mushrooms aren't to be used like bud or alcohol to get "fucked up" they are a respected phycological tool that will open the doors to your mind. if there's anything in there you don't want out then don't take them as you will never be able to close these "doors" again. if you have any mind disorders like split personalities or such, then DO NOT eat magic mushrooms as they will probably perminently magnify the problem. don't let this scare you though! if you're comfortable with who and where you are then mushrooms will enlighten you and teach you valuable insight about yourself and life in general.
the only effects i've heard of that last beyond the trip aren't at all bad and may include a greater appreciation for nature, life, music, or art. personally i usually have an enhanced sense of movement for a week or two after i trip, meaning i may be walking through the park which i visit more often and notice bugs flying in the distance that i wouldn't have taken notice to before.
for the actual trip: plan, plan, plan! deciding to take mushrooms at the last minute with little knowledge is a sure-fire way to have a bad trip. know how much you will eat and make sure you have atleast 8 hours from the time you eat them to trip in peace (average 6 hour trip after about an hour at most to kick in. one hour to unwind and reflect). unplug the phone, lock all the doors (even though you'll probably check the locks a few times), and make sure you'll have abolutely no responsibilities for the day/night. it's a good idea to trip with a close friend, even if they're on mushrooms too, incase anything goes wrong. there's no need to plan activities as you'll probably just wander around doing whatever you want, but it's good to have in mind some things you'd want to do, like going outside, listening to music, ect.
organise everything you'll need for the trip ahead of time. everyone has diffent likes and dislikes when experiencing shrooms and often these are different from what you usually like or dislike. have a few different types of music clearly labeled and organised (almost impossible to look thru tons of cds while tripping) before the experience. have your computer on (maybe not with your instant messager on) and the tv remote in clear sight, ect. in other words, make it so you have access to easily doing whatever you want, or nothing at all. comfort is key.
the day of the trip: get plenty of sleep the night/day before since you won't feel the need for sleep while tripping and mainly because you'll be in a better mood when well rested. *mood is extreamly important on mushrooms and can easily change* (one time i was crying and laughing at the same time). eat a light meal of fruits and vegetables (you'll probably want to stay away from cheese or too much dairy) about 2-3 hours before so you have the energy but your stomach is empty enough to get the most effect from the mushrooms.
it's a good idea to eat a small snack every few hours during the trip if you want to keep you blood sugar up (the only bad trip i've had was for a few minutes comming down off the mushrooms. i hadn't eaten for most of the day and i got into a hot shower. my blood vessels widened from the heat and my blood sugar crashed, making me feel faint and sending me, in my current state, into an uncontrollable panic until i met the hard floor) but you likely won't have the slightest desire to eat while tripping and might even not like it. most people won't need to eat during the trip but it's up to you. just have snacks avaliable.
now to the best part, the actually trip: when you eat the mushrooms, the most effective way is to chew, suck the juices, chew more, suck the juices, ect. but some people don't like the taste and may decide to eat them with food or just plug their nose to eat them. whatever gets them into your stomach is up to you. after you eat them, you'll start to feel the effects after about 10-80 minutes, average is about 45 but i personally start to feel them after about an hour. while you're waiting for them to kick in, it's best to avoid too much activity, like running or jumping hurtles or something stupid (shouldn't be a problem, right?). *marijuana smoked during the trip is safe and will intensify it and if smoked while the effects are wearing down it will make the mushroom trip seem longer, but DO NOT drink alcohol with magic mushrooms! alcohol will cancel the effects and you won't trip or get drunk. it will be a waste* you might feel a little strange in your stomach or maybe even sick. if you really have to throw up then just do it, don't try to keep the mushrooms in your stomach if they don't want to stay.
Now they've kicked in. if you don't know yet what it's like i'd recommend reading some experiences (www.erowid.com is a god of a site). i wouldn't recommend reading the bad experiences as these might trigger bad trips from thinking of them while tripping. but you can read them if you really insist on knowing what hell is like. enough about bad trips though, seeing as how you're not going to have one, right? right. the good effects are almost impossible to explain without drowning you in metaphors but i guess i can try. your ego is destroyed, meaning you have no body, no mind, you don't exist. you are one with the universe and everything is incredibly interesting. you could examine at a crumb of bread for an hour before noticing your hand and thinking "what the hell? what's this hand doing here?" then it moves "my god, i can move it with my mind. have i had these powers all along?" Sometimes i speak spanish or french but i've never looked up what i'm saying to see if it really makes sense and i can't remember most things after the trip, especially at high doses. now would be a good time to get comfortable, put on some ambient music (soft background music) and let your imagination carry you away. at these high doses you can travel to entirely different places in your mind. you may walk around an ancient temple for hours then open your eyes to see you've only been sitting there for 10 minutes. the experience is entirely different for everyone, everytime they do them. every time i've done mushrooms, i've come out of it feeling better about myself and feeling enlightened and educated about the nature of life.
after the trip: not much to say now. just relax and think about what you saw and experienced. you're most likely either struck speechless by your journey or talking nonstop with the friend you tripped with, sharing what happened to each of you. if you go to sleep as you're comming down off the mushrooms then you'll most likely wake up feeling like a million bucks.
mushrooms aren't for everyone, but if you want to know what it is to truely bend reality around your pinky and soar with the birds through the ocean of infinite time, than go for it. if you eat enough you probably won't remember most details so you may want to use a journal or tape recorder to record your thoughts.
i'd highly recommend starting at low doses and working your way up. if you've never done mushrooms before it would be extreamly stupid to eat enough for a powerful trip and you may never come back from. mushrooms are much like LSD but are, in my opinion, better because they give you more of an "unhooked", free, or natural feeling feeling. they're also not as intense and last about half as long. LSD was actually created by scientist synethising phycolbin (the active ingredient in shrooms) so the real stuff is usually better.
I didn't get into the chemistry of any of this or how to grow or find them, ect but i hope this helps you decide if you're the type of person who would like to do mushrooms, or if you've tried them before and had a bad experience, i hope by following my advice you can use them wisely and have a great time. i appologise for any grammical errors or spelling problems and i know i used horrible capitalization and punctuation but who cares? one more thing, that's not really my picture down there so you can trust me.
