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This is the safe raving fact sheet. It will be posted periodically to alt.rave and rave related mailing lists. I'll see about getting it on the alt.rave ftp site and posting it other places. The Safe Rave Fact Sheet is maintained by Simon Rumble (simon@lsupoz.apana.org.au)
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The most important thing for all ravers is:
- W A T E R -
That's right - water, water, water is the key to rave survival. Take a water bottle with you and fill it up at a tap (faucet) anywhere. If you're taking chemicals, water will stop you dehydrating and dying. It will also make the return to earth much softer. Stay away from alcohol because it will just dry you out.
Another important thing is vitamins and minerals and I don't mean the ones you buy in little press-lock bags :)
Keep up on the B group vitamins (Berocca are great!) and C to ward off the Monday sickie blues. Also, stock up on a bit of salt in the meal before you leave (don't eat too close to taking the chemicals, though). Calcium for the bones is a good idea. It's always a good idea to take vitamins before the event as well as after.
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The following is a colourful flyer which has been doing the rounds in Sydney, Australia. If you have any good regional advice and addresses, etc. send me mail.
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SORTED
The drugs described below are all illegal and potentially dangerous. However if you are going to use...
Being Prepared
Firstly, the effects described are general and can be affected by your size, weight, health, mood and where you take them. If you want to rave the weekend away, stay sorted and make the most of it get some good sleep in and eat well (multi-vitamins are a good addition). Eat early to avoid stomach cramps and avoid drinking alcohol as this only interferes with the effects of the drug but also add to the dangers of taking Speed, MDA or Ecstasy by making you dehydrated. Try and avoid mixing drugs and if you are unsure of the strength of anything, always begin with a small amount. More is not necessarily better, sometimes more is just more messy!
While You Are Out
Always bring some condoms and lube with to the rave, even if you don't feel like fucking, you may change your mind. Taking drugs can alter your decisions about having sex, don't let them alter your decision to keep that sex safe.
Coming Down Gently
Baths, Water (lots!), sleep, videos, fruit, sunnies, shade, vitamins (B & calcium), food, quiet walks, friends, chill out sounds, massage. Respect your body, you may need it for having fun!
ECSTASY
Originally called MDMA (the chemical name) you're more likely to hear it called "Eccy", "XTC", "Vitamin E" or just pain old "E", sold as a tablet or powdered in a capsule. In either way, Eccy is easy to fake. If it is an "E", however, what will it do? Eccy usually takes about a half to one hour to begin to come on with the main effects lasting 4-6 hours. As your toes start to tap and your jaw grinds away (anyone for more gum!) your blood pressure and pulse also rise, you sweat and may start to feel friendly and confident. Some people also feel sick though this usually lasts less than one hour. Although feelings of anxiety and paranoia can also occur, they're more likely if you're in a bad mood or not feeling relaxed when you gobble your "E". You may hallucinate or feel you're floating or even start to behave a bit "out of order". When the main "rushing" starts to wear off, there is a gradual, but not unpleasant come down which can be added to by the effects of sleep deprivation. Often people feel they really come down a day or two later, mabye feeling a little bit depressed, tires or irritable. Taking time to chill out, drinking plenty of water and getting some decent sleep in (remember the condoms if you've anyone in bed with you!) can make your come down a lot more pleasant.
So you've heard all the good stuff; that you'll dance and rush all night, everybody is beautiful, the clouds will part and God will grant you three wishes and a taxi ride home. The other side of the story is that some people can have problems with Ecstasy. Most of the dangers stem from using too much too often. Like eating choccy, if you pig out it doesn't taste better it'll just make you sick. Some people have had severe reactions and it is possible to overdose. Start off with half or quarter especially if you're not sure how strong they are, give it a chance to work and if nothing is happening, wait a while longer or call it a day. Don't keep taking more and risk coming on together and wiping you out. The main risk with Ecstasy is that it can make your body's cooling system fail, you can collapse from heat stroke/heat exhaustion. This is the main way in which people have died from using Ecstasy. If the party is hot and you're dancing hard, make sure you drink lots of water to avoid dehydration. Alcohol, coffee, tea and sugary drinks will further dehydrate you. If you feel hot, out of breath, tired, faint, have cramps, aches or difficulty pissing, drink plenty of water, tell somebody how you feel, take a rest and check out the vibe in the chill out room. Sit down or have a walk outside. Drinking lots of water also has the added bonus of making your come down less rough!
