Two Decades of Blacklight in Remembrance

Today marks 23 years since the passing of our friend, Ryan Haight, who we knew fondly as “Quicksilver.” Each year, Bluelight turns “black” on February 12th in remembrance of all whom we’ve lost and as a solemn opportunity to reflect on our mission of harm reduction.

As a community, Bluelight does not condone or condemn drug use. Instead, we seek to encourage open discourse designed to empower wiser choices and deliver our message of harm reduction where it is most likely to be received.

Whether you’re a longtime member or new to our community, Bluelight invites you to be part of this important dialog. In doing so, you will join a growing number of people around the world committed to challenging outdated stereotypes around drugs, drug use and addiction, while providing informational resources and encouragement for those seeking treatment or in recovery.

On behalf of the entire Bluelight community, please join us in our mission of reducing harm through honest and accurate information. We are always looking for new ways to improve the health, safety and well being of those who visit our forums and the greater world around us.

Sincerely,

SG

Mysterier's edit - it's been 23 years now *hugs*

 

I would say it wouldn't have mattered. It seems people only learn drug lessons through direct punishment not by seeing others suffer. The addict mind will always tell you that you'll be the one that does it right and comes out unscathed.

i think this overly pessimistic. if that was truly the case, harm reduction would be worthless. we could all pack our bags and leave this site.

i'd encourage you to have a bit more empathy for people in the throes of addiction, especially in a memorial thread

 

A lot of people I know who report being in the depths of addiction previously have had a moment where they have moved through it, and recovered, while they may still have lapses, they find something worth living for and move through it. and often those people wish to give back and help others in the worst parts of addiction to at least stay alive until they too have their own moment and reason to change.

Then again, over the last few years, here in Australia, I've been an expert witness at coronial inquests of young people who went to music festivals and never came home. I've met their parents and siblings. The pain is so... awful. Things went wrong for their young son or daughter, the drugs were too strong, or adulterated, the dancefloor was too hot, they took multiple drug types that interacted badly... or sometimes everything else was right (the dose, the temperature) but the young person had some rare reaction or odd gene that meant they couldn't handle it.

Harm reduction obviously helps a lot of the time and that's why we are here, to help avert drug harms through being informed but also by having supportive friends and community.

But sometimes harm reduction isn't enough. Sometimes it's mental health issues contributing. Sometimes it's purely the effects of drug prohibition that cause a death (which is where I get angry at the fact that prohibition related deaths are entirely preventable if we could just have reasonable drug policies globally). It's a reason to continue to fight for sensible drug laws.

During this Blacklight memorial week, I'm thinking about our members and staffers who've passed, as well as the families of those young kids going to a festival to have a good time and who never made it. And the families of everyone who lost a loved one too soon, for whatever reason.

 

I wish only peace for all of our lost brothers and sisters in this neverending struggle.

We can't forget them.

 

Ugh, reminded me of Greg AKA. Limpet Chicken/Lestat: I sorely miss him. His wit, his spark, and his foul, creative Manchester quips. It's bittersweet now to reflect on him. Who he was and how he was such a friend to me. Of all places, this was where we first met, and then the wrong planet forums back in the day. Later, discovering we both had autism was just the icing on the cake.

He was a chemist and a genius. It went over my head when we'd chat on the phone or on MSN. (God, I'm showing my age.) We'd disagree over so many things; it could have been a sitcom.

Indeed, the Mutt and Jeff, Bevis and Butthead, and overall odd couple from opposite sides of the pond. But it worked, and there was a shared experience in the hurt we'd both experienced at the time and in the past.

Hell, he went out of his way to clear my name on the WWW. I don't know how nor do I want to. I don't want to know what he did, how he did it, etc. He was a survivor. He pushed himself to the limits and then some. His 'mum' was bedridden and his poor excuse of a father was an abusive drunk.

He'd been in countless fights and arrests. But he arrested my heart as a friend in a way that I'm still unable to quantify.

I miss you, Greg. I loved you. I tried my best to be a friend to you when there were none. Rest easy; you're free.