In Part 1, Erin and I got somewhat naughty in New Orleans by meeting up with a lifestyle blogging couple. The events of part 2, this story, happened a few days later: We stayed in the Big Easy a few days past when my work trip was over to hit some of our favorite sites, which mostly involved eating and drinking.
It also involved rolling on MDMA (otherwise known as Molly, hence the picture I used) on Bourbon Street.
We have now crossed that off the to-do list.
For Science!
Yeah, we did this for kicks, but we also did it as a “scientific” experiment. I take taking drugs very seriously. I keep copious notes in a notebook that lives in my drug box.
This started as a way of tracking our weed strand usage because Erin and I felt little difference between strands. Hell, we can’t tell the difference between indicas, sativas, and hybrids most of the time. The journal was meant to track our reactions to see if we noticed a difference if we really tried. Now my journal is used for tracking everything.
We don’t have many friends who know about our substance experience, but those that do have been subject to my interviews before, during, and after the events. I follow up days later to check that everything is still cool and to get more notes.
Some of my journal entries are more useful than others. I will admit, I sometimes forget updates and follow-ups. But we’ve got a solid understanding of our reaction to substance doses because of these notes. I didn’t have my journal with me on this trip, but I took notes nonetheless.
Usually we take MDMA alone, just the two of us. We have on several occasions done it with other couples (some of them we’ve played with). We’ve never done so in a large group, and we don’t mix party drugs and sex clubs.
We wanted to try mixing MDMA and a party vibe. Bourbon Street makes for a great testing ground.
Why Bourbon Street in Particular
Erin and I were never club-goers. Give us a fancy cocktail bar or swanky speakeasy with nice, soft background music. Someplace we can sit, relax, take in the atmosphere, and talk. Even in college, we found clubs and bars too loud for our taste. We don’t want to have to shout to be heard.
And yet we loved Bourbon Street from the first time we wandered down this road of drunken debauchery over a decade ago.
At the time, we had yet to discover lifestyle clubs, which we do enjoy. Bourbon Street has a bit of that feel: drunken hedonism that envelopes and includes everyone, from college kids to seniors. All are welcome to this party. Also back in the day, the strip clubs and live sex shows were more pervasive. I don’t think I saw a single stripper on the street this last trip—nor even a single naked tit, let alone a full pair, now that I think about it—but on previous visits, that was the norm.
You can drink openly and carry alcohol on Bourbon Street, and the bars don’t have a cover, so it’s easy to move from place to place. Don’t like the vibe where you are? Keep on walking. That’s ideal for a drug experiment like this: We didn’t want to get stuck in a set or setting we didn’t enjoy.
Our hotel was also in the French Quarter, so it was easy and safe for us to get “home” again whenever we were ready to do so. It’s the perfect place to get a little naughty in New Orleans!
About MDMA
I tend to buy MDMA in crystal form rather than pre-pressed pills. This allows for more refined control of the dosage without as much potential for additives.
Fun fact: Pressed pills are branded, and a particular brand should have the same qualities every time. For example, there is a type of pill called a Tesla (which we’ve tried before…oh boy is THAT a story!). It is a small, orange shield-shaped pill with a T emblazoned upon it and the word Tesla across the top.
If someone is pressing a pill and marketing it as a Tesla, you get should have the same qualities every time:
- ~230mg MDMA (though it feels stronger)
- Orange
- Tesla logo
- Glows under a blacklight (supposedly; I didn’t try)
- No other drugs in it
Always Test Your Substances
Anyone with the know-how and equipment can make MDMA and press a pill any color and shape they want, so you never know what you are getting. This is why you should always test your substances!
I have been led to believe that particular pills also contain certain additives by design. I read about a particular brand that has 10mg methamphetamine added. Others have caffeine to help boost the upper effect. However, despite the branding, some pills don’t contain MDMA at all and are just meth or caffeine or who-knows-what.
