As I sank into my seat to celebrate a birthday dinner at a trendy Mexican bar, I couldn’t help but notice that all of my friends seemed remarkably relaxed and stress-free.
With several children each, there is no denying that we are in the depths of exhausted parenting despair, often congratulating ourselves for simply making it through another week.
But here I was, arriving late, desperately trying to catch the attention of a passing waiter for a drink while everyone seemed… too cold.
As I sipped my sauvignon blanc and tried to catch up on the conversations and atmosphere, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
Fresh filling? No. A weekend away? Apparently not. A new au pair? No chance. So what gave everyone that glow of satisfaction?
“I microdosed some mushrooms before I left the house,” one smiled as she opened her worn-out handbag. outside She pulled out her purse to reveal a pair of unlabeled white bottles that looked more like eye drops than illegal drugs.
My mind immediately went back to the festival heyday of the mid-90s. I grew up in Cornwall, England, where mushrooms grew in our school field and, a few years later, were our drug of choice at music events.
Hippies, ravers, wayward teenagers: you expect them to take magic mushrooms. But not respectable middle-class mothers.
Jonica Bray says ‘mushie moms’ are the new ‘wine and line moms’, with magic mushroom microdosing on the rise as cocaine becomes too expensive (file image posed by models)
I had heard all kinds of stories of people seeing little firefighters running through fields and psychedelic clouds chasing them.
But here I was surrounded by suburban moms quietly doing drugs while having intelligent conversations and drinking cold wine.
To be honest, the illegal part didn’t even cross my mind. The “wines and lines” mothers’ brigade has been a fixture at family events here in Australia for years.
At barbecues, children’s parties, and even school fundraisers, there’s always a steady trickle of women in high heels conspicuously powdering their noses in the bathrooms.
And as a sleep-deprived mom, I get it. There is no judgment here.
But cocaine has It has become more problematic in recent years for social media users. For several reasons: one, its exorbitant price and two, the fact that you never really know what you are buying.
“It’s expensive and with such high mortgage rates that I can’t really justify it that often,” one former cocaine mom who recently converted to “mushrooms” told me. “And honestly, you can’t trust what’s in the coke anymore.”
She’s not wrong. A 2022 study by the Australian National University found that only three out of five cocaine samples tested actually contained cocaine.
“Here I was surrounded by suburban moms quietly doing drugs while having intelligent conversations and drinking cold wine,” writes Jonica Bray (pictured).
And I feel better with mushrooms. I am happier, more focused and not as overwhelmed. I sleep better the next few days and wake up feeling rested. “I’m a better mother because of it,” she added.
Recent studies have found that people who reported taking microdoses of magic mushrooms saw improvements in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.
For the uninitiated, microdosing refers to taking very small doses of substances, often psychedelics, for therapeutic or performance-enhancing benefits. The trend started among Silicon Valley techies in the 2010s, but has since spread to the suburbs.
Using mushrooms is illegal in Australia and carries a maximum sentence of 20 years if caught in a commercial quantity. But mushroom use has increased, doubling since 2019.
Ever since that night at the Mexican restaurant, I’ve been asking about “mushrooms.” More than a few moms in my group chat admit to microdosing a couple of times a week and insist that it makes them better moms.
“I enjoy children more,” said a mother of twins. ‘Raising children doesn’t seem like such an arduous task.
Recent studies have found that people who reported taking microdoses of magic mushrooms saw improvements in symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress (file image)
‘I don’t feel high or have hallucinations. In fact, I feel more in control and manage to do a lot more with my time.’
Another mother, who recently returned to her high-pressure job in city finance after her maternity leave, said she was also a weekly user.
‘It’s like the baby brain fog lifts and I have more energy. I am more productive and much less agile with the kids once I get home and on the weekends.
“More studies should be done to legalize them, because as far as I’m concerned, moms with mushies are much better than some of the alternatives.”
- The images in this article are stock photos only and do not represent any person involved in the conduct mentioned in the article.