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BL - Harm reduction or triggering drug use?

T

twato

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 18, 2012
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Berlin, Germany
Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is my first thread on BL, so please kindly move it if it doesn't fit here in DC.

As a long-time lurker and recently occasional poster, I've come to think about BL's stated mission, harm reduction and education. I'm sure BL has improved the lives of many, however, I'm also pretty certain that it can act as a trigger for (ab)using drugs.

Personally, I'd already used several substances prior to discovering these forums, but really began experimenting only after reading numerous threads on interesting stuff I might otherwise never have discovered. So, on the one hand, BL is a great resource for drug knowledge, but on the other can also be enabling.

I created this thread because I'm interested what you folks think about this issue. Maybe we can even find some points that help putting stronger emphasis on the HR aspect. Please feel free to comment on my experiences described above, I'm looking forward to any and all replies.
 
Well since this forum is used by a numer of people, many of which have used different things, it seems normal that a lot of us read about drugs here that we otherwise didn't know about/didn't know much about.
However I feel like anyone who would start using new substances based on experiences they've read here probably isn't really interested in bluelight's harm reduction aspect anyway, since that's sort of the opposite of safe use. Plus at least here they can read about how to take the new substance carefully.

So though I agree with you that it can spark (new) drug usage in a few people, I think those who are saved by harm reduction guidelines they read here outnumber the former :)
 
Harm reduction mainly. This forum shows how subjective drugs can be, and will keep some people from trying certain substances that do not seem interesting or fun to them. Granted, it can also make people curious about substances that seem enjoyable to them. But when you read about drugs here for the sake of being informed, BL will warn you about the risks involved, both through facts and experiences of others. It's better to read up on a drug and then decide whether or not you want to to try it, rather than using a drug without knowing the facts, dangers, side-effects etc. Reading up on a drug after it's been acquired isn't the same as having (some) knowledge before purchasing the drug ime.

My opinion on drugs hasn't changed since I joined bluelight. My interests in drugs are still on the same level. It was because I was interested I started posting here. Making informed decisions on the subject of drug use will always be the best way to go about it imo.
 
Both.

I think bluelight's ability to educate people on drugs opens them up to try harder substances. Some of us can pick up and put down certain drugs while others get hooked and addicted.

In the end it's personal choice. There is plenty of material about dangerous/hard drugs available.
 
Pagey said:
So though I agree with you that it can spark (new) drug usage in a few people, I think those who are saved by harm reduction guidelines they read here outnumber the former :)
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I sure hope so :)

PillToChill said:
It's better to read up on a drug and then decide whether or not you want to to try it, rather than using a drug without knowing the facts, dangers, side-effects etc. Reading up on a drug after it's been acquired isn't the same as having (some) knowledge before purchasing the drug ime.
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This is a very good point imo, gives me something to think about. Good post!
 
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It really is a fine line and something I've personally struggled with quite a bit while I was on staff and pursuing education in addiction counseling simultaneously.

It's essential that people understand how to minimize the damage they are doing but sometimes removing the consequences allows people to delve further into addiction than they may have otherwise. Similarly, seeing the ways to micron filter and take other steps to reduce the damage from such practices gives people a false sense of security and I've spoken to people who had not really considered shooting their suboxone for example who had never used needles with their opioids prior who started to because they saw so many people discuss it.

You have a lot of people who come on here and just cherry-pick to find the people who agree with them so they feel more comfortable about what they are doing. You have young people who come here because they smoke pot and tried adderall once who end up reading about this whole world of pharmaceuticals and RC's that they then want to try. I personally wasn't aware of poppy pods before joining the site in 2008 and ended up using them daily for well over a year.

There are a lot of drawbacks to this site but even after saying all of this, I have seen positive, life-saving impacts this site has had that reassure me beyond any doubt that this is a beneficial and necessary resource. Those kids who didn't know about RC's or pharms might have learned from their idiot stoner friends who didn't know anything and they could've OD'd taking methadone with their klonopin prescription. That former heroin addict may have started shooting suboxone pills without the right filtration and lost a limb. I could go on but I think the point is clear.

