Taking a long break.

After being in the scene for exactly a year now, I have decided to take a lengthy break from pills.
In that time I have had some rather wild adventures and some great memories. But it has become a little too taxing on the body and on the wallet. I have a few breaks on the way, ranging from 4-7 weeks in duration. But this time round it is going to be a real serious one.
I have decided to take at least a six month break from the pills. My head still doesn't feel quite right after Kabuki 3.0 .
Anyone else here taken a similar lengthy sort of break?

A break from pills? Yeah, I have... mines going forever...
Sad to see it come to this, but I'm glad you've realised... maybe in 6 months you might even find you don't want to do it as much anymore - just make sure that after your long break you don't start going weekly or bi-weekly or something again or you'll be right back where you started...

well I had a pill night on Saturday night. Had fun but afterwards still realised I have more fun not having pills. And plus its not fun coming down on mon/tue (even though its not much, its more than nothing). So I will continue to stick with not having pills... So I guess I'll be taking a break(if you wish to term it as a break) along with you
Which gets me to thinking, I or someone else should start an activities thing in social to help people stay on breaks. i.e organise camping weekends, bike rides, or anything along those grounds? If it takes a bunch of fellow bluelighters to help another one/some to stay on their 'break', so be it. This is why we should be here for.. Information and help regarding harm minimisation..
In fact, I might start it now..
And the main thread for ideas/non party meetups is here
[ 15 May 2002: Message edited by: wazza ]

Well yeah, remember this isn't a raver board... the events/meetups forum can be used for non rave related things... and when bluelighters meet up there doesn't have to be drugs consumed...
I remember a while ago (like about a year and a half) there were all sorts of meetups organised quite frequently - BBQ's, movie meetups, video nights, the list goes on...
These are the sorts of things that help you get through a break without totally abandoning the friends you've just met through bluelight. I think that's the reason a lot of people's breaks fall short - they are sucked back into it by the people they hang around with. If these people all engaged in non-drug related activities too then it makes it heaps easier...

Hope things go well and I can say that now that I only do MDxx about once every six weeks weeks (And this seems to be stretching each and every time) I enjoy the experience, don't need massive quantities, feel prety good come Monday and al that good stuff. I still go out most weekends but I find myself going home earlier (Say 5-6 as opposed to 9-10) which means I can sleep and spend a good proportion of the next day doing things like shopping or doing the dreaded housework. The fun doesn't stop when the pills do!

A break from drugs is always good to remind yourself what life is like without them (for better or worse...).
Please: take care if you're just having a break 'from pills' that you don't go overboard on combinations of other drugs trying to recapture the same euphoria - because it's quite a difficult thing to do.
BigTrancer

yeah me and my friends agreed to take an 8 month break (basically all of uni). we're currently 2 months into it, and its no big deal at all. while there is always the temptation to have a pill in certain situations, having some friends who are also in it with you helps a great deal
once the break is over, we're looking at dosing alot less frequently.. perhaps once every 2 months, depending on the type of situations that arise (eg. house parties, festivals).

I have never found it physically (or financially) possible to party as often as most BL'ers do. For 2 years I only went out 3 or 4 times because I couldn't face the crappy comedown's. And when you go out only occasionally, you are more likely to enjoy it, as it's a bit more special.
wazza: I think that is a fantastic idea. I bet there's a lot of people here who don't have many hobbies left these days.
RavingLoony: good luck with it.
[ 15 May 2002: Message edited by: babydoc_vic ]

Good luck man. A break will do you the world of good! My longest stint was 18 months in which I think i had a couple of points of speed. Its hard sometimes but just think to yourself 'just a break' and you'll get through. ell you might even realise how good you feel after a few months and make other decisions.......
I intend to have a pill break soon, I just don't feel the need for it right now.
But all the best!

ack not another one...
if only ppl could take 'lil weeeeeny breaks every event... like moi! i go to an event every three/four weeks... helps me 'keep it real' if u know what i mean...
sure its for financial as well as drug related reasons, as well as 'keepin the plur alive' but hell, its good practice me thinks...

Raving Loony.... good luck on your break I am 3 months into a 1 year break at the moment and i have no desire to have another pill. I might not even have anymore once my break is over (but thats still a while away so i'll wait & see). I still go out to clubs/parties but i just do it straight. And i'm having more fun striaght then bent!!! I even said no to a free pill at a rave the other week. yay!
I think you just need to remember that in the grand scheme of things 6 months is not a very long time. Once you get to the end of those 6 months just think how proud you'll feel having stuck to a goal that you have set for yourself
Another important factor is understanding friends who know you are on a break and don't try to pressure you into having a pill. I still go out with my friends and they pop...i would never expect them not to pop just because i don't want to.....but at the same time they know i'm on a break and don't want drugs shoved in my face.
Let us know how you go
SiLvAmOoNcHiLd...i only went to an event/popped every 3-4 weeks but after 6 years it does get a bit repetitive.
[ 15 May 2002: Message edited by: flutter ]
[ 15 May 2002: Message edited by: flutter ]

Lately I've been pritty bad with pills - one every two weeks. However, from now on I'm just sticking to special occasions. I'm affraid I'll loose the magic.
I agree with wazza, it would be wicked if we could organise BBQ's and such. The only problem is is that I'm from Perth - paranoia land, so I guess the Perth BL's will be affraid to have a meet up.

well hey after having an awesome time at PVD in sydney last weekend, and comedown acid afterwards, i decided that it was time to stop. not tkae a break, but to stop entirely. i just don't have the time to be feeling like shit on a monday/tuesday, and my life is just going to get busier and busier from here on in.
i have had a great time on drugs, and i will have a great time without drugs. in fact i am looking forward to going out to more things straight than i used to. i love going straight and listening to fantastic music, it makes it better to me if i can remember everything that a dj played when they played an amazing set.
anyways, that's my rant for the moment. drugs were good, now it's gonna get better...
have fun, play safe.

