I purchased a package of Hoffmann's drops, which in my country are sold over the counter as a traditional remedy. To begin with, I orally ingested a 6ml dose of the Hoffmann's drops taken in a glass of water, amounting to 1.5ml of diethyl ether. Through prior experiments with this preparation, I had determined that this dose would be sufficient to produce a mild sedative effect.
Even after I had swallowed the dose, the pungent smell of ether still insistently lingered in my nose. However, the after-odor left by ether drinking is surely only a minor inconvenience, compared to the very disagreeable irritant side-effects of huffing ether. Approximately 20 minutes after ingestion, I began to feel the familiar indications of ether inebriation, as I was gradually suffused by a pleasant, mellow sensation of tipsyness, rather like a threshold alcohol buzz, shifted into a slightly higher key.
By T+25, I felt quite relaxed and cozy, and was seeing the room in soft focus through a velvety fog of ether euphoria, time to break out the nitrous. I cracked a bulb and began to inhale the nitrous, taking in only a little bit at a time, the idea being to somewhat potentiate the effects of the ether while taking care to prevent them from being dominated by a strong nitrous rush. As I had predicted, the nitrous oxide synergized well with the ether, bringing on a unique sensation of exhilaration. For lack of a better description, my consciousness melted into a crystalline vapor of ether that seemed to pervade my entire body like a white velvet curtain of fog.
I floated in this feeling of feathery enchantment for what seemed like a very long time, experiencing an intensely dreamy state of tranquility with non-descript closed eye visuals resembling gossamer films of pastel color. The trip continued like this and gradually tapered off without further event, until I was finally back to straight at T+1:30.
All in all, not a wildly psychedelic experience, though nonetheless very relaxing and enjoyable, recreationally much preferable to booze.