There will always be drawbacks to presenting this information but it's too important to not have it out there. We have seen the effects of the alternative for decades - scare-tactics and promoting ignorance just makes people take more risks than they need to. People are GOING to do drugs and it's better for individuals and for society if they are informed and don't accidentally kill themselves in the process.
 
Yeah like what Cane said

Bluelight is like Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory.

Normal kids only know about the Wonka bars, but when they get the golden ticket and go into the Chocolate factory, they're introduced with a world of better things. Some of those things are dangerous, but the temptation sucks them in.
 
You have a lot of people who come on here and just cherry-pick to find the people who agree with them so they feel more comfortable about what they are doing.
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This is so true, and used to be true for me.

Your post is pretty much spot on. :)
 
Renz Envy said:
Bluelight is like Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory.

Normal kids only know about the Wonka bars, but when they get the golden ticket and go into the Chocolate factory, they're introduced with a world of better things. Some of those things are dangerous, but the temptation sucks them in.
Click to expand...

Then some people are like Charlie, have more restraint and don't end up shooting everlasting gobstoppers in their dick without filtering.

Wait, I might have mixed up that analogy...
 
Lmao. exactly, except Charlie quit that everlasting Gobstopper addiction like a boss and became the world's biggest candy dealer.

I remember when I made the analogy of the everlasting ecstasy tab.
 
Cane2theLeft said:
It really is a fine line and something I've personally struggled with quite a bit while I was on staff and pursuing education in addiction counseling simultaneously.

It's essential that people understand how to minimize the damage they are doing but sometimes removing the consequences allows people to delve further into addiction than they may have otherwise. Similarly, seeing the ways to micron filter and take other steps to reduce the damage from such practices gives people a false sense of security and I've spoken to people who had not really considered shooting their suboxone for example who had never used needles with their opioids prior who started to because they saw so many people discuss it.

You have a lot of people who come on here and just cherry-pick to find the people who agree with them so they feel more comfortable about what they are doing. You have young people who come here because they smoke pot and tried adderall once who end up reading about this whole world of pharmaceuticals and RC's that they then want to try. I personally wasn't aware of poppy pods before joining the site in 2008 and ended up using them daily for well over a year.

There are a lot of drawbacks to this site but even after saying all of this, I have seen positive, life-saving impacts this site has had that reassure me beyond any doubt that this is a beneficial and necessary resource. Those kids who didn't know about RC's or pharms might have learned from their idiot stoner friends who didn't know anything and they could've OD'd taking methadone with their klonopin prescription. That former heroin addict may have started shooting suboxone pills without the right filtration and lost a limb. I could go on but I think the point is clear.

There will always be drawbacks to presenting this information but it's too important to not have it out there. We have seen the effects of the alternative for decades - scare-tactics and promoting ignorance just makes people take more risks than they need to. People are GOING to do drugs and it's better for individuals and for society if they are informed and don't accidentally kill themselves in the process.
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Thanks for this post cane, this is why I made the OP. The other responses as well, of course: thanks for discussing this topic, it's been on my mind for weeks, and reading other people's opinions helps me getting a firmer foundation for discussions.

These discussions are both with myself and non-BLers, many of which don't get the main reason why this site is important; some even believe firmly in the scare tactics mentioned above. It's hard to convince these people, but the more arguments I can gather in threads like this, the better.

So, keep 'em comin' :)
 
harm reduction, knowing how to dose whatever pills/powder/liquid is vital, at least if you go on here before using something you'll be less likely to OD. knowledge can be life or death in this drug shit.
 
I definitely see a point to what you're saying. Bluelight has certainly helped me be more knowledgeable about the drugs I came here to learn about in the first place.
It does, however, frequently make me more curious about other drugs I might not have tried otherwise - but then I continue to read about them here and learn how to use them safely. So yes, maybe it is triggering drug use a bit - but it is triggering SAFE drug use. Ily BL <3
 
Harm Reduction. People use drugs and then come to Bluelight. Not the other way around.
 
