Mental Health

Before any experience with recreational drugs, there are three main things you should think about to help prepare yourself and look after your health: preparation, set and setting. These three areas will have different relevance for different types of drugs, though they are all important to consider beforehand. For instance, with psychedelics, mindset might take the forefront. Or with empathogens (e.g. MDMA), setting can be very important for a positive experience. Most people take drugs in the spur of the moment¹, so it's worth getting clued up in advance. Set and setting are good things to think about every now and then anyway, so if you take a few minutes to reflect on how you feel and who you're with you'll get used to the idea.

Preparation

Try to prepare for any experience - we know it's not always possible but your future self will be very grateful, plus it'll help settle any anxiety or apprehension you might be feeling. Buy a set of testing kits to have on hand, get any supplements that may help you afterwards and check if the drug interferes with anything else you are taking.

We've adapted Rollsafe's great MDMA list into our own HeadSafe checklist. Nothing on the list is mandatory, but each item you tick on the list increases your chances of a good experience.

HeadSafe checklist

1. I’ve given myself enough time to recover since I’ve last taken a recreational drug
2. I’ve had a look through the benefit-harm management guide to be as safe as possible
3. I know what I’m taking, how much I’m taking and how I’m taking it
4. I know where I’m going and who with and they’re both safe and positive
5. I know what to do during the event to keep myself safe, including drinking enough water
6. I’m aware that some drugs may bring emotional issues to the surface and have some techniques ready to help if I’m struggling
7. I know what to look out for in my friends if they’re struggling and how to help them out
8. I know why I’m taking them, even if it is only for fun
9. I’m prepared for the comedown and know some coping mechanisms like mindfulness

Mindset

Before you choose to take drugs it's a good idea to take a minute to reflect on your "set". Set, or mindset, refers to your own personality, traits and mental state. It can be separated into two categories: long range/distant mindset and immediate mindset.

Your long range/distant mindset is the underlying traits that all humans have, such as your desires, fears, long term goals and anxieties. So, if you're generally quite anxious, you should learn about which drugs are likely to increase this feeling, and how to cope with it. Luckily you're in the right place!

The immediate mindset is your mental state going into the experience. This might be how you feel on the day - anxious, excited, but also, particularly for psychedelics, how open you are feeling on the day to potentially intense experiences. Think how you are feeling and the day that you've had. Are you feeling exhausted from a long day of work? Maybe it's not a great time to take stimulants that will keep you up.

There's much more to mindset, but this is just a brief overview. Remember the key points from the checklist above:

• I know why I’m taking them, even if it is just for fun. Is it to have a good time? Because your friends are taking it? These are perfectly reasonable reasons (if not from a legal standpoint). However, if it’s for a deeper reason, or you set your expectations too high, this can impact you going in and have an impact on your mental health.
• I’m aware that some drugs may bring emotional issues to the surface. It's important to know this might happen to you or a friend and it is not something to be afraid of. Read on below for some tips on how to cope if it happens.

Setting

Setting encompasses the physical environment you'll be in - whether that's a club, a house or the forest - but also the social environment, i.e. who you'll be with. Setting can have a huge impact on your experience and how you feel afterwards, but everyone is different. For example, some people might find using psychedelics in a club environment overwhelming, but others wouldn't have it any other way.

That being said, if you're alone in a club on psychedelics, it's not quite the same as being with all your closest friends. And heavy metal might not have the same effect on you as psytrance!

Have a look at our checklist again for some quick things to think about:

• I’ve got a safe, positive environment to take it. Is the venue one that aims to keep it’s attendees safe and secure?
• If I'm taking them with friends and I know what to look out for if they’re struggling. Are you planning to go with good friends who you trust?

Tips & Tricks