DOSE:	500 mg	oral	Smarts - Phenibut	(capsule)
		oral	Coffee

BODY WEIGHT:

175 lb

I read about Phenibut in a thread about Kratom (which I also use). I was interested and did some research. At first, the substance sounded pretty scary, with many users describing overdoses, addiction, and adverse effects. However, I have been responsibly using many substances off and on for 10 years, including some very addictive stuff. I have a constant fear of addiction when using substances, so I self-regulate harshly. Having read the same reports of addiction and abuse about Kratom (which I have been using for 6 months now with no uppage of my dose and no adverse effects) I decided to give Phenibut a try.

I ordered a 60ct bottle of 250 mg pills. The low price and fast shipping surprised me, for just $15 usd I had my bottle in two days. I got it on friday, but had resolved to wait until the weekend to try it.

Saturday morning, I woke up at 8:30, unsure if I wanted to try it. I had plans to go help a friend who is new to Archery tune up the bow he just got, and my Girlfriend's bow needed adjustment as well. This meant going to the range. Like any responsible user, I knew it would be a bad idea to go shooting a dangerous weapon intoxicated, especially on a substance I'd never used before. However, I was afraid to use it on a Sunday, as I had a busy workday slotted for Monday and didn't want to run the risk of hangover or any other adverse effects.

Eventually, I decided to go ahead and try it. I figured, we wouldn't be leaving until the afternoon, and by then I could figure out how it affected me. My friend and girlfriend both are understanding of my experimentation, so if I felt impaired I would just watch them shoot and help them with adjusting their equipment (I have a lot more shooting experience than either of them, so they rely on me especially when tuning new equipment).

Around 9:30, I got up and made some coffee. As it was brewing I took my dose, a low 500 mg for my first time.

T-0:00 Two little pills taken, I made my coffee and settled in at the computer for a few rounds of battlefield 5.

T-0:30 I've noticed no outward effects at this point, I'm completely focused on the game, and to be honest have forgotten my dose.

T-1:45 My friend texts me saying he's getting ready to leave. I have some chores to do before we go so I shut down the game. I noticed while I was playing that my performance was much higher than usual, and I was having a great time playing. More fun than any other Saturday Morning game session I can remember. I remember that I took a dose before starting, and was surprised at just how much focus I had, and the fact that I was in the Top 5 of my teams scoreboard almost every game.

T-2:30 Chores finished, we load our bows into the car. A neighbor had walked through my yard to get to another neighbor's house (we're all friendly in my neighborhood, I'm really blessed to live in a place that really has that small-town-community feeling). We shared some words about the weather and things that needed doing around the neighborhood. Usually, I'm pretty introverted and when I do get talking I have problems picking up on subtle cues that the conversation should draw to a close. Today I was able to completely focus on the conversation and how my neighbor was reacting and didn't feel awkward at all.

T- 3:00 We pick up my friend and head to the range. We have great conversation and crack jokes the whole way there. We usually get along well but today it just felt like everything was flowing.

T- 4:00 We arrive at the range and we're the only ones there. I help my friend and girlfriend assemble their bows and tune in their sights. I've felt no physical or mental impairment, just in a good mood. As we're alone, and spread out, and I felt fine, I opted to put a few arrows downrange. I'll put in Erowid's warning for them: It is irresponsible to use a dangerous weapon or machine while under the influence of any substance.

I did find that I was not as accurate as I usually am. Typically, I have all my arrows in the 10,9, or 8 rings at this distance, but that day I had a few 5's and 4's. Nothing dangerous, but something to note. I think it had less to do with physical impairment than it did with focus. While playing battlefield earlier, I was alone (I don't usually chat when playing), so I was completely focused on the tasks at hand. On the range, I was there with my friend and girlfriend, and I wanted to talk more than shoot. I think I was less focused on the shots themselves than on just wanting to let the arrow fly so I could tell a joke. I'll definitely not be using this substance again when I have plans to go to the range. Not because there was any real danger there, but because I am slightly competitive and want to out do myself every time I go. In addition, me wanting to talk was a distraction. My friends didn't mind, but if there were any other archers there they might. It's just inconsiderate. Again, I don't recommend doing this, the more I think back on it the more I realize that even though I didn't feel impaired, I may have been and so could have been a danger to myself and others.

T-6:00 Finished at the range, we head to the archery shop to get a couple accessories and some tuning that I couldn't do without a bow press. This took a while but I enjoyed myself by looking at the items in the shop. Almost walked out with a new Recurve bow but reined myself in-I didn't want to make any large purchase if I wasn't clearheaded. Side note, I still think I'm gonna get it :-)

T-9:30 We've made it back to my house and I'm grilling up some steaks. I've come down now but am still feeling sociable and happy. Unfortunately my ability to pick up on other people has diminished, so I slightly upset my GF with some comments that I found funny, but she was tired from all the activity of the day and didn't find them as funny. I apologize and she forgives me.

T-10:00 Steaks are done, I put on Train to Busan because my friend still hadn't seen it (we both love zombie movies) and we really enjoy the experience, making comments during the badass scenes and really feeling the heartbreaking scenes. After the movie he says it blew him away. We have plans to watch another movie by that studio next week.

T-12:00 After the movie we get to talking about video games and video editing (we like to make youtube videos occasionally, but his software is all free and he doesn't have as much experience in editing as I doa0, so I show him my cheap editor along with my free animation and photo editing software. We make a short compilation video of BF5 together, fully enjoying the process.

T-14:00 My friend leaves, and my GF comes out of our bedroom (she doesn't like zombie movies, and usually goes in for a nap around 8 PM) She wants to play DMC5 and asks me to watch her. I'm watching her play and again reassure her that I didn't mean to hurt her feelings, and she says that she knows, that she just took the comments too personally because her hormones are acting up, and she reassures me that I didn't upset her.

T-15:00 We head to bed and for a change I sleep deeply and wake up rested and refreshed.

In summary, I'd say that the benefits of Phenibut are that increased focus and sociability, with a dissolution of anxiety and pressing worries. I'm an accountant and this time of year (March) is an incredibly busy time because it's tax season. Usually, I am a somewhat anxious wreck around now, and constantly stressing about the next deadline or project. It was really nice to have a day where all of that stress just melted away, and I could enjoy whatever I was doing. I particularly enjoyed playing BF5, as gaming has been my go-to activity since I was a little boy. My performance and enjoyment in the game was fantastic and I loved every minute of it. I don't think I'll be trying to do anything physical again during a dose, but instead just use it on gaming or video editing days.

The drawbacks, as far as I can tell, are that I see a potential to be annoying when talking if you're not around people in a talking mood. It was also tempting to re-dose throughout the day, but I knew from the forum threads this was a bad idea. I was afraid that I would want to dose again the next day, and I did a little bit, but didn't want to lose the magic of this substance. I think it will be pretty easy to make it a weekends-only type of experience, but I could see how other people might fall into the trap of wanting to take it day-after-day.

Exp Year: 2019	ExpID: 113042
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 27
Published: Feb 13, 2021	Views: 3,836
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Smarts - Phenibut (379) : First Times (2), Public Space (Museum, Park, etc) (53)