Opinions - ghb killing clubbing

[adzket]

this artical was taken from a well knowen clubbing web site hear in the uk about ghb and how it is destroying club's alover the place check attachment this is what clubs in london and rest of uk are resorting to.

Killing me softly? GHB & clubland

With incidents of usage in clubs and in private homes seemingly again on the rise, we thought it would be important to rerun one of our most read articles. GHB is a challenging substance to take, with unpredictable results due to varying potencies available on the street today. We’re not here to dictate to you what and what not to take. All we want is for you to stay safe and informed.

Bottled up and ready to go. You feel happy, sexy, chatty. The world swims around your head, while you swim through it. You’re relaxed and easy. With only a capful to take, isn’t it better then piling through glass after glass of alcohol. And why should you, when it’s so much cheaper and easier and quicker to neck some GHB. However, with a number of recent deaths, it’s become time for people to take notice and get themselves educated to what some people are calling “Liquid Suicide.”

Occurring naturally in many parts of your body, from the brain, to the heart, to most muscles, gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or GHB for short, was first synthesized in the 1960s and has been used medically to treat alcoholism and narcolepsy. It has also found use as an anaesthetic, though has to be partnered with other drugs when used in adults.



Outside of medical use, GHB has a strong following within bodybuilding circles as it has been reported to aid in muscle building and fat reduction while stimulating growth hormone release. Taken after a workout, the drug helps you to relax and sleep off your excesses while increasing muscle repair efficiency, new muscle only being built while you sleep. On a darker edge, GHB has, along with rohypnol, become well known as a date rape drug. Slipped into someone’s drink, the intended target can be incapacitated easily and to outsiders just look extremely drunk.

GHB became a Class C controlled drug in July 2003. This means anyone caught in possession could face a custodial sentence of up to two years, while if you are caught supplying it, which includes sharing or giving to your friends, you could spend anything up to 14 years at Her Majesty’s Pleasure and find yourself having to pay a hefty fine.

What I’m concerned with though is its use in clubland. In surveys conducted by the Independent Drug Monitoring Unit (IDMU) it was found that around 3–4% of drug users had tried GHB, with only 10% of those people using it regularly. That seems like an almost unnoticeable amount of users compared with the ‘big’ drugs, cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine. Its reported effects come on 10 to 15 minutes after being taken, either in liquid, capsule or powder form and include, in low doses, feelings of euphoria, a better connection with the music, slight loss of coordination, an increase in sexual appetite and in experience of orgasm. That’s probably why it’s also called liquid ecstasy, its effects also have a close simile with those of alcohol. Some users prefer to take GHB instead as so not to overload their livers with processing excess amounts of alcohol. Higher doses cause disorientation, vomiting and unconsciousness.

I spoke to a number of users to gauge their reactions to the drug. Instantly, what struck me was, like most drugs, there are people that use it responsibly, and there are those that abuse it. “If it wasn't for the scum who abused it as a date-rape drug, it would be a top-selling vitamin supplement by now,” one person told me. “It has been of enormous benefit to me personally (I use it for weightlifting training) and I have never had any problems with it.” They also felt it was, “the safest of all euphoric drugs, in terms of having zero negative side-effects if correctly used.” “It’s a lot of the good things about being drunk, with few of the negative aspects,” another user told me, “I liken it to that stage of drunkenness just before you’ve had too much, that glorious ten minute window of perfect intoxication that lasts a lot longer than ten minutes.”

Used in conjunction with ecstasy, I’ve been told it enhances the effects, though by itself its also been described as a cleaner ‘e’ feeling. What about if they were to see a friend collapse? “It’s best just to get them into the recovery position and make sure they don’t block their airway. In a club I wouldn’t play hero, I’d call a medic, but the people I’d do it privately with are the sort I’m sure wouldn’t go too far.” Some wise words from my second source who sees stupid people in clubland all the time, people only worthy of his contempt. Additionally after using it for a number of years, my first user commented that since criminalisation it was no harder to obtain as it is relatively easy to make, the precursors being widely available, but “the varied concentrations now available make it extremely dangerous to buy.”

Which leads me onto the main problems that come about during use: firstly, overdosing, especially when taking the liquid form. When GHB was freely available, usually under the counter at sex shops, the concentrations already varied between the different bottles with effective doses ranging from a few drops to a tablespoon to a cap full.

Mixing GHB with alcohol is the second major problem. Alcohol increases the potency and potentially can make a normal dose an overdose. Through my investigation I have discovered there is a fine line between getting messy and messing yourself up and can be no more than a gram.

This isn’t to say you will die if you overdose. In many cases an overdose will put the user into a deep sleep that they cannot be woken from, a GHB coma. Many times they will wake hours later, unsure of what happened, amazed at their surroundings, though no worse for wear. Through personal experience of seeing someone unknowingly drugged, it can worry you no end and can ruin your night, though as I’ve said usually turns out well.

