This interview study (n=30) investigated how participants, who regularly microdose psychedelics, justify or excuse their practice. It was found that none of them excused their microdosing, but they all offered (several) justifications.
Abstract
“Microdosing classic psychedelics (e.g., LSD [lysergic acid diethylamide] and psilocybin) is the practice of taking small amounts of these substances to bring about various positive life changes. Little is known about the subjective experiences and perceptions of those who engage in the practice. Accordingly, we use the sociology of accounts as a theoretical framework to explore the ways that those who microdose excuse or justify their practice. Using data from semistructured interviews with 30 people who had microdosed, we find that none provided excuses for their microdosing, but all offered one or more justifications. When discussing their microdosing, participants emphasized six key justifications: denial of injury, self-sustaining, self-fulfillment, appeal to normality, appeal to loyalties, and knowledgeableness. Findings provide insights into the subjective experiences of those who microdose, including the ways that they attempt to align their actions with societal expectations.”
Authors: Blake Beaton, Heith Copes, Megan Webb, Andy Hochstetle & Peter S. Hendricks
Summary
Microdosing classic psychedelics is the practice of taking small amounts of these substances to bring about various positive life changes. Participants provided six key justifications for their microdosing, including denial of injury, self-sustaining, self-fulfillment, appeal to normality, appeal to loyalties, and knowledgeableness.
microdosing, psychedelics, accounts
People have used classic psychedelics for millennia to occasion mystical experience, ego dissolution, spiritual awakening, self-discovery, enhanced awareness, exploration, and adventure, among other outcomes. In recent years, a growing number of people have begun taking small doses of classic psychedelics for the purpose of improving their lives.
People who microdose classic psychedelics attempt to manage the stigma of their drug use by providing linguistic accounts that align their actions with societal expectations. These accounts include rational enterprise to improve their lives and the use of linguistic devices to align societal expectations with actual behavior.
Sociology of Accounts
People who violate societal expectations often seek to minimize damage to their self-concepts or social standings by providing justifications or excuses. These accounts are distinguished between two types: excuses and justifications, and include denial of injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of condemners, and appeal to loyalties.
People who claim to be law-abiding citizens must justify their behavior when it is seen as contradictory to their sense of self. Mothers who use drugs make effort to show how they place their children above drugs.
The use of accounts is sociological in nature, and people learn them through interactions with others. They vary in frequency and content based on the social positions of the actors and the behavior in question.
Microdosing Psychedelics
Microdosing is a rational approach to self-improvement that involves ingesting small doses of classic psychedelics to bring about various positive changes, such as heightened creativity, improved mood, and relief from symptoms of depression and anxiety.
There is no standard protocol for microdosing, but advocates suggest taking small doses every 3 days for 1 to 2 months, before taking a week-long break to minimize the potential of building up a tolerance to the drugs.
Only a handful of studies have sought to address the effectiveness of microdosing classic psychedelics. The studies suggest that microdosing may have benefits, including improved creativity, reduced stress, increased wisdom, personality openness, and creativity, and enhanced selective attention.
Webb et al. (2019) explored how people who microdose accounted for their behavior to manage the potential stigma of illegal drug use. They found that they embraced traditional, middle-class values and accounted for their behavior in ways that helped them excuse or justify their behavior to others.
Method
We conducted semistructured interviews with 30 people who had experience with microdosing classic psychedelics. The participants had to be at least 18 years of age and had taken small doses of the psychedelic following a regimented schedule for at least 5 weeks.
We recruited participants using the Internet. They lived in multiple states in the United States and in various countries and microdosed with psilocybin mushrooms, LSD or its analogue, 1P-LSD, for a period ranging from 2 months to 5 years.
All interviews were semistructured, and asked questions related to when, why, and how the participant began to microdose. The participants were assigned aliases, and all names and identifying information were removed from the transcripts.
We used both deductive and inductive coding to code the interviews, drawing from the literature examining drug use and accounting.
