I need some advice, Dudes.

[A.B. Dude]

I've decided to try smoking pot for the first time.

I've got a friend I trust not to pick on me while I do it--I'm a little nervous. Thinking about putting some Creedence on the iPod and just trying it as a part of a spiritual experience.

Any advice you guys can give someone who's new to partaking? I hope it doesn't end in some big greasy horror show. :-/

[cakebelly]

Well, Dude - I guess the best way to start is to make sure you clear the decks, first; make sure you haven't got any pressing shit to deal with, all chores done - nowhere to be and no one to meet. Pick a time of day that reduces the chances of having unexpected visitors so you can truly relax. That's the key: then just follow your friends advice - you will find that you are going to enjoy that music more than you have before (maybe) and that you may get a bit peckish (get some snacks in). There is no danger of losing control or things turning into a horror show. If you start to feel uncomfortable (not likely but possible) then just take a few long, slow deep breaths and remember that the feeling will pass. Some people say that sipping milk helps them to staighten out (when they need to; don't know if that's true). Relax and enjoy yourself.    

edit: try and avoid sending any emails whilst you are kicking-back / explore some genres of music you may not ordinarily listen to. I recommend Tinariwen: http://youtu.be/eN_dE-oCozs  See you on the other side, mate - fly into the mystery .

[A.B. Dude]

Yeah, totally, dude! I decided maybe to try it while we're out on an island this next weekend. There's no cell phone reception and I'll be around friends, took four days off for the trip out there.  I don't even think there's internet out there. Hahaha.

I'm kinda worried I'm going to make a total ass out of myself, but it can't be any worse than when I get shit faced at a bar.

Thanks, man. I will update. lol.

[cakebelly]

Sounds coolio Dudeio - wouldn't advise drinking booze at the same time but that's just my opinion, Dude. 

[Landshark]

I don't partake myself, but i have quite a few friends that do. They just get really mellow and hungry, of course. The way you describe what you think pot will be like sounds more like salvia. You will most likely want to avoid the water whilst partaking though, don't want to drown somehow.

[4weeddude]

You're gonna laugh your ass off ...... you'll be hungry just because........ you'll be laughing....... you'll be laughing...... you'll be laughing......  I have been par-takeing since 1967 and I' am still laughing ......

[not_exactly_a_lightweight]

That, and stay out of Malibu.

[A.B. Dude]

Oh shit, that's a great point.
I live in Michigan, so hopefully that's within the realm of possibility. Haha.

[meekon5]

Try not to expect too much, you may actually be one of these people who don't get anything from the experience (hopefully not but FYI just in case).

Don't get stressed about being an ass, that's what everyone does on the stuff anyway

[A.B. Dude]

Yeah, that is my concern, dude.
Of course everyone else is going to be drunk and stoned this weekend (we'll be out at a cabin in the woods).

Since I'm a Dude of the female persuasion, I thought it was probably a good idea to go out and give smoking pot a try with another very chill lady friend of mine who has the same sort of background and is calm and won't make me feel like an asshole if I back out or whatever.

I think I'll be ok, especially with the advice given here, which has helped me mellow out about the whole thing. The more nervous I am beforehand, the more paranoid I'll probably be when I smoke, so I'm just going to try to chill and go with it.

[Quaker Dude]

I wouldn't smoke for the first time around a bunch of people, especially if I wasn't already on very friendly terms with them, but maybe with a small circle of very good friends.  That's just my preference though, and I'm mildly agoraphobic, so you may not feel the same way (the first time I smoked, it was with my dad, so I felt really safe and comfortable). 

Above all, don't let the pressure of a social situation screw up your high or prevent your mind from going in the multitudinous different directions it will probably want to go.  Don't feel bad if you clam up entirely for several minutes at a time and don't do any talking, or even if you entirely forget what the people around you were talking about.  And if they call you on it, just own up to it and say, "sorry man, I'm high as Hell!"  If you can laugh about being baked, the world will laugh with you, not at you! 

Most of all, enjoy!  You are about to embark on one of life's most wonderful (and unfairly demonized) spiritual and mental journeys.

[A.B. Dude]

Yeah, I'm not a really social person, so I'm going to try it with a good friend of mine and we're going to chill by ourselves for a while, just the two of us.

I didn't tell my fiance about it because he's been partaking for a long time and I knew if he found out he would start giving me the "pot is great" speech, which would put pressure on me to like it (I'm a staunch advocate of legalization, I just have never felt the need to try it). He found out, and the pressure is there a little bit now, but I'm trying to say "fuck it" and do things on my terms.

[Basil]

Sounds coolio Dudeio - wouldn't advise drinking booze at the same time but that's just my opinion, Dude. 

amen man, I only had to puke my freakin brains out a few times to learn this lesson for me

[DigitalBuddha]

You're gonna laugh your ass off ...... you'll be hungry just because........ you'll be laughing....... you'll be laughing...... you'll be laughing......  I have been par-takeing since 1967 and I' am still laughing ......

Mind if I burn a J?

[A.B. Dude]

Well, the friend I was going to do it with got too stoned to get out of her chair. So after a few drinks I finally went over to my special gentleman friend and was like, "Alright, how do I do this?" (I know, that sounds nerdy, but I'm not even a smoker).

No one was burning a J, it was basically a bowl sort of community. First hit was pretty harsh and I still don't think I like the taste that I get in my mouth. He said I didn't hit it hard enough, so I hit it again, and then we played another round of Presidents and Assholes with the group.

About 20 minutes later I looked at him and said, "I don't feel anything," so I hit the bowl again, a little harder this time. Then things got pretty calm and everything got a little funny. I made a sandwich and before I knew it, the damn thing was gone, which was pretty amusing.

But aside from that, I didn't feel any different. I was a little disappointed. My guy went to bed because he was too stoned to stay awake and I passed a bowl around the table with a few guys (those fucking glass pipes are really harsh) and I think I ended up quite stoned because I played about 15 rounds of solitaire before I realized there was a card missing in the deck.

All in all, I feel like I accomplished something. I don't think I'm going to be running out and start buying pot, but at least it's something I can do socially now without any stigma attached to it.

Although I do have a lot of housework to do today and I could probably really use something to make that repetitive work seem a lot more interesting...