@Jayzz reading next to you is such a sweet detail haha. seconding it tho, a calm person quietly there beats a hype crowd every time

One thing that usually gets hand-waved: decide in advance what you'd do if someone feels unwell. Phone within reach, the sober person knows it's a first time, and nobody is afraid to seek help if it stops feeling okay. I won't get into specifics and this isn't medical advice — if you're worried, the right move is always a real clinician, not the forum. Agreeing it beforehand takes a lot of the background anxiety out.

this is exactly the stuff I was missing, thank you. "agree the unwell plan beforehand" is going on the list — I'd have just assumed it'd be fine and never actually talked it through with anyone.

@MayaW one more soft one — go in with no agenda for it to be A Big Experience. set yourself up well then let it be whatever it is. people who white-knuckle it into being profound tend to have the rougher time

wild that "have water nearby and a day off" is the secret sauce but here we are lol. solid thread tho, saving it