What’s your view on G being used at the club ?
My stance on the majority of things is- to each their own. We all have our own proclivities which are no one’s business but yours. I have a major caveat to this though, which is- so long as you’re not hurting anyone or anything else. GHB when taken at a club or party can easily fall into that caveat category. You might be saying to yourself- “I’m extremely careful and know what I’m doing.” Maybe you do, but perhaps you don’t. Or perhaps you timed or measured inaccurately once and things went sideways. You could have almost died or ended up in the ER. Maybe you did. Or perhaps you know someone who had a fatal overdose. When it comes to G, chances are you’ve witnessed, heard of or experienced someone G-ing out. I know I have. And it’s terrifying to see someone convulse and their life at risk. And it can ruin the night for a helluva lot of people aside from you.
I want to make it clear that I’m in no way drug shaming anyone. But the question posed relates to doing G AT the club. It becomes other people’s business when your decisions become a problem at the places we all go to dance, connect, release and experience bliss. Not to get traumatized. The hairline difference between measuring a “safe” GHB dose and a fatal one is minute. And minutes are all the difference if taken too closely together. Dosing in a dimly lit club is a recipe for disaster. Promoters have recently been telling me that people are doing it at the bar and on the dancefloor. One even saw people openly dosing on stage during a big party directly over the artists’ beverage area. Putting the DJs, anyone in the booth and the party itself at risk from getting shut down. Not to mention you getting kicked out.
Some folks seem to perceive “safe spaces” as if they were built to protect you regardless of their actions. Even if that includes falling out time and time again. The club is not a day care nor a night care. No one should rest their laurels on nightlife workers, friends and/or strangers to pick up their pieces should things go awry.The reality is that truly safe spaces don’t exist. The way for us to attempt that is for each of us to step up and take personal responsibility for the way we conduct ourselves. Because it’s not all about you, me or anyone else specifically. It’s about US. Our community and the extended community. Just because you’re okay with something, consider the people of whom your decisions compromise and how it might impact them.
Your safety is first and foremost. But G puts a helluva lot more at stake aside from health and emotions- it risks the existence of nightlife itself. And it puts the livelihood of nightlife workers at risk. The people for whom a party or space remaining open is paramount to their paying their rent, bills and basic needs- whether it’s the door staff, bartender, DJ, promoter or anyone else. A party or club shutting down has way more consequences than your fun night ending early. It might also impact a promoter's ability to throw future parties. Ambulances also attract heat from the police, putting the club in a precarious position with local authorities. Some of whom can impact a city’s laws and regulations. Don’t believe me? Just check out what happened during Guiliani’s clampdown on NYC parties and clubs in the late 90s / early 00s.
In order for a party to be one we want to be at- we ALL need to realize our personal responsibilities in these spaces. So if you decide to partake in G, please keep these things in mind when considering doing it at a party. The same goes for testing your drugs for fentanyl and xylazine- for more infop on that check out Testing 1,2,3.
HARM REDUCTION RESOURCES:
https://dancesafe.org/ghb/
https://www.cahma.org.au/article/safer-using-ghb/
https://spunout.ie/health/drugs/reduce-harm-when-taking-g/
ARTICLES ABOUT GHB IN 90S NIGHTLIFE:
Club Owners Becoming Focus Of Effort to Combat Drug Use
City Closes Dance Club Over Problems With Permits
Nightclubs Hire Ambulances For Overdoses, Skipping 911
Whenever I exist on the dance floor with [a] combination of good drugs, music, and bodies I find my mind always fleeting to super existential thoughts that feel too big for the club, but also perfectly correct for the club. Do you ever experience these thoughts on the history of us and how we all got to that exact moment? If so, how do you balance indulging in those thoughts while also being present and part of the party?
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