A writer friend asked me a few months ago what I thought about writers taking drugs (or other intoxicants) in order to get inspired or write down their thoughts and feelings during the psychedelic state. I thought it'd be interesting to see what the writers of TPM think about this.

Do you think it's a good thing? A bad thing?

Have you set out to take drugs intentionally to alter your state of mind and experiment with your writing?

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Personally, I don't take drugs in general; I drink alcohol, but never to "inspire" myself or reach an altered state.

But I did share a dorm in Amsterdam with a writer who was laying there gobbling down mushrooms for this exact reason: to add another dimension to his writing. It was actually very interesting to watch --- I had never seen someone take drugs purely to experience the sensation and write it all down.

I never read what he wrote, though, so I don't know if his experiment was a "success" as such.

Discuss!