Skip Navigation

The Middle-Class Women Who Are Tripping Balls

www.thefp.com The Middle-Class Women Who Are Tripping Balls

Across America, women are using hallucinogens to improve their marriages and mental health. Meet the ‘mushroom mommies.’

The Middle-Class Women Who Are Tripping Balls

"But Rachel also has another hobby, one that makes her a bit different from the other moms in her Texas suburb—not that she talks about it with them. Once a month or so, after she and her husband put the kids to bed, Rachel texts her in-laws—who live just down the street—to make sure they’re home and available in the event of an emergency.

"And then, Rachel takes a generous dose of magic mushrooms, or sometimes MDMA, and—there’s really no other way to say this— spends the next several hours tripping balls."

156

You're viewing part of a thread.

Show Context
156 comments
  • But one or two drinks is still intoxication. It might be very mild intoxication, but it is intoxication. You might not believe it, but actually, similarly responsible low dosage recreational use exists with other substances as well. [...] they're less harmful and less impairing than alcohol,

    You said in another comment:

    A basic recreational dose of MDMA or LSD would enhance my evening and I wouldn't be fit to drive a car

    You're the one who said you wouldn't be fit to drive a car.

    And I'm not trying to defend alcohol use, but after one or two drinks (depending on your body size), you can still legally drive a car.

    (And this isn't some bizarre hypothetical. There are plenty of people who have a glass of wine with dinner, and that's it. They're not drinking for any of the intoxicating effects of alcohol.)

    In any case, I still don't see how "it's less harmful than alcohol" means we should be applauding its use, unless you think that its use would result in less alcohol use.

    And I know that an Ambien impairs a person more than a light recreational dose of LSD or ecstasy or shrooms.

    And I doubt anyone would be cheering about increased Ambien use among Texas housewives.

    • And I’m not trying to defend alcohol use, but after one or two drinks (depending on your body size), you can still legally drive a car.

      After one or two drinks, you are intoxicated, and by so little, that most think "oh, I'm not affected". Which is why driving after the first one or two is actually more risky than the people who drive when they think they're just on the edge of the limit. This is countries with a limit of 0.5‰, meaning 0.05%. Above that it's really irresponsible to be driving, and in the US, you'd legally be allowed to drive with a 0.8‰ BAC. It's insane, honestly, and the drinking and driving culture in the States is something pretty abhorrent to me. In the sense that a lot of people think that it's "okay to have a couple".

      It's not.

      Because during the first drinks, your "bias" is the highest. You'll feel as if you'd be able to drive really well. Confidence is up. You don't think you're gonna make mistakes. Which is why so many mistakes happen.

      You don't understand what being on LSD/MDMA feels like, but as I said, it's less impairing than alcohol. The point is that it would not be responsible to drive a car. I bet that I'd still outdrive you and many others with a recreational dose under my belt. But I wouldn't be fit in the sense that it wouldn't be responsible to drive under the effect of any potentially intoxicating substance.

      I don't know, I'm a third generation taxi driver and maybe I'm imposing too strict morals here, but it really seems like you have a really strong double-standard going on here. Driving drunk is fine, but being at home on MDMA isn't if the kids are there?

      And I doubt anyone would be cheering about increased Ambien use among Texas housewives.

      But would you go far as to say it's irresponsible for a parent to take an Ambien if there's children in the house?

      You keep doing this. You keep saying "cheering" and "applauding" and whatever synonyms one might come up with for the act of encouraging something. No-one has encouraged anything.

      What you remind me is a pearl clutching aunt/uncle in the 90's who's getting upset over a gay character in a movie. "No but think of how this will encourage children to be gay, this shouldn't be in movies!"

      No, it won't. Just like writing an article about MDMA use doesn't mean that people are advocating for everyone to be high 247. Or even try out MDMA or something. Which, I could actually advocate for anyone to do if they're in a position to and never have. It certainly would help you a lot with your psychological hangups. I thought you genuinely wanted to know why people do it. But no, you're just another willfully ignorant person who's spreading the propaganda they so easily bought into.

      “If you take MDMA with a partner, it feels almost like you can accomplish what you would in, like, five years of couples counseling, in a night.”

      That's why people do it.

You've viewed 156 comments.