I think we can all agree that people who come to Bluelight on a regular basis and who create an account and start actively posting & reading already have the proclivity towards drug use. They may currently only smoke marijuana and take the occasional Vicodin tab that comes around. Learning about all the other stuff that's out there may be mind blowing and make them more curious to try things they haven't tried before. But there are tons of people here willing to share their horror stories of addiction and what not, which may get the newer kids to stay away from trying harder drugs.

I think all of this can be related to the debate of Sex Education in schools -- do we teach kids about safe sex? Do we give them condoms? It's the equivalent, in my eyes, of giving a kid who's only ever touched a boob a copy of the Kama Sutra or something. The kid may see things he'd like to do one day, but he's certainly not ready for it. Hopefully he's learned about STDs and birth control and things of that nature.

I think Bluelight is a good tool. I don't think triggering or enabling are the correct words to describe the information that you can find here. I think Bluelight does way more good than harm and I'd rather it exist than not exist. Just the fact that there are people out there whose lives have been wrecked by drugs who then recover and come to places like Bluelight and give the newbies an education in how to use certain drugs as safely as possible for no other reason than to prevent others from suffering the same fate is fantastic and noble.

"Health Education" was the class in school I got, which was supposed to teach us (16 year old high school students) about abstaining from sex and drugs because they were big, bad monsters. Well, some kids already were experimenting with sex and drugs. Where were they going to go to learn about how to safely do what they were already doing? Bluelight fills that gap that is left when people only want to teach abstinence.

I hope my response made some sort of sense. I've certainly heard of compounds that I'd never dreamed of on Bluelight and sought them out and used them safely. I don't think it was a bad thing at all and I don't blame Bluelight for my own curiosities. I could have just as easily not sought out 25i or MXE or whatever, but I like using drugs. And I like using drugs in a safe way, so I can use more drugs and experience more different states of consciousness. I do have my own addictions but I can also come to Bluelight and get support from people who have been there, done that. Bluelight sort of has something for every type of drug user -- from the beginner who needs to learn about Cold Water Extraction, to the more advanced who need to learn about Micron Filtering for injection and for the people who are over their drug habits and need support or give support to those trying to stay clean. Bluelight's good far outweighs its bad and I don't think it triggers or enables at all. If someone wants to use, for example, MDPV, they're going to use it. Hopefully at least by being on Bluelight they can learn to do it safely and come back and teach others how to do it safely, ad infinitum.
 
Harm reduction. If anybody tries to encourage unhealthy drug comsumption habits, then a mod comes by and tells them otherwise. Certain forums, like DC are more directed at giving drug users a place to discuss their drug use casually, but even then, if a user posts something that is contradictory to HR, then they are reported and will have their post edited out by a mod.

So essentially, there are people who start using BL with the intention of getting advice on who to get super fucked up, but we kick them out ;).
 
This site has probably saved me alot of medical problems (serotonin sydrome mostly). But when im forced to be sober reading the How High are You threads and shit trigger me fosho
 
Cane2theLeft said:
I personally wasn't aware of poppy pods before joining the site in 2008 and ended up using them daily for well over a year.
Click to expand...

Similarly, I learnt about things like this from BL, and has it contributed to my daily use? Well yes, because I learnt about it from BL. But if I hadn't, perhaps I would still have a daily habit, but be using expensive heroin, with all the associated negatives that having a habit you can't easily maintain brings. I do find BL triggering, specifically when it comes to methamphetamine. Overall though, I think BL is an invaluable resource, and I have learnt so much useful and possibly life saving information here.

I think Bluelight does a good job at staying fairly neutral when it comes to whether one should or shouldn't do drugs, and this is important. I'm not sure that being triggering in and of itself is something that Bluelight needs to concern itself with though. I think that any addict will face many triggers in life, and ultimately it is up to that individual to learn how to deal with them, and avoid them if necessary, rather than Bluelight's job to protect them.
 
well i certainly never know about a testing kit for ecstasy pills before getting onto BL
thanks
but i dont think i ever wouldve tried acid if i didnt read all the fun TR's..well and that episode of workaholics did it too
 
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