I completely agree flutter, having understanding and supportive friends make breaking out of the groove oh so much easier. Especially if a group of you decide to take a break at once. It’s so much easier for a group of people to keep each other entertained than one person.
The number of times I have said 'this is definitely the last time' is plenty more times that I care to remember. I've decided to admit to myself I will never completely stop, have long breaks perhaps but I know I love it to much I will always go back at some point. It's been almost 5 months now since my last experience, breaks between outings prior to that would easily be over a month. Taking a break from drugs is a great way to get your head together and reassess your situation, but it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t go out and have a mad time. It’s just hard at first when you go out and everyone tells you how good it all is
But you need to be honest with yourself, your only cheating yourself if you stumble while you’re on a ‘break’. If you find you can’t even be in that environment without being tempted, don’t tempt yourself. Find something completely different to do and keep yourself occupied. If you realise you have developed something of a habit it doesn’t hit home quite as hard until you try and stay clean, but once you get past it things only get better
To say I am on a break would be a complete lie in any case; just because I have stopped using one substance doesn’t mean I won't be doing something else for a while. At the moment I all I touch is beers and bongs, but who knows how long that will last. There was a time when I lived for the weekend and I know I went too hard for to long, but things change and so do priorities. I find I will move from one substance to another and I notice many others do the same. This is something I would advise you be wary of as BT said. Having a break from pills can often mean your still looking for some kind of high on the weekends which can lead to other substances, not that I’m speaking from experience or anything
You’ve made the decision Raving Loony now stick to the plan!

I too am just comming up to my "1 year" since I began taking pills. Although I believe I have been quite good on myself (a total of 7 MDMA nights out), since I started, I think it's time for this slowly aging 27 year old body (and brain), to have a BIG break (longest previously, 2.5 months). I hope not to see myslef, pill in hand for another ummmmm 4 months AT LEAST Who knows, it may be longer.

Yeah i'm on a big break, I was on a 6 month break until a month ago, and now i'm not going to do it again till 2003, if ever again.
Sure its a fucking awesome nite, but we are still unsure of of the long term consequences.
I'de rather roll once a year untill i'm 70 and will have still consumed less than 80 pills!
MODERATION

It's just a break from pills. But I have hardly ever touch any other drug. I've like only done about 3-4 bongs in the last year. I haven't touched speed in the last four months. Six months since K. Ten months since I have done acid.
So I might just do a little bit of the others every now and then during my break.
I still plan to go out, but I just want to take a nice breather from those lovely beans. The parties for the next six months don't appear to be anything special, so I feel that now is the best time. All my uni friends will be finishing their exams around then too, it will be a fun time around then. Plus I expect to be a lot less tolerant when I come back, which has got to be good.
I've started to convince some of my friends into doing it as well. So hopefully it will all turn out good in the end.
RL
[ 16 May 2002: Message edited by: Raving Loony ]

Wow...it's great to see others taking a step back and having a break.
Personally I forgot how good it is to feel 'normal'. I was soo used to the weekly grind of feeling crap till Thursday and partying all weekend. Until just after NYE I would start poppin on Fridays and would still be off my guts midnight Sunday...it all became a little too much not to mention pretty boring.
I have no intentions on having e for quite a while. Plus partying straight is so much fun. Although I'm finding myself being slightly on edge in an environment where everyones on e...I find it quite hard to communicate.

Now 3 months since Kabuki 3 and I haven't MDxx once.
Yay!!!
Prior to this, I was continually making excuses for not applying myself. But now. I've all but cleared my debts, I've got my health back and I am far more eager to work than ever before.
Now that I have my life in order again. It's up to me to ensure that I don't let it take over my life again. But I don't want to lead a life of complete sobriety either. It's more about being responsible, rather than moderation (IMO, moderation implies semi-regular use).
Since Kabuki 3, I have had a couple of pipes. And a few weeks ago I did K (which fucked up my nose for the next week , but had a ball doing it :D ). It had been eight months since I last touched K. That K experience was so amazing, that it made me realise just how good all this can be. A long time will pass until next have it, because I want the next one to be just as enjoyable.
[ 11 August 2002: Message edited by: Raving Loony ]

A break, what a great idea.
I say to my self, that is my last big night out, but something better keeps comming up. So, I go and drop.
But, I now realise, that something else will always come up. I have to bite the bullet and just say no! I used to think it was bad form to go home early. You know, I was always one of the hard core people that was still going at 10 in the morning. But that just fries your system.
I am not even loosing the 'magic', it is just that I want to stop. I want to save money, and get my life into order. And not have everything revolve around the next party. I will still go to parties, but I will leave WAY before it finishes, and get some sleep. And make use of the rest of my weekend.
I am not saying I will never drop again, but it will be so rare, it will not be funny. Like, next time will be NYE.
Fuck, I think I am Jaded!!!