Emily Witt, an employee at New Yorker, pens her first memoir titled “Health and Safety,” providing a witty perspective on her mission to explore various psychedelic substances extensively. In 2013, having been on a prescription antidepressant that fueled her affection for stimulants, Witt embarked on her initial ayahuasca experience – a psychoactive beverage originating from South America. With candor, the self-proclaimed Midwestern nerd recounts her transformation into a fervent supporter of psychedelics such as LSD, MDMA, mushrooms, and ketamine following the “primal” taste of ayahuasca. She humorously mocks herself for considering herself a “responsible” drug user due to using them only for self-reflection, believing it elevated her above those who used drugs for pleasure. However, her cautious pursuit of altered states of consciousness became less enjoyable with the election of Donald Trump, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and her boyfriend’s mental breakdown. “Health and Safety” offers a thought-provoking account of a woman seeking understanding in an increasingly chaotic world.
