BY: GREG GANDZA
It’s Friday afternoon around 4 o’clock. Just one more dreadful hour until the weekend begins. You’re unsure of what you’re doing this weekend, but at this point anything beats the tan you’re getting from the computer screen, or the headache induced by your annoying co-workers.
Hallelujah! You’re on your way home. The excitement to flop on the couch is growing to an all time high. As you ignore everybody at all costs, your iPhone begins to ring and buzz away. A text from your roommate says “It’s Mike’s birthday, let’s get fucked up!”
Once you’ve finally made it home, there are some key decisions to make.
Should I stay at home and spin a couple joints? Attempt to save money, but probably end up spending the same amount of money I would at the club, but instead at Pizza Pizza.
Go out. Grab a bottle of chardonnay and down it in record time before you jump in the Uber.
Talk to the sketchy guy in your condo about getting some magic mushrooms for the upcoming sunny Sunday afternoon.
Ditch the birthday and head to a rave. Score some MDMA and get dancing.
The trend displayed amongst all these choices suggests that human beings love to alter their consciousness. Sometimes, being fully aware can be stressful and unpleasant for many of us. Whether it’s an downer, upper, or mind obliterator, there is a underlying reason we choose to indulge in psychoactive substances. Partaking in your drug of choice is mainly used to instantly change your perception. The chemicals flowing through your body temporarily shift the way you see things, perhaps even how you feel physically.
All of these psychoactive habits are enjoyed in virtually every culture on planet Earth. However, are human beings the only ones who love getting fucked up?
Nope.
Horses’ drug of choice is spotted locoweed, a type of legume that acts as a mind-altering drug.
Reindeers’ choice of drug is Amanita muscaria mushrooms. Reindeers aren’t that different from your old college roommate.
Dolphins’ drug of choice is Pufferfish nerve toxins.
“After chewing the puffer gently and passing it round, they began acting most peculiarly, hanging around with their noses at the surface as if fascinated by their own reflection,” said zoologist Rob Pilley.
Elephants’ drug of choice is alcohol. Specifically the Sclerocarya birrea tree, known for the butterscotch liqueur Amarula. See you next weekend, Dumbo.
Capuchin monkeys’ drug of choice is hallucinogenic millipedes.
Bighorn sheep’s drug of choice is Narcotic lichen. They literally suck rocks to get high.
Evolutionarily speaking, being intoxicated doesn’t make very much sense at the surface. In order for survival, loss of reaction time and motor skills isn’t ideal whatsoever. However, many experiences derived from the use of psychedelics have been reported to be very beneficial. Since your anxieties and issues will punch you in the face harder than Muhammad Ali, these substances allow you to divert your course in life through a newfound realization and improved awareness. As for the more casual drugs, they can help you relax and achieve states of mediation that are essential for an optimal lifestyle.
When you have your own son or daughter, you will be absolutely gratified to know that they don’t use meth or drink themselves to sleep. With that being said, enforcing the idea of never being able to experience altered states of consciousness is removing an amazing feature of being alive. If they choose to drink, do so in times of celebration as opposed to depression. If they choose to smoke weed, do so in moderation. The point is that many substances can expose incredibly powerful states of mind that are in a positive direction. Wildlife, no matter how primitive, evidently practices the same principles.
The world is literally full of party animals.
