Biography/Memoir

I took magic mushrooms to treat the world’s worst headaches… and got arrested for it

Cluster Headaches: I was 33 and living in Portland, Oregon, when I first started getting them. They came like clockwork every night at 1, dragging me out of my dreams and onto my feet. Psilocybin Containing Mushrooms: “Mind telling us what you’ve got here?” the K9 trooper asked, holding the travel case in which I kept my stash of mushrooms …

Cluster Headaches: The pain was unbearable — like a dental pick raking the inside of my skull. Tears streamed from my left eye, my eyelid sagged, my nostril clogged. Invariably I found myself on the floor, clawing carpet tendrils, sucking air through clenched teeth. Noises I didn’t recognize as my own came gurgling out my throat, as if by their own accord. Sometimes during a particularly bad episode, I was reduced to sobbing. I wished for any kind of relief, even death. But there was no escape. For an hour or sometimes more, there was only the pain. And after the pain, the terror of anticipating the next attack. Always, the terror of the next one. Psilocybin Containing Mushrooms: By the next hearing, nearly a year had elapsed since my arrest. The judge agreed to probation, and asked the prosecutor if she had any objections. “Your honor,” she said, leafing through a stack of papers, “Mr. Tucker was ordered to complete an outpatient rehabilitation program and begin attending 12-step meetings. But I don’t see any record of his having done either…” I almost screamed. I wasn’t an addict. I didn’t belong in rehab or 12-step meetings. Hi, I’m Jeremy and I’m addicted to… mushrooms. “In that case,” the judge said, “this hearing is adjourned. Mr. Tucker, before we move forward, we need to see proof that you’re serious about getting help for your addiction.”

Original Article (Huff Post):
I took magic mushrooms to treat the world’s worst headaches… and got arrested for it
Artwork Fair Use: T. Bjornstad

Biography/Memoir

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