Set & Setting
Setting refers to the environment you choose to take drugs in; whether indoors or outside, what music you listen to, who you take drugs with and how comfortable your surroundings are, amongst many other things.
Why is set and setting so important?
When someone decides to take psychoactive drugs, they are taking something which has the potential to change their perceptions, feelings and thought patterns. How this shift in conscious experience unfolds is still influenced by other factors:
Set: Consider a drug like alcohol, which is known to cause disinhibition and accentuate emotional states. If someone is enjoying a few beers with their friends and is in a good mood, this disinhibition may lead to a positive experience, as they talk more freely with their friends. However, if someone has just had a really difficult experience - such as the break down of a relationship - then the same disinhibition may cause their distress and unhappiness to be amplified, and it may increase the likelihood of them acting in a way they would later regret.
Drugs interact with our emotional states, and can amplify them, which directly affects our overall experience on drugs.
Setting: In another case, think of someone who is planning to take psychedelics for the first time, and they do so at a busy music festival. The experience may be overwhelming for them, but it’s not entirely down to the drug. It’s because they’re taking the drug in an unfamiliar, busy and loud environment where they don’t feel comfortable. Thus the environment they take it in may be the factor that makes the experience difficult, whereas if they had taken it in a quiet park with people they trust, they may have struggled less.
The environment, the people that we are with, and how safe we feel also affects our overall experience on drugs.
Set and Setting factors to think about at music festivals and nightclubs:
Although many people choose to take drugs at music festivals and in nightclubs, it isn’t always the best environment to take drugs. Thus a k-hole, a dissociative state induced by a large ‘recreational’ amount of ketamine, that may be fairly safe and manageable if at home with friends, may be less than ideal if stood in the middle of a dancefloor. Although this list is non-exhaustive, it gives some points one may want to consider before taking drugs at music events this summer.
Set:
Are you:
Going through anything difficult in your personal life, such as a break up?
Drugs can exacerbate negative feelings you are already struggling with.
Worried or concerned about being in a crowd of people for the first time in a year?
Being in a crowd post-lockdown will be a big deal for many people, there’s a chance that taking drugs may increase that anxiety.
Struggling with any mental health problems, such as anxiety or low mood which may be exacerbated by taking drugs?
Some drugs and some ways of consuming drugs can worsen pre-existing mental health difficulties.
With friends who you can trust, and you know that if anything bad was to happen they would support you?
Sometimes being with people you don’t trust can make you feel self-conscious, or more anxious, especially if you start to struggle.
Well rested?
Sleep deprivation commonly makes drug experiences much more unstable and can increase the risk of a difficult time. For drugs such as stimulants and psychedelics, sleep deprivation increases the risk of having a psychotic episode.
Well fed and hydrated?
Dehydration and lack of food can increase the likelihood of a bad time on drugs. If you haven’t been looking after yourself, you’re more likely to get anxious or have unpleasant thoughts and you’re more likely to start to feel physically ill.
Setting:
Have you:
Thought about a safe space or chill out zone to go to if things are overwhelming?
Crowded dancefloors can be overwhelming even when sober. Sometimes removing yourself from the crowd can help you feel better if things get too much.
Considered the weather and other environmental factors?
If you’re too cold - or too hot - when taking drugs you’re more likely to have a bad time. The weather can also increase your risk of coming to serious harm. Hot weather increases the chance of you getting too hot on MDMA and suffering hyperthermia, which can be fatal. If it’s very cold you can pass out on drugs like alcohol and GHB and suffer hypothermia.
Decided what you want out of the drug experience?
Having an idea of how you want your experience to unfold can help it to go smoothly. But be aware that things don't always go to plan.
Sometimes drugs, especially psychedelics such as LSD and mushrooms, but also MDMA and ketamine, can bring about quite profound and challenging experiences. You may just be planning to have a good time and party - but you may end up having an emotional experience, where you think about - or even relive - past experiences and traumas. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and some people claim to have transformational experiences on drugs, but it’s something to be aware of.
Got a rendezvous point with your friends?
You may get separated from your friends and have no phone signal or battery. It can be helpful to decide a point to meet them in case you get separated.
Sussed out where medics and welfare are?
It’s not always possible to manage the effects of drugs by yourself. You may feel in desperate need of emotional support, or you may need emergency medical treatment. It’s always a good idea to know where you can find these on site.
Being aware of set and setting isn’t going to prevent you having a difficult time on drugs. You still need to be careful about what you’re taking and how much you take. Before taking any drug, research what you’re taking, start with small amounts and use a drug checking service where possible. However, being aware of how your mental state and the environment you take drugs in can influence your experience is important knowledge for anyone considering taking drugs this summer.
Always practice #safesesh.
Adam Waugh, Senior Harm Reduction Team, The Loop.