Herald Sun
Edition 1 - WED 10 MAR 2004,
Page 18
We can't rant about raves
By Jim Stynes
IT absolutely amazed me yesterday how society reacted to Monday morning's events at Rod Laver Arena.
As most would now know, 10 young people were taken to hospital in a serious condition from overdosing on GBH.
This drug has been doing this to people for more than 12 months, every weekend at raves and dances all over the country, yet rather than focus on the real issues we resort to demanding the Government close down such venues.
As if that's going to solve the problem.
Then I read comments from a doctor at The Alfred that his staff have to come in on weekends to treat these people and how frustrating this is and how it drains their resources.
Maybe it does drain resources but these people need help, not a negative attitude.
After all, people go to hospital with smoking related cancer -- I hope we don't treat them with this attitude.
Most people who have commented on the issue have never been to a rave.
SO if they are really concerned, then they should do their homework to learn why people are attracted to these events and why they take potentially deadly drugs such as GBH.
The claim that there were no medical people in attendance is also hogwash.
I spoke to the event organisers and there were 16 trained professionals on site, six of whom were doctors.
All the people taken to hospital were first treated by one or more of this team.
With overdoses, time is crucial, and from the first report a response team will typically be there within a minute.
GBH prevents people from breathing without a respirator so time is everything.
The key point about this is that at most dance venues there are no medical professionals, so by closing down mainstream events like Monday's, people drift back to smaller venues where the threat posed by the drug is greater.
The real problem is not the venue or the music or the type of people who are attracted it; it's much deeper than that.
The Government can close the venue and maybe get a few pats on the back, but the drug problem will still be there and these young people will still crave something more in their lives.
I was at Monday's event and was amazed at what I saw. There were 20,000 people aged from 18 to 40 celebrating and dancing together.
In many cases, they were coming together to express themselves in ways they couldn't in their normal lives.
Some were there to forget life for a while, others just to be part of something greater, to be inspired by the music.
This experience is a very tribal one where people of varying backgrounds can feel they belong, like they matter -- a feeling they may not get as many are struggling with life and its pressures.
Inevitably, many young people will experiment with drugs, but those that need to do it regularly are missing something in their lives.
SOME young people interviewed yesterday claimed overdoses happened to them and their friends every weekend. That's tantamount to saying they don't value their lives.
That's terribly sad, and it's where we need to put our focus, inspiring people to have the purpose and motivation to live life.
There is a great Australian film out in cinemas called One Perfect Day, and it deals with this very topic.
It explores choices that young people make in the rave culture and the consequences of these choices.
It is also a film that helps us understand why the events on Monday happen and the power of the music that inspires people to go.
Events and films like these have to be explored for the good and bad so we can understand the issues more clearly.
Governments have admitted that saying "no to drugs'' will inevitably create a rebellious urge in some young people to experiment.
But if we're to adopt the approach of harm minimisation, it's vital we understand what our young are thinking and feeling.
This is not a time to bury our heads in sand because it's our kids who are going to these venues and it's our responsibility to make sure they are healthy enough to make the right choices.
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JIM STYNES is co-founder of the Reach Foundation
) plenty of times, and never had a problem. if i get a new batch, i dose lower than my usual amount, to find out what it's like. plenty of times this has resulted in my first dose having little to no effect on me, but it's also meant that i've been able to figure out how much of it i can handle, and never ever even have to worry about overdosing.
), i really appreciate your efforts to at least look for an informed view on this drug, and it says a lot for your journalistic (and moral) integrity that you've gone straight to the (educated 
