bluelight featured in vice.com article on web resources for drug users

Vice magazine recently interviewed bluelight owner, Sebastians_Ghost for as piece on how internet communities are increasingly serving as sources of information for a wide spectrum of drug users: In a World of Opiate Addicts, the Internet Plays Doctor and Therapist

Alasdair

 

Fuck yeah bluelight! Good to see <wellness promotion> coming more and more into the light across the country, for example, more good samaritan laws have been passed this year.

I really dont like harm reduction anymore.. why not wellness promotion?

 

I think harm reduction is the more commonly used term, as it acknowledges the very real existence of risk that comes even with educated use. I would agree work done in the recovery forums could accurately be described as promoting wellness, while information on safer use is best prefaced by at least a little foreboding.

All around, I'm very proud to see such positive press for what I feel is an often misunderstood mission.

 

^^

I agree. It could be very easy for an interviewer to not get what we are doing here, and thus end up writing a fairly unflattering article, or one that just didn't explain what we were really trying to do. So, I'm glad Vice was able to capture the real underlying purpose for BL and write an article without bias or judgement.

I hope this is the start of even more press from larger outlets.

 

That was a long ass article... shit.

 

Cool piece. It seems BL is big but I would love to better understand BL in the context of the universe of similar online communities and the representativeness of views expressed on BL... For example "how many" such websites are there or perhaps even "how many big or important ones" are there similar to BL..??

The piece also claims there are about 100,000 unique BL visitors per day but how would we understand that in the context of similar web communities - is that a lot compared to sites like Opiophile and the like..??

M

 

Cool piece. It seems BL is big but I would love to better understand BL in the context of the universe of similar online communities and the representativeness of views expressed on BL... For example "how many" such websites are there or perhaps even "how many big or important ones" are there similar to BL..??

The piece also claims there are about 100,000 unique BL visitors per day but how would we understand that in the context of similar web communities - is that a lot compared to sites like Opiophile and the like..??

M

Easy. Go to Alexa, register a free account and you can compare Bluelight's web ranking and traffic with any other site you like.

 

Fuck yeah Bluelight! This site is absolutely the reason I use drugs responsibly. The helpful information we deliver in spades here is very scarce anywhere else. If not for BL, I might still be scrambling around popping whatever pills I got my hands on, oblivious to the wide landscape of potential dangers and necessary safety measures that we all know and love.

 

I really dont like harm reduction anymore.. why not wellness promotion?

Because tips on smoking crack and IV'ng street grade methamphetamine properly really can't be described as "wellness promotion" due to the neurotoxic nature of the substances and the harmful lifestyle that's associated with a lot of other substances; Hence the "harm reduction" phrase.

 

^ There are allot of places on blue light that I would consider Wellness promotion though.. SD and the recovery sections would just be a few I would include in wellness promotion.

 

Easy. Go to Alexa, register a free account and you can compare Bluelight's web ranking and traffic with any other site you like.

Cool. Thank you.

 

^ There are allot of places on blue light that I would consider Wellness promotion though.. SD and the recovery sections would just be a few I would include in wellness promotion.

Aye! Bluelight covers it all. I liked the interview. Why wasn't I mentioned? Just kiddin. Keep up the great work!

 

I really dont like harm reduction anymore.. why not wellness promotion?

I think both are important for obvious reasons. Wellness promotion is vital n important for recovering addicts.
Harm reduction is good for current drug users/addicts. (Hope I don't offend anyone with saying this).
Mind you I have not yet read the article (will do so now) currently reading posts here n I say Hell yeah Bluelight. Thanks n well done to everyone involved in the running of BL from the admin to mods to average members.
Evey xxxx

 

I think both are important for obvious reasons. Wellness promotion is vital n important for recovering addicts.
Harm reduction is good for current drug users/addicts. (Hope I don't offend anyone with saying this).
Evey xxxx

Hi. It has been my experience that much of HR in practice hinges on semantics, such that people support it when its called by another name but not when its called harm reduction. I'm curious about the distinction you made up top and am curious what this says about a "recovering addict" versus current users.

M

 

Fuck yeah BL! This message board has truly helped me and countless others to use drugs responsibly. I'm glad to see it gets unbiased coverage, BL definitely deserves it. Long live BL!

 

Hi. It has been my experience that much of HR in practice hinges on semantics, such that people support it when its called by another name but not when its called harm reduction. I'm curious about the distinction you made up top and am curious what this says about a "recovering addict" versus current users.

M

Hiya,
Seems like I misinterpreted what was said n it is in fact how you mention semantics - people being more receptive to the term; wellness promotion as opposed to harm reduction. As the post is a mod of the recovery sub-forum I came to I think the wrong interpretation n assumed that wellness promotion was meant for ex-drug users/addicts n harm reduction was the term associated with current drug users / addicts. I apologise for this (never heard the term; wellness promotion until reading this thread).

I do find it fascinating how people are more receptive to certain phrases/ words than others. For instance using the word; "independence" can be less off-putting to use certain medications rather than the word "addicting."

 

I think both are important for obvious reasons. Wellness promotion is vital n important for recovering addicts.
Harm reduction is good for current drug users/addicts. (Hope I don't offend anyone with saying this).
Mind you I have not yet read the article (will do so now) currently reading posts here n I say Hell yeah Bluelight. Thanks n well done to everyone involved in the running of BL from the admin to mods to average members.
Evey xxxx

"a rose by any other name....".


On topic: that was a good article and with none of the 'shock horror' journalism that goes hand in hand with this subject matter (usually).

 

Nice to see Bi11i mentioned, although they left out my favorite (now defunct) site of his junklife.com. The OG's of online opiate discussion!

Here, Here!!

Fun fact: I found ophile back in 05 via a link on BL (the old links section)

 

This is so cool! Go us

 

This would have been cool if it was something like The New York Times.

Horrible magazine with a horrible cynical and disrespectful attitude.

 

what red22 said
just great, more hipster cunts on bluelight. i cant fucking wait!