# Is it possible to imagine the effects of drugs without actually taking them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 19, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307 "2005-12-19T16:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/1 "2005-12-19T16:21:02Z")
I’ve never taken cocaine. Is it possible to have a reasonably accurate imagination of the experience based on description, or is it like a blind person trying to imagine “blue”? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/2 "2005-12-19T16:31:44Z")
> [@The Controvert](#): > > I’ve never taken cocaine. Is it possible to have a reasonably accurate imagination of the experience based on description, or is it like a blind person trying to imagine “blue”? Regarding cocaine, specifically – I have read that cocaine’s fundamental effect on the body is much the same as caffeine … that it was ony a matter of magnitude. IIRC, 1 g of cocaine is approximately equilvalent to a dosage of 100 g of caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/3 "2005-12-19T17:01:12Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I have read that cocaine’s fundamental effect on the body is much the same as caffeine … that it was ony a matter of magnitude. From my limited expirience of coke I’d have to say this is short of the mark. There are psychological effects that you’d never get from caffeine\*\*\*\*\*. You could probably get a pretty good idea what it feels like to do coke from a description since the experience is sort of an exaggeration of a ‘normal’ state of mind. Other drugs I’m not so sure about, Ecstacy? And LSD - really hard to describe a trip. \*\*\*\*\* Like it turning you into a dickhead. Coke seems to screw up your personality (albeit temporarily) it’s a really unpleasant drug. ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/4 "2005-12-19T21:26:19Z")
From my somewhat extensive drug experience ( I have done a lot of E, LSD, Mushrooms, crystal) no, no you can’t. You will never quite get it. To try to compare the rush of E or crystal to coffee, well it isn’t even close. I think your blind man blue description is apt. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/5 "2005-12-19T22:05:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Coke seems to screw up your personality… Ha! Brings to mind the old line (I think I heard if from Bill Cosby?): “Coke intensifies your personality. Yeah, but what if you’re an asshole?” ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/6 "2005-12-19T22:27:11Z")
I have no experience with cocaine. However, I don’t think it’s possible to describe tripping to somebody who has no idea what an altered state is like. While LSD may have been the most awesome thing that ever happened to you, a person with no inclination toward that type of experience might only perceive it as a kind of insanity. To them, it would be very frightening, and they couldn’t rationalize why a person might do it. Many people would hold it against you for having experienced such a thing. Others have gone so far as to get laws passed so you may not legally experience such a thing. But that becomes a whole other discussion, not suitable for this forum. I agree with the blue/blind man idea. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/7 "2005-12-19T22:34:44Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > From my somewhat extensive drug experience ( I have done a lot of E, LSD, Mushrooms, crystal) no, no you can’t. You will never quite get it. To try to compare the rush of E or crystal to coffee, well it isn’t even close. Right. My post was very specific and narrowly focused on the physiological effects of cocaine, and only cocaine. That said, as far as I can determine, if you manage to knock down 100 g of pure caffeine at one sitting (and you ain’t gonna do it from drinking coffee), it’s supposed to have the same physiological effect as 1 g of cocaine. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/8 "2005-12-20T00:43:16Z")
No, you can’t. Especially with your LSD/ecstasy types. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/9 "2005-12-20T01:39:16Z")
Think of it this way: those who have had a religious epiphany, is there any way to describe it? Those who have gone back-country camping, waking up to sunrise on a mountain peak, is there any way to convey that feeling? Those who have savored (and I mean _savored_, in it’s most extreme, gustatory delightfulness) a certain dish, is there any way to explain the sensations? No, we rely on the fact that others have had similar experiences. IME, there’s very little overlap between being under the influence and most people’s “normal” experience of reality. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/10 "2005-12-20T03:23:55Z")
If you eat a handful of Vivarin and sandpaper your nose with 120 grit paper while burning $100.00 bills it’s very similar to doing coke. Yeah, this was borrowed from somebody, but I don’t recall who… ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/11 "2005-12-20T03:39:32Z")
