Altered States Are Ancient - You’re Just Keeping the Tradition Alive

Trading Spices, Silk... and States of Mind.

Picture this: you’re a trader, 1000 BCE, leading a caravan through the dust-blown highways between India, Egypt, and beyond. Your camels are loaded with silk and spices - nothing out of the ordinary. But tucked deeper in your packs are the real treasures: psychoactive plants that spark visions, dreams, and altered states.

In India, you pick up bhang - a cannabis brew that melts the mind into something soft and shimmering. Westward, traders press bundles of blue lotus flowers into your hands, prized by Egyptian royalty for the blissful dream-states they believed carried them closer to the gods. From the Horn of Africa a natural stimulant called khat makes it’s way north, chewed for energy and lively conversation long before coffee ever came onto the scene.

Meanwhile, an ocean away, Indigenous peoples in the Americas were already deep into their relationship with psilocybin mushrooms and peyote. Mastering ritual journeys across the inner landscapes of the mind, no passport required.

Psychoactive plants moved quietly along the same ancient trade routes as cinnamon, pepper, gold, and silk. They weren’t seen as distractions or dangers. They were tools - sacred, social, transformative. A currency for expanding reality itself.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and not much has changed.

Yes they have new names, slick packaging, and Instagram ads and hype. But the human impulse is exactly the same: to reach beyond the ordinary, to tweak the knobs of consciousness, to feel just a little bit closer to something bigger.

Maybe humanity’s oldest trade wasn’t silk, spice, or gold.

Maybe it was the search for an elevated state of mind and to experience something beyond our reality.

At High & Dry, we’re not here to sell you an altered state.

We’re here to remind you that chasing one is about as human as it gets.

Ketamine. A Miracle, Menace, or a Bit of Both?

From Matthew Perry’s death to The Vivienne’s passing, ketamine has been making headlines in recent years for all the wrong reasons. What was once hailed as a ground breaking mental health treatment is now tangled up in scandal, tragedy, and a lot of uncomfortable questions.

So, what’s the real story behind this so-called miracle molecule?

First up: ketamine isn’t natural. It's a fully synthetic compound, cooked up in a lab in the 1960s by scientists looking for a safer anesthetic. They wanted something that could numb pain without shutting down the heart. Ketamine delivered, earning its stripes on the bloody battlefields of Vietnam.

Today, ketamine is being explored far beyond surgery rooms. In small, controlled doses, it's shown promise for treating depression, PTSD, and chronic pain. These are conditions that often don’t respond to traditional or have mixed results. Clinics across Europe and the U.S. now offer ketamine infusions as a last-resort lifeline for people who feel out of options.

But here’s the catch: ketamine isn’t a casual cure. In medical settings, it can carefully shift brain chemistry. But outside of the safe boundries of medical care - in party scenes, dodgy clinics, and mail-order “therapy” kits - it’s a slippery slope into dissociation, addiction, and long-term health risks.

The same molecule that’s offering hope is also causing heartbreak. And as the Matthew Perry case showed, even those seeking healing can end up caught between the promise and the peril.

Ketamine isn’t good or bad. It’s powerful. Like any powerful tool, it depends entirely on how - and where - it’s used.

Brand Spotlight: St. Agrestis — The Phony That’s Real Good

When it comes to duping one of the world’s most iconic cocktails, St. Agrestis isn’t playing games. Unless the game is “who can make the best non-alcoholic Negroni?” Spoiler: they win.

Brooklyn-born and botanically blessed, St. Agrestis crafts natural, hand-made spirits using old-school methods and ingredients so fresh they basically still have a passport stamp on them. Their Phony Negroni® is a masterclass in flavour without fallout. Close your eyes and taste this - bittersweet Southern Italian citrus, floral notes, and a hit of juniper, all swirled together with a touch of carbonation for that signature Negroni "bite." Yum.

To top it off there’s no booze, no dealcoholisation tricks, no funny business. Simply 30 organic, non-GMO botanicals (and a pinch of organic cane sugar) expertly steeped and blended to bring you a ready-to-drink masterpiece that slides into your hand as easily as a real cocktail.

🍊 Pro Tip: Serve it over ice with an orange twist and prepare to feel smug. You’re drinking what Michelin-starred restaurants are serving. (Seriously.)

Find it at top bars, restaurants, or just pop the cap and live your best AF life.

Snippets - High

More than a third of Canadian cities now have psilocybin dispensaries, despite psilocybin still being illegal for retail sale. Read more.

As festival season kicks off Gen Z is swapping booze for functional mushrooms, embracing brain-boosting, stress-busting alternatives as wellness becomes the new festival fuel. Read more.

The UK's first graduates in psychedelics studies are celebrating at Europe's largest psychedelic conference, as Exeter University pioneers new training blending science, philosophy, and culture. Read more.

Since legalisation, Canadians are lighting up a little more - but freaking out a little less, as cannabis misuse drops while casual use creeps up. Read more.

UK mail-order cannabis from Thailand dropped by 90% in just three months after new border checks, in what officials are calling a major win against international smuggling. Read more.

A massive meta-analysis of over 10,000 studies finds growing scientific support for medical cannabis in easing cancer symptoms like pain, nausea, and appetite loss — and hints at future potential in oncology, though much more research is needed. Read more.

Snippets - Dry

Brussels is betting big on booze-free wine. With younger Europeans drinking less and alcohol-free innovation bubbling up, the EU just dropped plans to boost 0.0% wines across the single market. Read more.

THC-infused drinks are booming as younger generations trade booze for hemp-based seltzers, craving healthier highs, fewer calories — and a life with less hangover. Read more.

Heineken 0.0 just hit 1,000 taps in UK pubs — Gareth Bale pulled the first pint, a world record was broken, and alcohol-free drinkers finally get a proper draught pour. About time. Read more.

Freixenet just popped the cork on two new alcohol-free sparklers — Cordon Negro 0.0% brut and rosé — proving you don’t need booze to bring the bubbles (or the glam). First stop: US, France, and Poland — the world’s next. Read more.

Partake Brewing is dropping a zesty new Blood Orange non-alc beer just in time for summer — think sunshine in a can, minus the hangover. - Read more.

Figlia just bottled pure sunshine with their new flavor Sole — a zesty mix of lemon, peach, and basil made for poolside hangs, golden hours, and living your best alcohol-free life. Read more.

Before you go… We’d love your feedback

Whether you’re chasing ancient highs or just chasing the bartender for another 0.0% Negroni, remember: tweaking reality isn’t new - it’s human.

The only difference now? You can wake up clear-headed and a little bit smug about it. Stay curious, stay dry (or at least drier), and we’ll see you next time on the frontier of the mind and the glass. 🍄🍷

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