Is 2C-B the Ideal Recreational Psychedelic

I remember being at a house party at university where, at one point in the evening, I was playing on an African drum and jamming with another person for what felt like a good couple of hours…I’m sure it wasn’t that long, and it was simply the effects of some rather lovely 2C-B earlier that evening. I say rather lovely in fond memory, as this is a substance that I have never had an unpleasant experience with, and it certainly holds a lot of promise for being utilised more in a recreational sense compared to other classic psychedelics. I was having a great time at that party and felt totally in the flow of things while being able to enjoy the trippy nature of the drug. I was able to be at ease around different people, and I can’t ever remember experiencing any anxiety or miscommunication while having an experience with 2C-B, and I think it’s important to look at it in this way, as being the ideal recreational psychedelic. 

All too often, we get caught up in the psychotherapeutic or shamanic aspects of a psychedelic experience, but what about the pure recreational or fun side of things? I’ve taken this drug before going to see live music, and I had a really intense and amazing time. Going to gigs is my favourite thing to do, and the way in which the 2C-B amplified this intensity allowed me to appreciate the experience of being in a pure state of joy. We might then think, “well no psychedelic experience is purely recreational or fun because we’re always getting something out of it which goes much deeper than that”, but I think the pure appreciation for joyful experiences is a huge part of life itself, and the nature of 2C-B might allow it to find its place as a genuine recreational psychedelic.

First synthesised by Alexander Shulgin in 1974 for use in psychotherapy, 2C-B became popular after MDMA was banned in 1985, providing a substitute with similar effects that were more hallucinatory in their nature. In 2003, he told the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics, “2C-B is, in my opinion, one of the most graceful, erotic, sensual, introspective compounds I have ever invented. For most people, it is a short-lived and comfortable psychedelic, with neither toxic side-effects nor next-day hang-over.”

From my personal experience with 2C-B, I resonate with the graceful and sensual effects; however, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s particularly introspective, and I think that’s what makes it ideal for recreational settings. Maybe I haven’t taken the kind of doses that Shulgin was taking, but there is certainly something more comfortable about it compared to other psychedelics, or even more classic party drugs like MDMA, where I can often become a bit of a sweaty mess. It’s like 2C-B provides a similar level of stimulation to MDMA but with the chilled out, flowiness of something like LSD, where I’m able to just be and observe without getting too caught up in reacting in a certain way to whatever is happening. Overwhelmingly, the people I’ve spoken to seem to have similarly positive experiences, but this article isn’t intended as a glorification of this substance or necessarily the recreational use of psychedelics in general, but more of an exploration into the origins of 2C-B and how it might be used in certain contexts that could be considered more recreational compared to other psychedelics.

2C-B, known chemically as 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine, is a synthetic psychedelic that was documented in the book PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story, written by Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin in 1991. The main title of the book is an acronym for “Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved” and provides details of how to manufacture substances from this class of compounds, including MDMA, 2C-B, 2C-T-2, and 2C-T-7. 2C-B was part of what Shulgin described as a “magical half dozen”, which includes substances such as mescaline, 2C-E, and other members of the 2C family. 

2C-B is considered as a “substitute phenethylamine”, which is a class of compounds based on the structure of phenethylamine (found naturally in trace amounts in the human central nervous system, as well as certain types of fungi and bacteria, and also being responsible for the euphoric high that people might experience with cacao). These types of substances are commonly thought of as being empathogens or entactogens, where they provide a certain quality of “oneness” or “communion” during the experience, with the most widely used one being MDMA. This quality is certainly very noticeable during an MDMA experience, but I have personally experienced this sense of oneness with 2C-B in social settings, such as the house party drum circle I mentioned earlier.

This was supposedly Shulgin’s favourite psychedelic, where he would describe it in very fond terms (like a warm hug) and it was certainly popular in the 1980s, with its euphoric and psychedelic effects dubbing it as a new “party drug”, as well as being marketed as an aphrodisiac under the name Erox. Although it was initially used as a potential therapeutic aid, it was discontinued due to gastrointestinal issues, and now remains a controlled substance in pretty much every country. 

