Teen claims he’s tripped on ayahuasca 4 times — with his parents’ blessing: ‘I transcended into a final portal’
A “ridiculously wealthy” teen has dedicated his youthful years to “tripping” with adults — including his parents.
Alex Renko, 15, has already done ayahuasca, a psychedelic substance traditionally used in South American cultures, at least four times.
The teen from Russia was encouraged by his parents to take the drug at weekend retreats that cost more than $1,000 alongside adults and children reportedly as young as 6 years old.
His father encouraged him to go for it after having a personal experience with ayahuasca — and then quitting his job, getting sober and losing 88 pounds.
Renko claimed that while on ayahuasca, he experienced “death” and realized he was a “God.”
“It was like I am dying,” he said of the experience. “Everything vanished one by one until there was no more space, no more material. I transcended into a final portal that opened up and I was in the infinite cosmos, and it was like, wow, this is my home. My soul is home.”
Ayahuasca is illegal in the US due to risks of physical and mental side effects such as nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, visual or auditory hallucinations, dehydration, hearing and seeing things, nightmares, anxiety and more.
A University of California, San Francisco neurologist recently told the Daily Mail that risks from psychedelics could be higher in adolescents.
The first time Renko did ayahuasca was during an Ambi Retreat in Colombia when he was seeking out a “new reality” after dropping out of school three years earlier at the age of 12.
He then went on a second trip to the Dominican Republic and brought along two childhood friends. On that trip, Renko realized he was a “God” and he could merge his energy with a friend’s to create a “cosmic disco ball.”
The 15-year-old shares his experience on social media to a following of 1,840 on YouTube and 25,000 on Instagram.
In one video, he states that “psychedelics replaced my education,” and he even provides educational courses on his website for people who want to be part of his trippy lifestyle.
However, people in the comments shared criticism of Renko for doing hallucinogens at such a young age.
“It is nasty and deceptive to advertise brain damaging drugs,” one person wrote.
“It’s great that you had a good experience but I still don’t think it was a good idea to try it in your formative years,” another commentedm
“You’re the poster child of why you shouldn’t do drugs at a young age,” someone wrote.