Dosages of GHB can be generally broken down like this:
Light .5 - 1.5 g
Common 1 - 2.5 g
Strong 2 - 3.5 g
Can Induce Heavy Sleep 3 - 5 g
Overdose 5 - 10 g
Poisoning (Risk of Death) 10 + g

It would be irresponsive of me not to cover the more dangerous aspects of this drug. Though it breaks down in the body very easily and has no toxic by products, metabolizing into CO2 (carbon dioxide) and H2O (water), concentrations do vary widely, therefore you can overdose on quantities from one bottle that would give you a great time on another.

Further to this, now GHB has been criminalised, people are increasingly turning to GBL (gamma butyrolactone) or taking GBL in the mistaken idea that it is GHB. GBL, also known as Lactone, is an industrial and household solvent that, when taken, the body breaks down into GHB. Unfortunately it is usually more concentrated than GHB, roughly 1ml = 1.65 grams of GHB, each body will also break it down in different ways and it has some toxic byproducts.

Dangerous complications of GHB include convulsions and suppression of the gag reflex, which when combined with its vomiting and its ability to render you unconscious, can lead to you choke on an obstruction like your tongue or on your own vomit. I also can’t stress enough that if you are going to take it, never mix with alcohol.

I also spoke to Steve Darragh, director of All Things Orange, the company that runs Fire and The Fridge nightclubs in London. I wanted to know what their position was on GHB. “GHB and GBL and several other names and derivatives it is known by are becoming more and more of a problem to promotions and clubs in general. It is an extremely selfish drug because it affects others around them so much. When a user goes 'under' it causes a strong effect and distress to others. The effects can be extremely unpleasant and involve complete loss of bodily functions and violent uncontrollable spasms. Not a nice sight to see.”

As discussed before, it can be just that extra gram that can send you under. You do have to remember also that it is now an illegal substance and to that effect Steve carries on: “We have instructed thorough searches on the door to prevent any containers from entering the building. We have also placed posters prominently around our clubs stating the dangers and consequences of using the drug. Anyone found to be using the drug is banned from our clubs for life.” A harsh take on what is supposedly a minor drug you might think, but Steve tells me that the club licenses are at risk and he believes the scene in London in general is at risk just like in New York. “We operate a strict no GHB policy.”

Strong words indeed, but after a number of headlining deaths in America, including one of a 15 year old girl called Samantha Reid, things were looking grim, with clubs closing down all over the place. With full time medics always on duty at every party you might think things would be a lot safer. “It is essential clubbers are educated about the dangers of this drug,” he continues, “We have allocated a large sum of money on an advertising campaign to inform clubbers of the risks. However, it is up to all clubbers to let others know this is not an acceptable drug for clubland.”

In fact, the amount is £20,000, a substantial sum of money and it proves they’re serious about stamping its use out. One last question that troubled me though was maybe the high price of drinks were leading people to use GHB/GBL instead. “There is a small percentage of people who will always take stupid risks. The type of hit they want to get is not quenched by alcohol. If alcohol was very cheap in clubs we would have another serious problem on our hands as that is also a very dangerous drug if misused.”

We all know though that sometimes people will take substances that are deemed dangerous or even illegal. While in no way condoning the use of an illegal substance, rather than expecting you to “Just say no,” I would want you to make sure you are fully informed of the dangers of what you are taking and inform the people around you of what you are doing and of the effects, especially the stronger ones. Not in a way to make it sound like a boast, but as a harm reduction exercise. In that way if something is to go wrong, the people around you will be prepared.

Some points I have picked up include adding a food colouring to what is essentially a colourless, odourless liquid. Try and find out as best you can the concentration of the liquid, which obviously can be difficult in an unregulated market. Again never mix with alcohol and measure your dose carefully. If you feel uncomfortable with all these points at least write GHB or G on your hand to let others know what you have taken if you pass out.

Remember everything you do carries some element of risk, be it to your health, liberty or even your life. Always try and reduce that risk to as small a possibility as you can by being as informed and as careful as you can.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Interesting article, thanks.
	Very interesting, thanks

[Orchid_Suspiria]

If ghb were still legal would it have this fierce reputation.This is a case of the scum of the earth aka rapists ruining a good thing.

[MrG]

Originally Posted by adzket

each body will also break it down in different ways and it has some toxic byproducts.

No it doesn't break down in a different way, it breaks down exactly the same way, just at different levels of efficiency depending on the physiology of the person concerned.

Toxic byproducts? Ha! Evidence please.

But yes, the idiots who like to dose up on G and go out to a club only to pass out on the floor are ruining it for everyone else. But then if it wasn't G these idiots would be ruining it for everyone else with another substance.

[adzket]

Originally Posted by MrG

No it doesn't break down in a different way, it breaks down exactly the same way, just at different levels of efficiency depending on the physiology of the person concerned.

Toxic byproducts? Ha! Evidence please.

But yes, the idiots who like to dose up on G and go out to a club only to pass out on the floor are ruining it for everyone else. But then if it wasn't G these idiots would be ruining it for everyone else with another substance.

i only copyed the artical i know nothing of the effects of g realy exsept seeing people dye from o.d's in mine and friends clubs the only other drug has done this is k but with no deaths alot of problems happen cause people don't know how strong it is or where its from i am shure there are responsible users out there it used to be legal but maybe swiy's should keep it to at home.