If you're injectign Ecstasy, extra care is needed to avoid physical damage. Read the box on safer injecting tips on this. Many people who inject Eccy do so for the "rush" as the effects come on a lot quicker. The flip side of this is that the effects don't last as long and you also come down harder. This is worth thinking about if you're with others who are swallowing their Eccy, you'll be up and down quicker and are likely to out of time with their "mood". Lastly, stick to jacking a 1/4 or 1/2 a tab as this will be plenty.
If you are using "E" too much, too often you are likely to end up feeling spaced out, paranoid and depressed. It's Newton's Law of Drug Gravity. What goes "up" must come "down". Your body and brain need rest and relaxation to replace the things that Eccy takes out, so if you feel you're losing the plot and you've been overdoing it, give the drugs a rest for a few weeks and see how you feel. If you're still not feeling on top of it, see a doctor.
SPEED
"Amphetamines", "Go-ee" or "Whiz". The speed that you end up with in a bag or wrap would have been made in an illegal factory and is likely to be less than 10% pure, mixed with impurities to make it go further. The effects of speed at a low dose are loss of appetite, increase in pulse, breath and alertness. You may feel energetic, confident and you will be unlikely to sleep.
Snorting speed is a good way to burn out the lining of your nose. Cutting it into a fine powder helps, but mixing it in water or a drink the swallowing it is easier and safer. If you're injecting, read the box for details of reducing the risks involved. Injecting Speed increases your blood pressure far quicker than snorting or swallowing and these sudden jolts to the system can be dangerous, so start off with a small amount, especially if you are unsure of the gear's strength and purity. The rush is a lot quicker, but as with Eccy won't last as long.
The downs and dangers of using Speed are mostly to do with using too much too often. If you're out raving drink plenty of water and give yourself a chance to chill out between dancing your boots off to avoid heatstroke. Lack of sleep and feed soon catches up and can make you exhausted, ill and can bring on a host of unpleasant mental effects often called Amphetamine Psychosis. When overdoing it you can soon become moody, paranoid, get panic or anxiety attacks, behave aggresively or out of order. If this is happening to you, knock off the Speed and other drugs and let your mind and body recover. If things don't improve, see a doctor. Remember, speed is more mentally than physically addictive, people are more likely to become dependant on the feelings it gives you. Don't forget to pack condoms when you're speeding as speed can make you keener to fuck as well as dance, so plan ahead!
Overdose is possible (this risk increases if you're injecting) symptoms include racing pulse, high temperature and muscle spasms. If this happens call an ambulance (Dial #000). Remember, act quickly, the ambos won't involve the police and you could save a life.
IF YOU INJECT
Always use a new fit (need & syringe), never share. If you can't get a new one in time, always clean your fit at least twice with cold water, then twice with strong bleach, then twice again with clean cold water. Make sure the tip is always submerged when cleaning. If in doubt clean it again.
1. Rinse 2. Rinse 3. Rinse
_2_ _2_ _2_
times in times in times in
clean cold bleach clean cold
water water
This will cut down your chance of catching HIV (the AIDS virus), Hepatitis B & C and a host of other blood borne diseases. Speed can be mixed in the spoon. Ecstasy comes in tablet form so crush it between two spoons (as with all your injecting equipment, keep it sterile - swab the spoon beforehand), make sure you grind it into as fine a powder as possible, add sterile water and filter the mixture. Chalk in the veins will block them or cause sores or abscesses, so for tablets filter three times. Make a clean filter each time, cotton wool or a new cigarette filter are OK. Thoroughly swab the area before injecting, vein care and proper injecting techniques are essential if you do inject and you want to minimise the associated harm. Start off with a small amount and always use less if you're unsure of the strength of the drugs you're taking. If you are in any doubt, phone your nearest needle exchange for more info. Finally, if you develop a filthy headache and start to vomit after injecting Speed or Ecstasy, this can be the symptoms of some serious damage, so get yourself to a medical practitioner as soon as possible and tell them what you've taken, how much and how long ago. Dispose of syringe safely by returning them to the needle exchange where you see symbols [picture of two arrows in a circle]
ACID
A.K.A. L.S.D. or Trips. Originally made as a liquid which is then transferred onto tablets or more often tiny squares of card often printed with different designs such as Smiles, Strawberries or the Om Symbol (blotters). Once swallowed the effects are quite minimal physically and enormous mentally! You may feel a bit of a bodily "rush" as your heart rate increases but within 30 minutes to an hour the mental effects start. Colours and sound become intense or are distorted and your sense of touch, time and distances change. L.S.D. puts you in a suggestible state tending to exaggerate or alter what is already there rather than to creat hallucinations out of nothing. Sometimes this can be strange or surprising but this odd effect shouldn't make you feel afraid or panicky.