2C-B is usually taken in either powder or tablet form, with low doses ranging from 5-10mg, a medium dose of 10-25mg, and a high dose being 25-40mg. The onset is roughly about 45 minutes, with effects lasting for around 2-4 hours, and a relatively mild comedown lasting around 2 hours, although obviously there might be some after-effects depending on how much sleep you’ve had after your experience. A low dose might give you some subtle visuals as well as an increase in empathy with others, but when you start to get into the medium dose range, then things get a bit more interesting, especially with visuals looking more textured and things generally being quite funny. 

I’ve never taken more than 25mg, as I was always aware that this could potentially lead to a rather intense psychedelic experience that might turn into dysphoria. I’ve also known people to insufflate (snort) the powdered 2C-B, which in theory provides a much stronger experience (especially in a visual sense) but is also supposedly extremely painful, with a friend of mine once describing it as having a “red hot screwdriver shoved up your nose” – although supposedly this pain subsides over a relatively short period of time and is replaced by a huge wave of euphoria.

There have been limited human studies on the effects of the drug; however, some research has suggested that it can create a euphoric feeling, with a constellation of psychedelic-like effects similar to those associated with serotonin-acting drugs like MDMA or LSD.

Many people seem to report these euphoric effects, with Redditor ‘AluminumOrangutan’ stating:

It differs a little from person to person, but most people experience at least some of the following. There's often some mood enhancement, but not nearly as intense as MDMA's euphoria. For me personally, it feels like a weaker version of MDMA's euphoria and loving feeling. Sensory enhancement, e.g. lights look prettier, music sounds better, touch feels more intense. Like other psychedelics, it does help you be more present in the moment and lowers your psychological barriers. On higher oral doses or on moderate snorted doses, you may experience closed eye visuals, synesthesia, and time dilation.

I always used to refer to it as “backseat tripping”, where I felt like I didn’t have to involve myself in the same way as other psychedelics, because there always felt like less potential for a negative experience to occur. There was a fondness for this kind of experience as myself and others had probably ventured out quite far with classic psychedelics, and 2C-B almost provided some kind of light relief, where things would never get too intense and the visuals would always be quite soft and melty, almost cartoonish in a way, like being in a movie about someone tripping. 

The visuals I’ve had on something like LSD in comparison are more structured and patterned, almost as if there’s some intrinsic meaning to the patterns, where I have felt like I’ve uncovered some kind of code within the deeper layers of reality. 2C-B on the other hand, has never given me any kind of visuals which would imply some deeper, more profound sense of understanding about the nature of reality – they were just fun and “trippy” in a rather vague sense, but still thoroughly enjoyable and almost quite playful, which I think is the general feeling I get with 2C-B.

The idea of a psychedelic drug being recreational is often a hot topic of debate, with many thinking that there should be intentional consumption, whether that be in a ceremonial setting or a more clinical one. The idea of recreation when it comes to psychedelics might be looked down upon by those who consider the benefits of these substances to provide us with more than just simple enjoyment, with potentially more of a mental, spiritual, or emotional context to the experiences. Recreational drugs might include ones such as cocaine or cannabis, where their psychoactive nature provides a lot of enjoyment, especially when taken sporadically rather than in a habitual or addictive way. But can the same be true for certain psychedelics? Are we able to simply enjoy the effects of a drug like 2C-B without being drawn into any deeper experience that might be considered more than just recreational?

The almost entirely playful nature of the 2C-B experience might lend itself to a more enjoyable recreational experience, where we’re not getting caught up in profound revelations or working our way through previous trauma. It’s more about being in the moment, and enjoying the changes in auditory and visual perception…almost like taking a break from engaging in a deeper, more mystical experience, while still being afforded the benefits of being taken out of your everyday mode of perception, where you might be more sociable and generally have a more uplifted mood. 

The shorter duration of this drug compared to something like the 12 hours you might experience with LSD certainly makes it appealing as a recreational psychedelic, especially within the context of something like a rave or festival, where the experience might potentially be more manageable with less of a comedown compared to something like MDMA.

The drumming experience I had at the house party I mentioned earlier was certainly enjoyable, but it felt more than just recreational. It tapped into something deeper, like an essence I had become a part of, where there wasn’t any possibility for the drum rhythm to go out of sync with the other person. I felt the aliveness of the rhythm and joy at having discovered the potential of 2C-B to open up these deeper connections with other people, as well as feeling connected to some kind of all-permeating force through the music. 

