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If you were at a party and someone needed help, what would you do?

djwhirlpool

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 22, 2001
Messages
12,857
Last night, Andy and I went to an outdoor party up in the mountains and I came across and unfortunate situation. This is what happened.

The only bad part of the night was not long before we left I came upon a guy that was laying in a chair all covered up in blankets, shaking. I asked what was wrong with him and no one knew. No one knew what he had taken, what his name was or who he came with. I looked at him and he was covering his face with his hands and he was shaking. I tried to talk to him and tell him that this was serious and if he didn't respond to me in some way that I was going to take him to the hospital. There were people sitting around him and watching over him and occationally someone would walk up and show interest in his condition. Some people seemed not to care at all and the ones who did, weren't doing anything. I was afraid they were just going to leave him there. I knew he wasn't having a siezure. I checked his puples and they were dialated. His palse was weak and he had a feaver. He had thrown up and it smelled like alcohol. I was afraid he had alcohol poisening. I'd never seen anyone act that way on E before, so I figured he was tripping, but I didn't know on what. Acid can last for a really long time, so I was afraid that he was on that. I'd never really seen anyone freak out too bad on mushrooms, but with all the new chemicals that you can trip off of, who knew what he was on.

We talked to the people that were throwing the party and they didn't seem to know what to do. I asked around if anyone was missing a friend and if they knew this guys. No one knew him and I was afraid that his friends had left him. I went back over to where Andy was and we talked about it some and tried to figure out what to do. I told Andy that I wasn't leaving until we found someone that knew him or he was better.

We checked on him one last time before we left and he was still the same. I tried to talk to him some more and he still did not respond to me. Someone had taken out his wallet and laid his drivers liscence on top of him. I said his name to him and slapped him. He said, "what?" This was the first time anyone had gotten him to talk in a long time. I don't know how long he was there before I found him. He wouldn't talk anymore, so I slapped him again and he said, "stop slapping me." haha I continued to ask him questions and if he didn't respond, I would tell him that if he didn't keep talking to me, I was going to slap him again. Finally he was totally alert and I felt we could leave him. He told me he had taken mushrooms and that he remembered dancing and then nothing else. I'm glad he doesn't remember b/c I know he was in a very scary place by the way he looked.

I feel that I did the best I could and made the appropriate choices on dealing with him. I just worry that if I wasn't there, would anyone else have cared as much as me? I'm glad he turned out to be okay. I just pray that I never do that to myself, but besides Andy, I don't know if anyone would have the sense or care to be there for me.

Thoughts? Comments?
 
Well done, djwhirlpool! You did what his friends should have done. Too many times friends are right there by your side while you're in search of your high, so they can watch what kind of high it's going to be, yet when your body and/or mind takes the wrong turn in search of that high and starts acting "dark", then those so called friends are nowhere to be found.

Perhaps, once this person sobered up, he would have done some thinking about when and where to go in search of those highs in the future and what "friends" to take along for the ride. Perhaps he'll have a sincere talk with his current friends about the event, perhaps he'll start looking for new friends.

You did good, djwhirlpool (and Andy). Well done! :)
 
Thanks.

I think his friends were probably sleeping in the car or in a tent somewhere, so I don't think they even knew what had happened to him. He told me that he drove them there, so I'm fairly sure that they didn't leave without him.

I don't really blame the friends though. It was just a bad trip and not as serious as we had thought, but you never know.
 
Yes, you're probably right about the friends, I was being a bit harsh without knowing all the facts. All those other people sitting around watching the poor guy though. People! I'm ashamed to be one sometimes. :)
 
Always better to be safe than sorry.........you did great dj..........oh and the odds of someone actually caring are probably about what u experienced.........nowadays way to many people just are scared to get involved.
 
What kind of outdoor party promoter does not have a first aid/emergency place set up?
I am glad that there are people like you who care enough.
 
^^ it sounds to me like it was a private party, perhaps?

That's pretty bad though, I can't believe so many people would just ignore him like that. I know that there is not one single person in my group of friends that would notice a person in that state and simply walk away. That is horrifying.

Good work, whirly.
 
Thats really sad. As Kel said above I also don't know anyone who would simply leave a person who was in that condition. Actually I was once involved in an incident with a friend who completely freaked out. I asked a friend for help and they refused and told me to deal with it. Nice huh?

Some people are simply like that....

shals :)
 
i can believe that many ignored him, i actually find that kind atypical in people. good looking out though.

If i see someone in need, i help them. It's not a question for me really. I find most people dont' want to deal with it, or fear getting in trouble if they help.. or are just cruel and make the situation worse.. that's just been my experience though..
 
I said his name to him and slapped him. He said, "what?" This was. He wouldn't talk anymore, so I slapped him again and he said, "stop slapping me." haha I continued to ask him questions and if he didn't respond, I would tell him that if he didn't keep talking to me, I was going to slap him again. Finally he was totally alert and I felt we could leave him. He told

Ever think of letting him be rather than, slapping some poor kid in the face that was on mushrooms... 8(

You should have put his drivers liscence back in his pocket, its pretty easy to tell if some one needs medical attention or is just fuct-up.

oh well
 
Originally posted by blahblahblah
Ever think of letting him be rather than, slapping some poor kid in the face that was on mushrooms... 8(

You should have put his drivers liscence back in his pocket, its pretty easy to tell if some one needs medical attention or is just fuct-up.

oh well


I disagree with you... and I doubt she was slapping him in a hard/hurtful way - she was speaking with him and not getting a response, she was trying to get the lad to register the fact that someone was trying to make contact.

Like she said, at the time she did not know he was on mushrooms, she had no idea what he was on and he did not look well at all - his friends had disappeared and left him there - and there is absolutely nothing to say that the worst could not have happened.

I think she did a wonderful job.
 
You did the right thing...

and as a bonus, you got to take out some aggression.

*slap* slap* *slap*
 
i agree with the bulk of the posters in the thread. good work, z.

i had a woman in my camp at burning man a couple of years ago who had just taken a dose of mushrooms and was setting out on a wonderful evening tripping with her boyfriend. then she turned away for seemingly a second and he disappeared (which is SOP for burning man).

anyway, she proceeds to have a meltdown. i looked after her for about 3 hours and ultimately got her back to her camp.

it's so easy to walk by somebody who appears to be in difficulty and spend a few minutes making sure they're ok. sometimes, they need more than a few minutes of help and attention and in that case, it's good to know that there are people like djwhirlpool who'll take th etime.

next time i'm in difficulty and need help, i pray that it's not blahblahblah who's walking by and decides to just ignore me... i mean, let me be.

alasdair
 
Definately very well done. I am proud of you. I don't think I would have done the same :(
 
I'm going to add my "well done" to the rest. It's a fucking disgrace that people could see this bloke in such a state and not want to do anything.
I've had situations where I had to take people to hospital... bring them for a walk... make them drink water... whatever. To me, it's what decent people do, but sadly, not everyone could be described as a decent person.
 
Kids, don't take mushies at raves. It's got bad news written all over it.
 
unforchantly some people would rather continue partying then care for someone in need that could ruin there night..

It was wonderful that you cared for him and Im suprised at the actions of other people at that party..

well done :)
 
hey no one looked after me on shrooms.... then again i was lost in a forrest shaking, curled into a ball...

that is hellish...
 
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