With summer not far away, some students will be gearing up for an array of beach walks, dance parties, music festivals, and outdoor extravaganzas.
Summer can also mean a lot of partying. Whether it’s a guerrilla rave happening on the beach or some booty-bumping headliner in a club, we will be putting on our dancing shoes and letting loose with friends to some body-vibing, deep bass lines. And along with parties come drugs, so it’s extremely important that when we talk about drugs, we talk about harm reduction.
Talking about drugs is challenging given that we’re so often presented with conflicting points that either start with “drugs are terribly bad” or “drugs are amazingly good,” both of which don’t speak to the reality of party drug use.
I write this not as an expert in drug harm reduction, but as a peer who has experienced both the joys and downfalls of party drug use. My aim is to offer some suggestions on party drug use that take into account the fact that some students, regardless of whether drugs are bad or good, will be using drugs this summer. In doing so, I hope to offer some peer advice on how to make your experiences safe(r) and, hopefully, more fun.
A few things should be taken into account with all party drugs. First of all, those who use drugs need to know their dealers. A dealer may be a good person to ask about drug quality and dosage. This is especially important when doing drugs such as GHB, where the dosage varies drastically between batches.
Second, if you’re going to be dropping any drugs, make sure to tell someone you’re with so that if anything goes wrong, they know what you have taken and how much. Third, don’t be afraid to get help. Be aware of the nearest medical services, whether it’s a hospital, or a first aid tent, just in case something goes wrong.
Finally, get informed! Do your research. This can be done on the internet or by asking others about their experiences. There are a number of organizations, most notably DanceSafe (dancesafe.org) and Erowid (erowid.org), that give judgement-free information on all the party drugs out there.
Being informed about the drugs and the way they can affect your body is extremely valuable and may lead to having a more comfortable and hopefully safe(r) trip.