There is some limited evidence online to suggest that traditional healers (Sangoma) in South Africa have utilised the benefits of 2C-B due to facing difficulties with obtaining traditional plants or herbs more commonly used for divination practices. Marketed as Ubaluwu Nomathotholo (a Xhosa phrase that roughly translates as 'medicine of the singing ancestors'), it was available at various African herbal shops as an aid for healing until the mid-90s when 2C-B was categorised in Schedule 1. According to

the written information inside the packet, "Ubulawu Nomathotholo opens the mind to messages, visions and dreams from the ancestral spirits. This makes it an excellent medicine for use by African traditional healers…” The banning of 2C-B was seen as a great pity, as issues such as the over-utilisation of traditional plants by herb sellers, drought, and overgrazing had caused the difficulties with obtaining local plants for divination purposes. At the doses recommended on the packets of Ubulawu, there seemed to be strong potential for therapeutic benefits, as well as there being no indication of toxicity or discomfort. 

There has been limited research looking at 2C-B in more clinical therapeutic settings in regards to its safety and acute effects, despite it being the most widely used novel serotonergic psychedelic among recreational users. There might be some promise, however, with it having the potential to induce less frequent negative mood states compared to other classical psychedelics as an entactogen, where people are able to tap into the feeling of ‘oneness’.

Being aware of the dose is important when taking 2C-B in a recreational way – 10mg or less would provide a stimulating experience, whereas 10-20mg would be considered a moderate dose, which would come with more of a psychedelic-like effect. 20mg or more takes you into the range of a high dose, with more psychoactive effects such as noticeable hallucinations, in addition to effects which mimic the sympathetic nervous system, such as tachycardia, hypertension, and hyperthermia. Adverse effects, including visual disturbances, trembling, sweating, nausea, abdominal pain, tachycardia, and jaw clenching, have been reported by users. Volunteer studies with doses greater than 20mg seem to be absent from the data, but these higher doses do seem to suggest a strong element of risk if 2C-B isn’t consumed responsibly. On rare occasions, there have been reports of severe side effects such as cerebral vasculopathy with persistent neurologic deficits, long-term psychosis, anxiety-related sleeplessness, and long-term perceptual disturbances.

I have personally found 2C-B to be slightly uncomfortable during the come-up, with noticeable nausea and a strong body load, which makes it feel less natural compared to other psychedelics. I’ve also been acutely aware of the more unwanted physical side effects, such as digestive discomfort and an elevated heart rate, which have then impacted how much I’ve been able to enjoy the experience. I always try to make sure I’ve been in a fasted state before consuming it, as this limits any digestive discomfort and the need to attend to any distracting human needs if I’m somewhere like a festival. It’s certainly useful to be aware of these things to ensure that we get the most out of our 2C-B experience, as it can certainly be a wonderful substance if used with caution in the right context.

I’m still not sure about this idea of any psychedelics being purely recreational, as I think they always open us up to something deeper…whether we’re ready or aware enough to explore that might be another conversation, but there is something different about the effects of 2C-B compared to other classic psychedelics. There seems to be less of a risk for it to induce a negative state of mind, which isn’t exactly the same as it inducing a feeling of love or connection (which is more akin to MDMA), but it might allow for a more neutral space to work with and provide context for. I’ve had some OK experiences with 2C-B that weren’t anything to write home about, and then I’ve had experiences where I’ve been to see some live psychedelic rock, which felt so intense I was convinced the universe was going to collapse in on itself! 

Those are maybe the two ends of the spectrum with 2C-B, but I think in the sense of psychedelics being used as a recreational drug in the setting of a party, rave, or festival, where there’s not necessarily so much close-up human interaction, but a general sense of oneness which is being underpinned by people’s enjoyment of the music. I think 2C-B is a fantastic addition to the music experience, and almost something intrinsically rhythmic about the experience itself, where the stimulation and euphoria make you want to move your body in a certain way. 

We might be able to look at 2C-B in a sense of being ‘intentionally recreational’, where its short-acting nature and more sensual quality can be seen as ideal for utilising the benefits of psychedelics in a different way. Perhaps it can find its place outside of the more clinical or therapeutic settings to instil this sense of oneness or connection with something greater than ourselves, which can provide healing benefits in that moment of experience, especially if we have felt previously unable to tap into this wider essence of human existence.

Oli is one of our community bloggers here at Chemical Collective. If you’re interested in joining our blogging team and getting paid to write about subjects you’re passionate about, please reach out to Sam via email at [email protected]