Neither of these descriptions is perfect, of course. I’ve heard that LSD has some components in common with fever delirum. Never having been that sick, I wouldn’t know. Also (and I’m sorry I have no idea what the name of it is) I saw a movie once where The Rock is chasing a kid through the jungle to return him to his father, and at two separate points during the movie people are tricked into eating a hallucinogenic fruit. The camera effects used to show what people saw under that drug’s effects are a very exaggerated but otherwise fairly accurate depiction of how the world looks on acid. X is harder to describe. You just feel happy. It’s sort of like being stoned. You’re comfortable with everyone around you and you like them and (if they’re rolling too) they like you. (In fairness, I should mention that you look like a dumbshit to anyone not on drugs watching. Also, your brain feels sluggish for a day or two afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/12 "2005-12-20T03:57:47Z")
Whereas it might be possible to create an analog of what the world looks like while on acid, nobody can then pair it with the way everything smells to me–it’s exaggerated and there’s an overarcing impression of hanging my nose over an open topped freezer chest that’s unique to the hallucinogenic experience. It’s not only not possible to imagine a strong hallucinogen trip, it’s also not possible to remember it accurately either–the memory must be stored in the same compartment as the pain of childbirth or the exact feeling of orgasm. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/13 "2005-12-20T04:43:31Z")
> [@The Controvert](#): > > I’ve never taken cocaine. Is it possible to have a reasonably accurate imagination of the experience based on description, or is it like a blind person trying to imagine “blue”? I don’t think a description can do any altered state justice. For starters, everyone is affected differently so what one person experiences every time, someone else may not ever experience. Also, no amount of words or descriptive ability can completely convey the experience(s) well enough to allow someone with no basis for comparison to relate. You either know, or you don’t. Suffice it to say, you’re not missing anything by not having done it. I’ve never met a cokehead that was a better person for having done it. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/14 "2005-12-20T15:42:32Z")
> [@soulmurk](#): > > Suffice it to say, you’re not missing anything by not having done it. I’ve never met a cokehead that was a better person for having done it. Not every person who has done coke is a “cokehead.” I wouldn’t advocate it, but I am personally glad that I’ve tried it. ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/15 "2005-12-20T15:56:43Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Right. My post was very specific and narrowly focused on the physiological effects of cocaine, and only cocaine. > > That said, as far as I can determine, if you manage to knock down 100 g of pure caffeine at one sitting (and you ain’t gonna do it from drinking coffee), it’s supposed to have the same physiological effect as 1 g of cocaine. Well the thread title just says “drugs” I assumed you were using cocaine just as an example of a drug. Maybe your thread title should be more specific in the future if you want just a single instance answer. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/16 "2005-12-20T16:11:16Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > Well the thread title just says “drugs” I assumed you were using cocaine just as an example of a drug. Maybe your thread title should be more specific in the future if you want just a single instance answer. It’s not my thread title, either. **The Controvert** is the OP. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/17 "2005-12-20T16:52:00Z")
Yeah… generic drugs. Meth, Heroin, Luuds, Barbituates, Marijuana, LSD, Peyote, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Psilocybe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@Psilocybe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Psilocybe)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/20 "2005-12-20T20:50:56Z")
I’ve heard of people dreaming about smoking DMT and it _works_. I guess this isn’t surprising, as it is said that DMT helps regulate dreaming. ---
**Author:** ![DEFIANT\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea5d25/32.png) [@DEFIANT\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DEFIANT_1)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/21 "2005-12-20T22:42:10Z")
In reference to cocaine in comparison to caffeine, I have had extensive experience with both of these substances. Caffeine, even large doses achieved via Nodoz, Vivarin, ect, have no comparison with cocaine. Caffeine in large doses tends to make you feel like shit, you become nauseous, paranoid, disoriented and develope muscle spasms just to name a few of the fun symptoms. Caffeine effects are also long lasting even though you may wish otherwise. While caffeine can do as a stimulant for a low price, it’s effects are not pleasant. Cocaine on the other hand has relatively short term effects, does not make you feel ill, and promotes a feeling of well being that is indescribable to someone who has never experienced it. While I do not advocate the use of illegal drugs, I do feel it is the right of a freewilled individual to experience all aspects of life if they so choose. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307/22 "2005-12-21T01:06:22Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > Not every person who has done coke is a “cokehead.” True, and I wasn’t implying that that was the case. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-imagine-the-effects-of-drugs-without-actually-taking-them/336307.md?page=2)