while i do agree that the image of bluelight is important, i dont think that durg free meet ups would do anything to bluelights image. the image is looked upon by people who go to raves, concerts etc, see bluelighters in the real world. and if these people didnt know the bluelighters in person, how would they know that we met up on the weekend for a bbq? the only place were exposed to onlookers is at events etc. the only image that would change would be the internet image, of those people who browse the internet, and chances are most of them would look down on drug use anyway, excessive use or not, bluelight or not.
i for one, came to this site cos i heard it was good. i really cant remember anything, just one of my friends was registered, i havent a clue how he found it (Mirage btw), and i joined. I initially considered it a drug website. i didnt even look in the meetups section for a long time. and initially i too thought that although this website was for harm minimisation, it seemed that the bluelighters i met and read about were deeply involved in drug culture and for the most part, fairly heavy users. it honestly didnt bother me, it made me think 'jeez these guys are fucked up' sometimes, but things change. ive been a member of bluelight for over a year now, and i my opinions have changed dramatically. and so has my definition of 'heavy drug use.'
im still at bluelight because ive met some great people through it, it allows me to organise meetups with friends at events, it has an entertaining social forum, and i can use it to access all sorts of drug information, ask questions, receive answers, and give answers.
and when it comes to my drug use, its my drug use, and i honestly dont think it has anything to do with the reputation of bluelight. i know more people who say they test their pills and dont than those who do test, or those who dont know about it. and im not going to exclude myself from that category. i rarely test my pills, and its stupid. but then again, i regularly check pill reports to be aware of whats 'good' at the moment. and im very fussy about what sort of pills i buy and how many i eat. if possible i call a mate whos online to check pill reports. i read up on the 'sydney pills' thread to discover other peoples remarks on certain pills. and i never buy from strangers, and rarely from events. i always know of anothers users account (someone i know) before i eat a pill.
all these precautions ive learnt from bluelight. my first pill at a rave before bluelight, was bought through 4 people, me only knowing the first person a bit. it was in the dark, it was at an event, it was rushed, and it was dangerous. i ate the whole pill, before reading up on anything about the drug. and then once bluelight came along, i learnt so much. pre-loading, post-loading, the technics of what mdma dose, harm minimisation tactics, safety tips, user tips, got questions answered, was free to ask others their drug related opinions and share my own thoughts on this so 'taboo' subject.
if at a club or event and i see someone freaking out, sick etc, if need be i would have some knowledge of how to help them. i could explain to them what mdma does and why theyre sick, what they could do to fix it. i can recommend testing pills and can name places of where to buy testers. i can explain about bad drug combinations, and give reasonably safe advice on other combinations.
all of this information ive attained through bluelight. and that in itself is enough to hold the reputation of this website up high.
harm minimisation is about lowering the rate of harm among drug users. and if somebody chooses to take their own drugs in a dangerous but educated way, its their choice, they know what they are doing. but they can still spread the word, they can still contribute to lowering harm among others. if somebody abuses drugs or uses them dangerously, and is uneducated about their decisions, then these are the people that we need to target. therefore i believe that if one makes their choices based on what they do know, not what they dont know, their own drug use is their own business. jsut be sure to teach new people and those who arent aware, the right ways to do things.