Substances are inextricable from the human experience, from the chemicals in the foods we eat to the medications we take, prescribed or unprescribed, to the recreational substances we prefer, legal or illegal. The law does not, as it claims, delineate between safe and unsafe drugs but instead establishes a rigid status quo around substances. Some of the most dangerous and addictive chemicals are legal, widely available, or determined to have medicinal value. Some of the safest (in terms of overdose rates, addictive potential, and long-term health effects) are illegal and medically rejected, despite true potential for medicinal benefit.
Under the April theme of The Underbelly of Health, The Disruptor contributors seek in part to interrogate humanity’s relationship with substances that induce altered states of consciousness. In order to do so, we seek to aggregate a wide variety of stories from the most difficult to the most helpful experiences resultant from the ingestion of a mind-altering substance. We are calling for submissions from all who are willing to anonymously share their encounters with psychoactive chemicals.
We have drawn this model from the #ThankYouPlantMedicine Movement that encourages people to post about therapeutic or otherwise helpful experiences with psychotropic plants to reduce stigmatization and spread awareness about the massive therapeutic potential of psychedelic plants.
The Disruptor staff find it important to broaden this model to include difficult or negative experiences and substances that do not fall under the umbrella of plant medicine; legal, pharmaceutical, addictive, or otherwise.
We welcome submissions in any form of expression: writing, drawing, etc., whatever best represents your experience.