyone who even thinks about sniffing any solvent-type product to get high deserves to have the living shit beaten out of them for even having the thought. I saw kids start that shit (it was lighter fluid back then) and, within months, they were totally ruined. Literally brain-dead, their lives and their future destroyed. You'd be much, much better taking heroin than that shit. Just in case you are even toying with the idea of thinking about maybe trying that - don't. If you do, I swear I'll fly to India and beat the crap out of you personally*.



*Only if you supply the plane ticket, though.
posted by dg 04 August | 16:14
This || We're about to go from being just cat owners to being crazy cat owners.

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