As tripsp can last for about 8-12 hours, it is important to plan ahead. Don't bother Tripping if you feel depressed, anxious, tired or upset as it is likely to make you feel worse rather than shift your mood. Make sure you haven't got anything important to do the next day like work, family outings or a doctors appointment and don't even think of driving!
Acid is not physically addictive and the problems with Acid occur when you are scared of taking it or if something upsets or frightens you during your trip. These things can cause a full on panic attack (bad trip). Like Ecstasy, taking a lot of Acid regularly may cause psychological problems including a gradual loss of contact with people and everyday reality. If you're tripping too often you don't get the same effect so give your brain and body a decent amount of time to rest and recover.
LOST THE PLOT
If you have taken drugs and are feeling ill or are getting the fear, tell someone, they'll help you. If anyone you are with starts to freak out or panic, stay calm yourself. Take them somewhere quiet out of the crowd, mabye the chill out room or go for a walk. Explain that they are experiencing the effects of a drug and that the bad effects will soon wear off. Reassure them that the are quite safe.
Don't give them any more drugs or coffee, tea or alcohol to drink or food to eat. A drink of water or fruit juice or a cigarette if they smoke are OK. If the person is breathing fast, calm them by getting them to breath deeply and ount their breaths slowly in and out - show them how.
If they get worse and you can't cope, phone an ambulance or take them to a hospital casualty department. Explain clearly what your friend has taken and how long ago. Remember doing this doesn't involve the police.
If someone faints it might be from the heat or from exhaustion as much as the drugs. Give them some space and make sure they are getting enough air, take them somewhere cool and quiet, sit with them and when they're conscious, get them to drink some water and make sure they keep quiet for a good 15 minutes.
If someone collapses, ie their eyes are rolled back, not breathing well, skin cold and clammy PHONE FOR AN AMBULANCE (#000) STRAIGHT AWAY. Let's hear it one more time, the police don't have to be involved! Get them into recovery position. See if anyone has some first aid knowledge, get them to help you. Check breathing and pulse. When paramedics arrive tell them what the person has taken, how much and how long ago. Don't be afraid, this may save their life.
KETAMINE
- is known as Special K, K or sometimes even sold as ecstasy. Ketamine is an animal anaesthetic that has intense hallucinogenic properties among its side effects. It provides a full on trip effect that people describe most often as "interesting" rather than a pleasant experience. Often side effects are inability to omove, insensitivity to pain and in large doses it can bring about temporary coma. Ketamine is not really a "going out drug", believe me it's not going to make you the life and soul of the party. If you take Ketamine, don't take it alone, make sure you have a friend to check on you who's not out of it. Don't eat or drink before or while taking Ketamine (it's a general anaesthetic for gawds sake) and preferably do it at home or somewhere safe and quiet. If you inject it do so safely (see the box) and into muscle not a vein. Also remember that you'll come on almost instantly and may go into a temporary coma, so go easy on the amount you bang up.
ICE
- Also making an appearance on the Rave scene is another import. Ice is similar to Crack in that it is a smokeable stimulant. However, just like crack, ice is absorbed by your body far quicker than by, say, snorting Speed. It will bring you up and drop you down at a faster rate. This can lend to leave you feeling rough after a while; big rush, quick come down. Otherwise, similar to Speed.
MDA
- Mda is a variation on Ecstasy (which itself is properly called MDMA). Usually sold as an orange coloured powder, though it may come in a capsule. Its effects are more subtle than Eccy. It takes longer to start to "come on" (often over an hour) and doesn't have the same strong "rush" effect that can occure with Eccy or Speed. It also tends to last longer. Due to its subtlety and because it comes on slowly, give it a good chance to work, especially if you're used to drugs that give a "rush". It's not a good idea to keep throwing more and more down waiting for a quick blast as you'll be wasting both the night and your cash.
FOR MORE INFO
ADIS
Alcohol & Drug Information Service. Call for free,
confidential advice and information on drug use. ADIS can
refer you to local agencies offering assistance with
drug-related queries. Also details of local needle syringe
outlets.
24 hours Ph: (02) 331 2111
Country Areas Free Call Ph: (008) 442 599
NUAA
The New South Wales Users and Aids Information Service. For
help and advice on safer drug use and user's rights and
issues.
Ph: (02) 369 3455
KRC
The Kirketon Road Centre. Confidential and non-judgemental
medical info. for users.
Ph: (02) 360 2766
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Keep it safe, know what you're taking and be careful.
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||___ "This House is Live" | | ___| H E R M simon@lsupoz.apana.org.au |
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