Stigma and Justifications for Microdosing
Possession of LSD or psilocybin mushrooms can result in prison terms ranging from 5 to 40 years. Most participants were unconcerned with direct, formal penalties, and preferred to keep their use secret from certain people. They believed that the general public and many of their friends and family had negative perceptions of psychedelics, which led them to keep their use secret.
Participants were concerned that others would learn about their microdosing. Ashley said she would worry if her father found out.
Despite concerns about stigma, participants were enthusiastic about their decision to microdose classic psychedelics. They provided six key justifications for their drug use, including denial of injury, self-sustaining, self-fulfillment, appeal to normality, appeal to loyalties, and knowledgeableness.
Denial of Injury
People who deny injury emphasize the harmlessness of an act, and renounce any detrimental effects that may result from using the drug. Half of the participants in this study denied that microdosing classic psychedelics had any negative effects on their physical, mental, or emotional health.
15 participants denied the harm of their practice in different ways. Max said that he was not jeopardizing his school or work, and Mason didn’t even notice any negative physical effects.
Self-Sustaining
Twenty-three participants justified their microdosing by saying that it was a means to cope with negative situations or events in their lives. They said that they microdosed to help relieve stress, anxiety, or the negative effects of chronic drug use.
These participants believed that microdosing classic psychedelics was a more acceptable method to treat their drug addictions than smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, or using cannabis.
Self-Fulfillment
The 30 participants said that microdosing helped them to better themselves spiritually, cognitively, or emotionally. They believed that microdosing was not problematic because they were using the drugs as tools to make their lives more fulfilling.
People who use the self-fulfillment justification emphasize that their practice helps them deal with problems before they arise, which makes them feel happier, have more energy, and be more at peace with themselves.
Appeal to Loyalties
Sixteen participants said that microdosing classic psychedelics was a way for them to improve their relationships with important people in their lives.
Microdosing was a tool to enhance bonding experiences with his wife and his friends. Several of these 16 participants reported improved relationships with their spouses, and believed that microdosing was a crucial aid in keeping personal relationships healthy.
Appeal to Normality
People who justify drug use by appealing to normality emphasize that the drug use is normal in another part of the world. This justification can be medically focused, as in the case of psychedelic drug users who stress the medicinal value of these substances.
The 19 participants compared microdosing classic psychedelics to prescription medicines, and also made connections to more commonly used drugs, such as alcohol or caffeine. They argued that microdosing should be and currently is on the same grounds as these drugs.
Knowledgeableness
Many novice drug users say that they microdosed to see what everyone was talking about. For these people, curiosity is an acceptable justification for at least trying something.
Similarly, Nick said that he had discovered microdosing a few years ago and decided to give it a try. He was more curious to see if it made a beneficial difference.
Discussion and Conclusion
Those who microdose classic psychedelics say they are seeking subtle outcomes that contribute to healthful lives. However, they are still concerned with potential negative judgment from others and seek to keep their drug use secret.
The stigma of microdosing appears to be mild and easily managed. Participants would rather keep their microdosing private, but if the subject was raised in company deemed polite, safe, and understanding, they justified their decision to microdose. The ease with which the stigma of microdosing was managed is interesting theoretically. It is possible that favorable media attention to the use of supplements for self-improvement shapes the way people talk about their use of classic psychedelics in small doses.
In our study of people who microdose classic psychedelics, we used an interpretivist framework and a purposive sample. We cannot make claims about the actual distribution of the various justifications in the larger population, and the sample and interviewer may have influenced the responses.
Participants from different backgrounds may have different ways of justifying their actions, and we cannot say for certain if microdosing has any lasting negative effects.
Find this paper
Accounting for Microdosing Classic Psychedelics
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022042619871008
Open Access | Google Scholar | Backup | 🕊
Study details
Participants
30
Authors
Authors associated with this publication with profiles on Blossom
Peter HendricksPeter Hendricks is a Professor in the Department of Health Behaviour at the University of Alabama. Hendricks's area of expertise lies in substance abuse treatment and prevention.