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Choose your poison: a drug guide for the playa 1996
by Adrian Roberts
Alcohol
Oh sure, there's nothing quite like a nice cold beer in the
desert, or hell, even a more civilized cocktail. Wine seems quite appropriate
out here as well. What a shame then that all of these will dehydrate you like
there's no tomorrow. Even more so than in real life, moderation is the key
here. Augment your alcohol consumption with plenty of H2O chasers, and you'll
be fine.
Marijuana
Works really well out here, although be careful of too much,
especially at night, when paranoid delusions can get the better of you. It's no
fun walking out to rave camp and thinking that every pair of headlights you see
in the distance is going to run you over.
Caffeine
What did we do before there was an espresso bar at Burning
Man? Caffeine is not only recommended for the weekend, it is absolutely
REQUIRED. First thing in the morning, after pouring cold water over my
privates, towelling off, throwing on a pair of shorts, fixing the tarp that was
blown down by the wind, and attending to my bladder, I go get coffee. This year
I brought Nestle canned coffees. They're better than you think. Caffeine, in
any form, is absolutely necessary for staying awake while you recuperate under
your tarp from that long walk to the cafe.
Ma Huang
Many people recognize this stimulant as the main ingredient
in Herbal E, and some recognize it from bottles of Love Potion #69 and
BrainWash, with the skulls on the label. In all honesty, the similarity to X is
a stretch, but it works as well as caffeine without tasting good, plus it gives
you a little emotional lift, like a profound philosophical discovery or a good
fuck. I prefer to purchase Ma Huang as a tincture, because it's a lot cheaper.
One bottle has about fifty doses and usually costs under $5. That's less
expensive than a regular coffee!
Acid
Depending on the strength of the particular strain of LSD
you are using, frying in the desert can either produce a really great trip, or
freak you out beyond belief. I recommend starting off in small doses--remember,
you can always take more, but you can't take less. Things get pretty strange
out here anyway, and taking acid merely intensifies the whole freakiness of the
event. You probably don't need as much as you normally would in real life to
produce the same psychedelic trippy effects. The desert just kind of does that
to you anyway. Still, it's quite an experience to look up at the night sky to
see all of the stars trailing.
Mushrooms
In general, these feel really nice out here, but use only if
you're planning to not be in the most social mood. If you're looking for that
gooey, insular, looking-inward, find-my-place-in-the-universe kind of trip,
then 'shrooms might be right for you. If you're planning on running around and
participating in all the events and witnessing the various performances and
stuff, you might want to stick with acid.
Ecstacy
Undoubtedly, this is staff of Piss Clear's substance of choice for the Black Rock Desert. It's a
real head-opening experience, especially out here in the desert. You generally
feel "more alive" and "full of love" and this other goopy
shit, but bluntly put, it just makes you feel good. Especially good for the
night of the Burn, when you can brush your body up against other people with
recklass abandon. Especially good for couples or friends looking for that
quintessential Burning Man bonding experience. Just make sure you're near a
porta-potty near the beginning of your trip, and be sure to have a stash of
hard candy on hand. Copious amounts of water complete the recommended
accoutrements for doing MDMA.
Mescaline
To add just a bit of "color" to your experience in
the desert, mescaline just might do the trip. The same guidelines apply here as
those for doing acid. Too much just might be too much. Start small, and build
yourself up. Like Ecstacy, gives you that fun "body buzz" feeling for
moving through crowds.
Ketamine
For those who want to trip, but don't want the 6- to 12-hour
time committment that acid or mushrooms require, you might want to try Special
K, which is usually over and done with in one hour. It's not just for breakfast
anymore! I would recommend saving this for later in the evening, as it does
tend to wear you out, and you might not want to go out and join in the festivities
after you come down from K.
Heroin
Although currently in vogue with just about every loser rock
star or rock star wanna-be on the West Coast, smack just doesn't really seem
all that appropriate out here in the desert. While quite appropriate in gritty
urban environments÷which some might argue downtown Black Rock City is
becoming÷out in the desert is just doesn't seem to work.
Crystal Meth
With so much cool stuff going on this weekend, who wants to
sleep? After all, if you snooze off for a bit, you might end up missing
something! If this is how you feel, then crystal might just be your drug of
choice. After all, there's certainly no shortage of people to chatter away with
endlessly, as you no doubt will, talking your head to anyone within earshot.
And you might be fine on crystal for the first 24 hours, if you're still going
by Sunday night, your relentless, hyper, and no doubt cranky-and-irritable
tweaker energy might just make you the buzzkill of the party. Use sparingly and
in small doses--speed bumps are what we call them--and you might be fine. And
like Ecstacy, don't forget to drink LOTS of water.
Cocaine
Come on, are you kidding? What do you think this is, the
bathroom of some trendoid nightclub or something? Leave that shit at home.
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