Recovery and intoxicated persons
This year’s Harbour Party schedule is unique -“ not only is it the final one, the organisers have also decided to run two events, one the day after the other.
When tickets first went on sale it was believed that many people would choose to attend only one of the events. As the momentum has built up, it now appears that many will be going to both nights. The good news about that is that patrons will enjoy two great events; the concern, however, is that some people will simply overdo things and not take the time in between to recover.
More and more we are seeing the amount of time that people spend partying is being extended over longer hours, even days. For those who don’t take the time to recover, this means days of partying, often with very little sleep or rest, leaving your body and mind totally exhausted at the end. Pushing yourself to the limit is a dangerous activity.
In recent times we seem to have seen fewer problems in venues and events with GHB. Undoubtedly there are many people who continue to use the drug but many of these appear to be not dropping at venues. However, in terms of recovery parties, there is an important message for those who use the drug and believe they are doing so safely.
The greatest worry about using this drug at recovery parties is believing you are clear of concern because you have not consumed alcohol in the short time before taking it. Your greatest concern should be if you have used benzodiazepine drugs to help you sleep any time over the weekend. Did you take a Normison to give you three hours’ sleep before you went back out? Did you have a couple of beers at the party? Sometimes it is difficult to remember exactly what you have used; if you are unsure it is simply better to leave GHB alone. The implications are just too great.
The Harbour Party security staff are also going to be particularly vigilant about the admission of intoxicated persons onto the party premises. It is illegal to admit an intoxicated person onto the premises, no matter what they have been using -“ whether that has been a legal or illegal drug.
If you are going out on both nights, make sure that you take the time to rest in between. Plan ahead -“ if you have gone clubbing on Saturday night, go home earlier than normal. Have some rest, re-hydrate and avoid taking any sort of downers (particularly sleeping pills). If you can’t sleep, lie down, put your feet up or have a bath. Avoid going into the sun and pamper yourself for a few hours.
You’ve got a big night ahead and you don’t want to spoil it for yourself or your friends by becoming ill -“ or simply by not having the energy to see the end of the evening.
Remember: if you do not want any negative consequences, do not use the drug, and no matter how many times you have used a substance, never be blas?