[kimotag]

It was actually an article on G and clubbing in Arena or some such mag that got Swim into G a month or so ago! Swim had heard of it in the past but as it was always descibed as making you feel similar to being drunk he had thought 'whats the point' This article actually descibed G's affects properly and led swim to investigate (perhaps not what the writer intended!) These type of articles often have the opposite of the desired effect with new people turned on to it as a party drug. On a more negative note, articles on 'the date rape drug' probably encourage the idiots who may think 'Ah, I'll try putting some of that that in some girls drink'

[jim1965]

toxic by-products??? - see this - GBL hydrolysis to GHB starts in stomach (acid) - converted in bloodstream to GHB

h**p://www.ceri.com/ghbalt.htm

"Gamma-butyrolactone is an dehydrated form of GHB, normally present in only trivial amounts in aqueous (water) solutions at neutral pH (i.e., in biological fluids). At acidic pH, and in dry environments, the lactone is favored. In aqueous environments, GHB and butyrolactone are in equilibrium with each other, slowly converting back and forth (see Figure B). It may take days for this interconversion to reach equilibrium (i.e., when the rate of lactone hydrolysis into GHB equals the rate of GHB dehydration into lactone)."

[kimotag]

As regards toxic by-products of gbl, swim is sure there are'nt any in pure gbl, but how many people are getting pure gbl? Apparantly a lot of this stuff is coming from China who sometimes have poor quality control. There was a lot of talk about poor quality creatine (sports supplement) coming from china a few years back and there have been problems with herbal products being contaminated with heavy metals or even being incorrectly labelled! swim thinks some of the hip, back and liver area pain being reported by some could be due to bad batches of gbl. On the other hand it could be that some people just don't deal well with the rise in ph that the internal conversion to ghb causes.

[sterling77]

Originally Posted by MrG

No it doesn't break down in a different way, it breaks down exactly the same way, just at different levels of efficiency depending on the physiology of the person concerned.

Toxic byproducts? Ha! Evidence please.

But yes, the idiots who like to dose up on G and go out to a club only to pass out on the floor are ruining it for everyone else. But then if it wasn't G these idiots would be ruining it for everyone else with another substance.

Swim does this sometimes but he knows how to use it and doesn't overdo it, and won't combine it with alcohol. For him it's no different than getting drunk before going out. Can't say the same for others, however.

[Panthers007]

One of the easiest to use, and cheapest as scrap, metals in the world is lead. That's what helped the Roman Empire build amazing plumbing (Lead' chemical symbol is Pb - which stands for Plumbnum - lead), and helped bring about their downfall. The acid wine they drank leached the lead from their pewter cups and poisoned them.

Considering the low cost and widespread use of lead in developing nations, is it any real wonder that Chinese products of all genre are showing up brimming with this toxin? Be aware. Very aware.

[cosmicruler]

Originally Posted by kimotag

As regards toxic by-products of gbl, swim is sure there are'nt any in pure gbl, but how many people are getting pure gbl? Apparantly a lot of this stuff is coming from China who sometimes have poor quality control. There was a lot of talk about poor quality creatine (sports supplement) coming from china a few years back and there have been problems with herbal products being contaminated with heavy metals or even being incorrectly labelled! swim thinks some of the hip, back and liver area pain being reported by some could be due to bad batches of gbl. On the other hand it could be that some people just don't deal well with the rise in ph that the internal conversion to ghb causes.

what exactly does swiy class as 'pure'???99.9%???

because swim obtained some 99.9% pure GBL years ago and it came with a C.O.A that stated all the trace amounts of contaminants...including as Nagog has pointed out above pb(lead)!!!!swim cant remember all the contaminants and will try and find acopy of the C.O.A!!!!

[kimotag]

Originally Posted by cosmicruler

what exactly does swiy class as 'pure'???99.9%???

because swim obtained some 99.9% pure GBL years ago and it came with a C.O.A that stated all the trace amounts of contaminants...including as Nagog has pointed out above pb(lead)!!!!swim cant remember all the contaminants and will try and find acopy of the C.O.A!!!!

Swim would class that as as pure as you are going to get, but how accurate is the info? Swim would imagine that for industrial use gbl would have to be pretty pure for some uses but I would imagine that some suppliers are not so carefull. I doubt that some of those currently selling in the U.K check every batch that comes in from abroad. they possibly just take their suppliers word for it. Swims own supply comes with a list of contaminants including lead and nitrates (both in tiny amounts) and these probably do no harm with occasional use but swim always remembers that this substance is not intended for human consumption and so is not subject to the same rigorous controls as medicine is. As I said, even health supplements and herbal products have been sometimes found to be less pure than claimed and I seem to remember that one product a few years back caused lasting damage to some people , simply because the manufacturers got the chemical mix wrong in a batch and did'nt have adequate quality controls in place to detect it! At the end of the day life is risky and some choose to take additional risks. Swim is one of these!