The real danger with taking MDMA isn’t from overdosing on MDMA or addiction. It’s being sold/given something other than MDMA (which goes against Commandment 5 of ethical drug use).
This is where legalization and regulation would help: If MDMA were legal, then every shop making Tesla pills would be required to make sure it fits the standards.
Even in crystal form, always test your substances. The home test kits won’t reveal how strong your MDMA is (I’ve had batches that were pretty weak; only trying it reveals that), but they do give you an idea of what you are taking!
Dosing for This Experiment
Erin and I started with 150mg of MDMA and added two doses of 50mg during the evening. I know this is what we took because I packed the pills myself (we had multiple pills each doses at 50mg) from a supply that had been previously used. We knew its potency.
Experienced MDMA-takers might think 150mg isn’t a light dose. The common threshold dose (the minimum necessary to feel the effect of the drug) is 30mg and 40mg–70mg is considered light. I’m a big guy. I’ve taken 120mg before and not felt it. Erin’s prescription drugs dampen the effect of, but aren’t dangerous to combine with, MDMA.
We know from years of tracking that this is an acceptable light dose for us.
The Before the Experiment Begins….
We started the evening off at a wonderful little wine bar in the Bywater district with a couple coworker-friends. They were not aware of the experiment nor are they aware of our substance use in general. This bar was a new spot for us, found by my friend, but one we would definitely return to.
During our time at the wine bar, Erin had three glasses of red wine; I had two and a cocktail, which was delicious. This is outside the norm for us, as we don’t usually drink alcohol before taking MDMA. We don’t drink much alcohol while on MDMA either; usually sweet, sparkling wine, like a prosecco, sometimes mixed with fruit juice. However, this was part of the experiment: As drinking is often part of club experiences, we wanted to drink during this to see how it might affect us.
Despite having a large lunch earlier, we were a bit peckish and ended up getting a cheese board to share. This is also outside the norm for us as we usually try not to eat three hours before taking MDMA. Eating before rolling can slow down the absorption rate and lower the intensity of the roll. This wasn’t a big meal, but it was more than the light snacks we usually have and closer to the roll time. This was not intended as part of the experience, but those were some really awesome cheeses!
The Bourbon Street Experience
T = 7:00 p.m.; 150mg MDMA Each
Erin and I took our first dose as we were leaving the wine bar, and we got a Lyft to Three Muses on Frenchmen Street. We each had another two cocktails while listening to a jazz pianist. He stopped just before 8:00 p.m., giving over to a full jazz band, who started up at 8:00.
At this point (T + 1:00), we were both feeling the upper effect of the MDMA—a stimmed feeling similar to when you have too much caffeine, a bit of a racing heart and shaky hands—but not the euphoria. Usually by one hour in, we’re both more into the experience than this. Obviously the food was having a small effect.
Jazz isn’t something to which we typically listen—certainly not while rolling!—but we do like it live. We both enjoyed the newness of this experience; neither of us found the jazz to be harsh or at odds with the come-up.
T + 1:25: +50mg Each and Some Cocktails
Before we left Three Muses, we each took a 50mg booster. Our original plan was to take a 100mg booster at T + 2:00, but the experience was so light at this point (due to the cheese board) that we decided to change our time table.
Again, I have years of experience and notes. Adjusting on the fly is easy and safe.
From here, we wandered down Frenchmen Street, checking out a small arts and crafts open-air market outside the Spotted Cat and listening to the music from various bars from the street. Despite it being a Monday, most of the bars were packed. We didn’t want to take up valuable real estate inside when we knew were weren’t eating or drinking at this point.
We walked to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, where we shared a Voodoo Daiquiri, their signature drink. It’s purple. And it tastes purple. At this point, we know better than to drink beer while rolling: It’s too bitter. Sweet is the go-to flavor profile. This wasn’t a great drink, especially with the enhanced taste sensation, but it wasn’t offensive.
