Techno and Drugs — please stop taking so many of them!
As much as the governments would like to deny it, drugs, legal and illegal, are a common part of our life. Especially looking into the nightlife, one soon starts to realize that every musical scene has a “drug of choice”: Dancehall — Weed, Rock- Beer, Goa — Acid, for god’s sake, even classical music and operas are associated with wine.
Looking at electronic dance music, specifically techno, the cliche drugs are ecstasy and speed. Since the genre gained popularity in the 90s those substances have always been a part of the community. There is no reason for being proud of that, neither is there a reason to deny it and acting as if clubs are the holiest places on earth. Everyone who has looked into illegal substances knows, that they aren’t as dangerous as our schools taught us and that talking about usage is far more effective in preventing addiction and reducing harm than simple repression.
So assuming moderate consumption of ecstasy and speed isn’t a serious health risk given the drugs are clean and you follow the safer-use guidelines (e.g. dose or the form of consumption). Why such a headline? There are two reasons for that:
- People, even if they are educated, often don’t care about safer use
- New substances like Ketamine and GBL/GHB are gaining popularity
During the following paragraphs, I’ll go into details what exactly my thoughts are, but as a disclaimer, this is a highly subjective topic and I can only talk about my own experiences and observations I made of friends I know well.
Thanks to the internet our abilities to inform and educate ourselves increased drastically by having a huge database nearly always available. In there are some NGOs who realized that despite the bad-talking our schools and parents do, people still take drugs. Websites like Saferparty, Drugscouts and Drugs and me provide great content about various topics one should keep in mind while consuming legal and illegal substances. Those range from dosing and the most “healthy” form of consumption to synergistic effects with other drugs. In country’s where drug-checking is legal (e.g. Switzerland and Netherlands) those sites also regularly issue warnings if pills are laced or too strong. Those warnings also show that currently, ecstasy pills are very strong ranging from 100 to 250+ mg per Pill. The recommended dose is at around 1.5mg of MDMA per kg body weight so taking a full pill can easily result in an overdose. And while one is rarely fatal it still stresses your body unnecessary and increases side effects like extreme chewing to the point where other clubbers just feel uncomfortable talking to you. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced it multiple times with friends who, after over-consuming, are just geeked out. Please test drugs if possible and inform yourself to get the dosing right. Also, some easily get tempted using multiple times a month which makes dosing, especially with MDMA, even harder, since tolerance builds up quickly. Get educated, consume with care and minimize those nasty side effects that make interacting with other people difficult!
As a second point, I mentioned the rise of “new” drugs. There will always be psychonauts who experiment with different substances and some people just want to get as fucked up as possible. Still, I can think about numerous substances that, in my opinion, don’t belong in a club. Ranging from high doses of LSD to some Research Chemicals. But seeing people tripping during a party is rare, thus them bothering others nearly never happens.
The concerns I have are due to the rising popularity of Ketamine and GBL/GHB. While both drugs are very different in their effect, K is a Dissazoativum and G an oxybate, both have one common element: If you overdose you’ll pass out and fall in a coma. Especially with GBL, this is extremely common since doses range between 1–5 ml of liquid. Also the high is quite short (at about 2 hours) which makes it very desirable to re-dose and trough that overdose. Usually, the coma itself isn’t harmful (if not combined with alcohol) and I can very well understand the motive behind using it. The alternative name liquid ecstasy is quite apt since the drug causes euphoria and a high sex drive. But making the rush such a short experience and a Syringe a must for accurate dosing, safer use rules are hard to follow and I strongly advise against using this substance in the club (especially if alcohol is involved). Overdosing Ketamine and going into a K-Hole is much more unlikely than with GBL, but the effects are so outlandish and psychedelic that it is hard for me to understand why so many enjoy it and use it while clubbing. Dissociatives tend to split one of from their surroundings bridging between Uppers and Psychedelics (like LSD or mescaline). So even without entering the K-Hole one separates himself and becomes not necessarily antisocial but strange. Observing users this strange behavior ranges from looking lost to zombie-like movements and expressions. Through that it comes down to the same argument as with overdosing MDMA, people can quickly get to a point where they become unpleasant for others and potentially ruining the night for fellow clubbers. Sure, not everybody is affected the same way and maybe for some Ketamine decreases social anxiety, but in my experience this is rare. This most definitely isn’t a rant about the substance itself since there are possibilities to benefit from it in other ways besides partying.
In the end, we all want a fun night out, maybe with our friends, maybe alone. We want to listen to some good music, dance, forget the busy workweek we had and meet some cool people. And since this social part is essential it is not only important to take care of yourself but also look out for others and enhance their night-out. Drugs, no matter if legal or illegal, are a part of the club culture and that’s absolutely ok. But consuming them shouldn’t affect others. Whether that’s drunkenly getting into a fight, annoying people on molly or passing out in the club due to overdosing on GBL.
Be aware of what you take and be aware of how much you take — educate yourself!
This article was inspired by seeing how many people mindlessly consume everything they can get their hands on. Don’t do that please, stop taking so many drugs! Safer-use education material is very reliable and easy to find online. Maybe ask your friends if being with you is unpleasant while you’re under the influence of a certain substance. You will learn new things and improve your future nights.
