The VICE Guide to Getting Unhigh

If you dabble in the illicit stuff, then the chances are you’re going to have a bad experience at some point. In the words of clinical cognitive neuroscientist Lucy Troup: “All drugs can give you a negative experience – you can have years of good trips only to suddenly find yourself on a bad trip.” But is the only option to simply wait for it to wear off, or can you take more drastic action? Is there such a thing as getting… un-high?

In the interest of public safety we rounded up a team of experts, and went drug by drug, exploring what you can do if you find yourself excessively stoned, lost in a k-hole or spiralling into a shroom-induced nightmare.

“Overdoing it on cannabis is pretty much a right of passage,” says Liam O’Dowd, co-founder and editor of leafie, an online magazine focusing on the changing world of cannabis and psychedelics. “Who hasn't pulled a whitey at some point?”

While THC intoxication might feel like it’s never going to end, it's important to remember that it will, and most likely won't do you much harm. “Removing yourself from any enclosed space, noise or otherwise chaotic environment is a good start,” O’Dowd says. “Fresh air can help, but finding a comfortable spot to take a moment is key. Take some time to focus on your breathing, inhaling deeply through the nose and out through the mouth… And don't feel too concerned if you vomit.”

As the most commonly tried illegal drug, there’s plenty of folk remedies for getting too baked. “Many stoners swear that chomping on whole black peppercorns can help bring you back from the high… and for good reason,” says O’Dowd. Pepper contains two terpenes, pinene and caryophyllene, which are both known to soothe the psychoactive elements of THC. Caryophyllene is actually found in some cannabis strains, adds O’Dowd, “so if you're finding your usual strain gets you too high, look for a strain rich in caryophyllene.”

If peppercorns aren’t cutting it though, it might be time to turn to the medical professionals. Dr Peter Grinspoon is a primary care doctor and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. “If one is truly panicking on cannabis – or, for example, one has a cardiac condition – we would worry about the elevated heart rate and blood pressure that typically accompanies a panic attack, and this might be a good time to consider being checked out in the emergency department, even though it’s 'only for cannabis’,” he says.

Having given this warning though, he also adds, “It is more often a question of calm, empathetic support; sitting somewhere quiet, taking some deep breaths, and talking to a friend.”

“While dedicated psychonauts will claim there is no such thing as a bad trip, anyone who has experienced one will tell you otherwise,” says O’Dowd. “It's important to remember that psychedelics can amplify our emotions to overwhelming levels,” he adds, “so while a bad trip might feel intense, remember that the feeling will pass, all trips are temporary, even bad ones.”

Some users think sweet things like orange juice can prevent a bad trip, but Adam Waugh, training coordinator at The Loop, the UK’s first systematic drug checking service, says folk cures like this usually aren’t backed up by science. “As a sweeping generalisation, there aren't any safe antidotes that get someone ‘un-high’ and a lot of what is commonly suggested – orange juice, for example – is unlikely to have any effect beyond placebo.”

Instead of reaching for the juice carton, try focusing on your breathing to help you regain control of your thoughts. O’Dowd suggests box breathing, “where you inhale deeply for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, and then exhale for four seconds”.

The k-hole is a scary consequence of too much ketamine, in which you can completely detach from reality and sometimes become temporarily immobile. Waugh describes it as an “altered state of, or total loss of, consciousness.” The problem is, once you’re in the k-hole, “the time it would take to negate the biological effects,” says Troup, “is probably likely to be as long as it would take for the drug to wear off”.

This means the best thing to have if you fall into a k-hole is a good mate nearby. “If someone is conscious but appears confused, offer them reassurance and try to prevent them from coming to any harm from their environment – such as sharp objects,” says Waugh. But if someone becomes completely unresponsive and doesn’t respond to their name being called or a mild shake, then he advises to “put them in the recovery position and call for medical attention."

“The danger from MDMA/pills, cocaine and ketamine is in significant part due to their illegality,” Dr Grinspoon asserts. “As such, it's difficult to know what a person has actually taken”. In the US in particular, physicians now have to suspect the possibility of fentanyl contamination. But, even if it’s uncontaminated, MDMA can still seriously mess you up. “MDMA can cause people to overheat,” says Waugh. “In mild cases this can be managed by moving the person to a quieter, cooler and lower stimulus environment,” he suggests. But Waugh stresses that if someone is very hot to the touch, has rigid muscles or appears confused, “you should call for immediate medical care”.

City boys might be able to get away with snorting coke on the daily, but for us normies, getting the bag in can sometimes lead to unintended and unpleasant consequences. “Cocaine can cause people to feel anxious and in some cases this will manifest as mild tightness in their chest,” says Waugh. “Sometimes, this will resolve within five to ten minutes of the person sitting somewhere quiet and being offered reassurance, however if someone has severe or persistent chest pain, numbness, or is struggling to breathe, they should get immediate medical attention.”

Ultimately, when it comes to all the drugs mentioned above, O’Dowd sums it up well: “Getting too high is easily done, but being prepared can mitigate risks and any potential harm.” Knowing exactly what you’re dealing with before you inhale or ingest certainly helps, as well as pacing yourself. “Start low and go slow is a bit of a cliché, but it makes sense,” says O’Dowd, “you can always add to your high, but you can't take it away.”

You can find more information on responding to drug-related emergencies in this leaflet created by The Loop.