Hi everyone,
I'm Lance, a 34 year old guy from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
As little as six years ago I was hugely anti-drug, not even speaking to people I suspected used drugs. I'm still not entirely sure how it all happened, but one drunken night at a night club one thing led to another and I took that one pill.
After one night of magic that I never knew could exist, I rushed headlong into a two year honeymoon with Ecstasy and psychedelics. My little ultra-conservative Christian world was rocked and then shattered as I took one of the most exciting rides of my life through the underground subculture of raves, electronic dance music, dancing under the stars and challenging every idea I had ever had about the nature of reality, seeing and experiencing unbelievable things that many people are never privileged to see.
After two or three years, the darker side of drugs began to show themselves. The enthusiasm of what was to come became overshadowed by the dread of what was to follow. Innocence, after glows & personal growth were slowly replaced by excess, unhealthy behaviours and the lingering companions of anxiety, depression and personality changes. Ecstasy slowly and quietly drifted out of my life.
When I'm out clubbing or raving now and in my little corner as one of the "old guys", I sometimes now feel like a proud parent watching a new generation come of age as they challenge life and explore the world. Their big smiles, hugs and wild dancing give me warm fuzzies as I remember having "been there and done that" and the contact high is juuuuuuust fine for this guy watching the scene live on.