Where are My Legs? Trying Salvia for the Second Time
Jennifer S. - Cincinnati, Ohio
Salivia one of those unique substances that changes a little every time you try it. While other drugs make you feel the same way after each and every use, salvia is completely different. The first time I tried it, I went through a range of emotions, including giddiness, happiness, sadness and even a little frustration. Some people might look at my first trip and wonder why I ever tried it again, but the truth is that I really just wanted to see if it got any better. The first time I used it was with a group of my friends and my boyfriend, but the second time I used it was with my boyfriend and a few of his relatives.
We headed across the bridge from Cincinnati to Covington, Kentucky for a barbecue hosted by his aunt and uncle. His relatives are a little more mellow and calmer than my relatives, and we never know what to expect when we visit. Even though it was the middle of summer, we found the grill turned off and everyone crammed inside the house. One of his cousins purchased salvia with a friend, and after smoking the night before, he brought the rest over for the party. We would up spending the day inside and smoking.
I had just turned 31, and the other people at the party were around the same age. My boyfriend's aunt and uncle were in their late 40s at the time, and they both had a serious case of the giggles by the time we got there. The first time I used salvia, we smoked it with rolling papers, but they had it inside a water pipe that they passed around the room. Knowing what happened the first time I tried it, I only took a small hit, but I also found myself taking a few additional hits as the pipe circled the room.
The first thing I noticed was that this batch of salvia seemed a lot stronger than the first batch I tried. I don't know if it was the pipe we smoked from or its potency, but it definitely felt a little different. It even tasted differently in my mouth. After the first time that I tried salvia, I remembered that it tasted slightly harsh and a little bitter, but this time, it tasted more herbal and even a little floral and sweet. It didn't have the same harsh aftertaste, which made it go down a little smoother.
For the first few minutes, I felt like I do after smoking marijuana. I felt a little buzzed, but it didn't seem like the salvia even had any affect on me. After about 10 minutes, I felt a little hyper and excited, and I noticed that the other people in the room felt the same way. I even remember thinking that if it always felt this way, I could see myself using salvia on a regular basis. My feelings changed after 20 minutes passed. The giddiness and happiness quickly gave way to intense feelings of paranoia.
No matter what anyone said to me, I couldn't help feeling like someone was watching me or staring at me. I jumped every time a shadow moved on the wall, which was fairly often since we were at a party with well over a dozen people. According to the other party guests, I also kept whispering that the police were outside the door and peeking out the windows. My boyfriend also remembers that I jumped several feet in the air when he tried to give me a hug and that I thought he was a police officer coming to arrest me.
I still see my boyfriend's aunt, uncle and other relatives on a regular basis, and they like calling this incident the "where are my legs" incident. Once I finally calmed down enough to sit on the couch and relax, I somehow lost track of my legs. Even though I looked down and could clearly see my legs touching the floor, I convinced myself that my legs were gone. I asked my boyfriend what happened to my legs, asked his aunt if she could see my legs and talked to his cousin about my legs too. No matter how much they tried to reassure me, I convinced myself that I didn't have legs.
The thought and feeling was so intense in my mind that I even became a little depressed. I couldn't stop thinking about how different my life would be without legs. I started talking to the other party guests about how I couldn't afford a wheelchair and wondering how I would make it up the front stairs to our house. No matter what anyone said, I didn't believe that my legs were still there.
My boyfriend even tried touching my legs himself, and he put my own hands on my legs. It didn't matter what he did. I kept telling him that it was just a trick of the light that made him think I had legs, but that my legs were gone. I can still remember feeling incredibly depressed at how much my life would change. Those feelings made me wonder if someone in the room was responsible for my missing legs. At one point during the party, I even accused his aunt of stealing my legs to sell them on the black market.
It only took about an hour before I came down from my trip, but the trip felt like eternity. The first thing I did after sobering up was stand up and walk around the room. Even though I knew I never lost my legs, the feeling was so intense in my mind that I had to see for myself. Some people might think that trip was bad, but looking back on it, I still had enough fun to use it again.
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If you liked this story check out some of the other Salvia experiences here.
