A brief primer on GBL, for those who frequent the alcohol forum

[Synesthesiac]

Originally Posted by frenchywife

SWIM drinks but can really take it or leave it. SWIM's tired of dealing with the awful and unpleasant consequences of drinking too much - she always feels like shit the next day!

You could try high purity GBL (more than 99.90% pure ideally is a good high purity to be safe from it not having unwanted extra chems in it). Its effects are exactly like alcohol in many respects (CNS depressant), it has no hangover, is a hell of a lot cheaper, and you have to drink far less (tiny amounts, like 1.5-2 ml mixed in with a drink or juice [NOT alchohol!]). So you do have to be careful with dosing at first, and gradually find your ideal level that will make you have a good night; and not simply feel sedated and fall asleep (like too much alcohol would aswell). Give it a try, Swim was amazed they dont sell it on tap in pubs when swim tried it. Though, since its a very bad idea to mix it with alcohol, maybe thats why you never see it.

I should add (now this has been made a new thread) that its not the GBL which is directly active, your body breaks it down into GHB, which is a class C drug (in the UK I know for sure, not sure about other countries). But currently its perfectly legal to buy GBL and drink it. The fact that its only what its broken down into which is illegal means you cant get done for possession or consuming it (I think this is correct), which is a nice little loophole we might aswell all make the most of while we can!

Reputation Comments on this post:

Naming sources

[frenchywife]

What's GBL?

[100mg Methylphenidate]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Butyrolactone

We have a forum dedicated to it also...along with GHB.

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=36

[frenchywife]

hmmm....

gamma-Butyrolactone (γ-butyrolactone or GBL) is a hygroscopic colorless oily liquid with a weak characteristic odor and is soluble in water. GBL is a common solvent and reagent in chemistry and is used as an aroma compound, as a stain remover, as a superglue remover, as a paint stripper, and as a solvent in some wet aluminium electrolytic capacitors.

Not very appetizing....

[Synesthesiac]

Originally Posted by frenchywife

hmmm....

gamma-Butyrolactone (γ-butyrolactone or GBL) is a hygroscopic colorless oily liquid with a weak characteristic odor and is soluble in water. GBL is a common solvent and reagent in chemistry and is used as an aroma compound, as a stain remover, as a superglue remover, as a paint stripper, and as a solvent in some wet aluminium electrolytic capacitors.

Not very appetizing....

your picking the worst bits!

These bits may sound more appetising to you:

GBL is rapidly converted into GHB by lactamase enzymes found in the blood. [....] gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, 4-hydroxybutanoic acid, or GHB is a naturally-occurring substance found in the central nervous system, wine, beef, small citrus fruits, and almost all animals in small amounts.[1] It is also a neuroprotective therapeutic nutrient. [....] It has many street names, including Liquid Ecstasy, Liquid X and Liquid G. At recreational doses, GHB can cause a state of euphoria, increased enjoyment of movement and music, increased libido, increased sociability and intoxication.

You can convert the GBL to GHB in a simple reaction too if your stomach is upset by GBL's acidity. Though GBL is no where near as acidic as the acid already in your stomach, it can give you stomach ache if used excessively.

I think this thread is wondering. But yeah, basically its similar in effects to alcohol but without many of alcohols poisonous/toxic effects on the body.

So, Many people may think that drinking alcohol is having a good time, but people saying this likely haven't tried GBL/GHB.

[frenchywife]

OK, sounds better, but isn't GHB really dangerous?

[Herbal Healer 019]

Some1 Who Aint Me thinks alcohol is overrated & overused. SWAM thinks the fact that alcohol is legal while other psychoactive drugs aren't makes ppl ignorant to the fact that alcohol is a drug, & that there are way better drugs with more recreational value & less negative side effects than alcohol.

SWAM prefers benzos, opiates, & MJ; all way more recreational & w/ less side effects in reasonable doses in comparison 2 alcohol.

[Synesthesiac]

Originally Posted by frenchywife

OK, sounds better, but isn't GHB really dangerous?