We love Lafitte’s, and it’s one of the places we always hit when in New Orleans. Our friends from the wine bar met us there, and we hung out listening to the pianist play cover songs for a bit before heading out for Bourbon Street proper.
T + 2:30: +50mg Each and a Wander
Erin and I popped our second boosters as we left Lafitte’s.
We wandered down Bourbon into the party zone with our friends. When we originally planned this evening, we had assumed we’d be solo for the night. However, the addition of other people made for an interesting additional experiment: Were Erin and I acting any different so as to reveal we were on something?
No. Our friends were none the wiser.
At this point, we’re pretty solidly in the roll and feeling good. It’s light, lighter than a 250mg roll would be. A note for MDMA newbies: Taking 250mg at the start will feel a hell of a lot different than 150mg + 50mg + 50mg spaced out as we did. We have found that spreading out doses like that has less of an effect on the depth of the experience and is more about prolonging the experience.
T + 3:00: More Daiquiris
We each got a daiquiri at 10:00 p.m. (mango for Shane; pina colada for Erin, if you are interested). We weaved in and out of bars, taking in the music and the scenes, looking for a place to settle in.
Eventually we landed at Bandstand, which had a great rock cover band playing. Again, not what we usually listen to while rolling, but that was part of the experience.
In my notes, I noted that at 10:40 p.m., a few well-drunk Aussie chicks got on stage and danced with/tried to sing with the band. I’m now wondering if Aussie is considered a derogatory term….
We hung out at Bandstand until 11:10 p.m. We wandered Bourbon a bit longer, breaking ways from our friends at 11:30 when they went off looking for food. Or a particular bar. I didn’t note where they went.
T + 5:00: Back to Our Hotel
We got back to the hotel a little before midnight. Perfect timing to be even more naughty in New Orleans.
Erin’s dress had a couple tears in the skirt from wandering around. She showed me the holes and said it was ruined; she wouldn’t be taking it back home. Knowing that the dress was a goner, I grabbed the front of it and ripped it open, then tossed her onto the bed. We made out for a bit, during which I stripped her out of her underwear.
We paused the action to shower. We’d done a lot of walking after all, and it was a bit hot and humid. Showering feels pretty amazing while rolling, especially showering together and washing each other with slippery soap. Then back to bed for sex.
Sex on Molly is amazing, by the way.
We wrapped up abit after 1:00 a.m., and just laid in bed listening to music for a while as we came down from the Molly. MDMA is an upper, and it can be difficult to sleep even after the high is gone. We had our go-to sleep aid, Xanax, with us, and we both took our dose around 2:00 a.m.
Afterwards
I was up by 11:00 a.m. and woke Erin around noon. We were both feeling great the day after the experiment, and we reviewed our experience over beignets and coffee.
The Results
We both had a great time being a somewhat naughty in New Orleans on Molly! Neither of us felt our roll was harshed by the crowds or the music being different than the EDM/Chillhouse we usually listen to.
We drank more alcohol than we usually do, but neither of us got drunk. We were very aware of our intoxication levels, which helped us gauge when we’d had enough. I wasn’t sure if the inhibition-lowering effect of the Molly might make us less in-tune with our intoxication levels.
At that dosage (after food…), even our friends had no idea we were on anything.
Overall, we liked the experience of being out and about while rolling, and we could consider going to clubs or bars while on Molly. We’re still hesitant to combine MDMA and lifestyle events for most of the reasons I listed previously, but we’re a little less worried about a couple of them after this experiment: being on a different level and doing something we might regret.
We also considered some of the advantages of attending such events on MDMA. Most of those reasons that I’m bad at flirting would be instantly fixed even on a low dose of Molly, after all. Maybe a hotel taker-over type event would work; there’s still that ability to get away if the set and setting aren’t right, and we can just be together if that’s what we are feeling. Also there’s no worry about having to get home at the end of the night.
Still, we don’t have plans on testing that theory.