Its as dangerous as ANY drug if overdosed (excluding a few with ridiculously low toxicity and high LD50's [like cannabis, etc]). If you overdose on it you might suffer severe consequences. So the common sense thing to do is not overdose on it! People dont say that paracetemol are dangerous, but taking ten times the recommended dosage could kill you (although unlikely), just as taking ten times the recomended dose of GHB could lead to respiritory depression and also kill you (however, also unlikely*)

The main reason GHB could be considered 'more dangerous' is because its often mixed in with solutions where the concentration of GHB per unit volume of liquid is not known to the user, so they have to guess how much they have to drink. Or irresponsible idiots leave GHB solutions unmarked in standard bottles lying around like bottles of water for unsuspecting people to start drinking. And when mixed with alcohol (or other CNS depressants) it can also be dangerous. So you just have to know the concentraion of GHB in the liquid your drinking and watch your dosage, and dont mix it with other drugs. Common sense really. But now you know this information (instead of the usual scaremongering media hype that just increases mis-information) your hopefully one less potential user that will use it in any unsafe manner.

But as ever, its not the drug itself thats dangerous, its peoples ignorance and use of the drug thats potentially dangerous.

* The LD50 of GHB implies you would actually be able to survive more than even ten times a normal recreational dose. Amounts that excessive could result in a coma, the same a similar factor overdose of alcohol could. But who would honestly want to try that? It would be like the difference between having a shot of vodka and a pint of vodka.

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thorough and to the point!

[Synesthesiac]

nice idea on splitting this thread whoever did it. If anyone wants to know more go about how to use GBL go to the GHB forum section and ask a question. Or here, wotever suits

[bcubed]

Lizard might do GHB (preferred over GBL) if opportunity presented itself, but he doubts he'll go out of his way to get it.

Because...basically, he's always been a drunk first. Thus, at some point, he's combined EVERY drug he's done with alcohol (doesn't post here about it because many are proven "bad ideas.")

Therefore, he doesn't really trust himself not to mix, and GHB seems a strong enough sedative, all by itself, let alone what'd happen if taken drunk!

(Nightmares of coming home "almost" drunk enough and fixing a GHB "nightcap.")

[Mammon]

Some1 Who Aint Me thinks alcohol is overrated & overused. SWAM thinks the fact that alcohol is legal while other psychoactive drugs aren't makes ppl ignorant to the fact that alcohol is a drug, & that there are way better drugs with more recreational value & less negative side effects than alcohol.

Where would we be without a bit of alco-bashing on the DF. I don't go in the DXM forum and say "I think your drug is shit", or the heroin forum and tell people it's dangerous. Why the hell does alcohol get such a hard time? It's a great drug.

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very good point and well made

[Synesthesiac]

Originally Posted by Mammon

I don't go in the DXM forum and say "I think your drug is shit", or the heroin forum and tell people it's dangerous.

I do, actually. Swim said that DXM is horrible and potentially dangerous when he tried it, and said so straight up in the DXM forum. And swim has also said that Heroin is too addictive and he would never try it in the Heroin forum. To which most people agreed!

Why the hell does alcohol get such a hard time? It's a great drug.

It is a great drug for some social situations, but, its the only worldwide legal drug that people are allowed (and even encouraged) to abuse. It also has a darker side to it, its responsible for something like half of all crime (I know in the UK anyway from hospital admissions) Other drugs (empathogens, psychedelics) do generally not increase violence or crime. Meanwhile everyone else using drugs that are not alcohol, some of which are even safer substances, get put in jail for decades.

Thats why.

[Mammon]

Synesthesiac, I agree with all your points. Alcohol suffers in reputation because everyone has access to it. I always say this, but, if all the other drugs were made available to everyone I think we’d see problems that don’t get seen when they’re taken by very select subsets of populations. I hypothesise (I've got no evidence) that we’d see some serious problems with depression and paranoia if things like E were legal to everyone all the time. A friend of a friend (I didn’t know her) killed herself on a comedown (she’d had an abortion recently as well, or something like that). It’s not all a bed of roses on E.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m in favour of legalisation. People should be allowed to lead their own lives.