Friends, drugs and emergency situations
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rm1x
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I'd like to actually see how many people who have posted on this thread would actually call the ambulance, saying it is one thing, doing it is another.
I've had to ring ambulances for friends in the past, my friends and I used to do very large ammounts of drugs, and we knew the risks involved so we made a pact that if anything bad happend to get straight onto the telephone to the ambulance.
We've also taken each other up to the hospital on a few occasions, our rule was not to question the person in our group that wanted to go, if they felt they needed medical attention they are to be taken right away to a hospital.
However this generally resulted in a shot of valium and a warning about drug use
I'd rather be on the safe side though
I've had to ring ambulances for friends in the past, my friends and I used to do very large ammounts of drugs, and we knew the risks involved so we made a pact that if anything bad happend to get straight onto the telephone to the ambulance.
We've also taken each other up to the hospital on a few occasions, our rule was not to question the person in our group that wanted to go, if they felt they needed medical attention they are to be taken right away to a hospital.
However this generally resulted in a shot of valium and a warning about drug use
I'd rather be on the safe side though
Raz
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^^^Luckily, I've never been in the position. I hope I never will be. But I've put myself in physical danger for my friends before, I can't see that I would have any trouble at all doing anything else for them. To be honest, if I found a complete stranger who obviously needed medical attention I'd make sure they were seen to; it's just the human thing to do.
I agree with the other people who've already posted similar sentiments....if you would rather risk your friend dying than ruin your night, you really need to sit down and take a long hard look at yourself. Because that is not the attitude of a friend.
I agree with the other people who've already posted similar sentiments....if you would rather risk your friend dying than ruin your night, you really need to sit down and take a long hard look at yourself. Because that is not the attitude of a friend.
ozbreaker
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Totally agree Raz.
I've had to take one friend to hospital.
She started throwing up and we looked after her for an hour or so to see if she would stablilise herself, but she kept throwing up and was not keeping liquids down so we ended up making the call to take her to hospital when it looked like there was to be not enough improvement. As she was not keeping liquids down I started getting concerned abotu dehydration becoming an issue.
We called The drug and alcohol assistance line and also the emergency room at the hospital first and spoke to them about it. Essentially they gave her something to make her stop throwing up and also an IV lne to rehydrate her somewhat (i dont think she was in too bad a state but it certainly helped recovery i'm sure). All the time whilst looking after her i was thinking about how some poeple would not bother helping too much and would just let the person be instead of making sure they were ok and that was scary.. Making a rational decision whilst off chops is not an easy thing to do either in this sort of case.
I've had to take one friend to hospital.
She started throwing up and we looked after her for an hour or so to see if she would stablilise herself, but she kept throwing up and was not keeping liquids down so we ended up making the call to take her to hospital when it looked like there was to be not enough improvement. As she was not keeping liquids down I started getting concerned abotu dehydration becoming an issue.
We called The drug and alcohol assistance line and also the emergency room at the hospital first and spoke to them about it. Essentially they gave her something to make her stop throwing up and also an IV lne to rehydrate her somewhat (i dont think she was in too bad a state but it certainly helped recovery i'm sure). All the time whilst looking after her i was thinking about how some poeple would not bother helping too much and would just let the person be instead of making sure they were ok and that was scary.. Making a rational decision whilst off chops is not an easy thing to do either in this sort of case.
Bumping this thread back up.
Friday night my friends had to call an ambulance for me. I've been sick with the flu and was so worried about being well for the good night i had planned for over a month that I had taken a bunch of cold and flu/sinus pills through out the day. Because I was sick though I hadn't eaten anything about half an hour after I had half a pill I started throwing up. And threw up every 15 minutes after that - couldn't keep water down or anything.
The thing was though we lied to the ambo's. Stupid thing to do - I should have told the truth. But i was lucky it all worked out. Asking a friend who's an ambo last night he confirmed that they dont give a shit what you've taken, as long as you tell them and dont lie to them - because they are there to help you, and if you lie then what are they supposed to do? they dont let the police know. they don't get you into trouble.
After being in that sutiuation, if it ever happens again - there will be an ambo called and they will be told the truth.
They wont get you into trouble.. but leaving someone who is sick, if they die... that will.
Friday night my friends had to call an ambulance for me. I've been sick with the flu and was so worried about being well for the good night i had planned for over a month that I had taken a bunch of cold and flu/sinus pills through out the day. Because I was sick though I hadn't eaten anything about half an hour after I had half a pill I started throwing up. And threw up every 15 minutes after that - couldn't keep water down or anything.
The thing was though we lied to the ambo's. Stupid thing to do - I should have told the truth. But i was lucky it all worked out. Asking a friend who's an ambo last night he confirmed that they dont give a shit what you've taken, as long as you tell them and dont lie to them - because they are there to help you, and if you lie then what are they supposed to do? they dont let the police know. they don't get you into trouble.
After being in that sutiuation, if it ever happens again - there will be an ambo called and they will be told the truth.
They wont get you into trouble.. but leaving someone who is sick, if they die... that will.
shal
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I had a friend once who was flipping the fuck out and was having troubles with his heart/breathing. I asked my housemate for help and she told me to fuck off. Just because she was coming down like a bitch, she didnt help me.
Luckily he is alive, but it shows you how fucked up some individuals can be.....
Luckily he is alive, but it shows you how fucked up some individuals can be.....
azzes
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I was at a club a few weeks ago and saw this young guy OD. He fell to the ground, didn't have any friends with him, so we grabbed security and carried him outside (I'm a nurse). The bouncers were absolute wankers and didn't want to call an ambulance, but this guy was as bad, if not worse, than heaps of OD's I've seen in working in Emergency.
The bouncers kept telling me to chill out and "we've seen hundreds of these, he'll come good". Thing is, they didn't know him, or his medical history...who knows what might have happened.
After about half an hour, they finally called an ambulance (to the other side of the road, so no bad publicity).
I asked the ambo's if we were right in calling them, they said definitely.
It just makes me wonder, if me and my friends hadn't stayed with this guy, I reckon the wanker bouncers would have chucked him in the lane and left him there.... scary.
And on a side note, if i wasn't off my trolley myself, I would have called the darn ambulance myself.... didn't think of it at the time!!
The bouncers kept telling me to chill out and "we've seen hundreds of these, he'll come good". Thing is, they didn't know him, or his medical history...who knows what might have happened.
After about half an hour, they finally called an ambulance (to the other side of the road, so no bad publicity).
I asked the ambo's if we were right in calling them, they said definitely.
It just makes me wonder, if me and my friends hadn't stayed with this guy, I reckon the wanker bouncers would have chucked him in the lane and left him there.... scary.
And on a side note, if i wasn't off my trolley myself, I would have called the darn ambulance myself.... didn't think of it at the time!!
phase_dancer
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Thank goodness there are people like you going to clubs. Depending upon where you live, I'm not sure you are too far off the mark with your comment.
Until the law changes to make clubs responsible ( or forced to prove otherwise) for any death or injury to their patrons, this sort of behavior will continue to serve as the 'best' way for a club to avoid trouble. All too common in some parts, unfortunately.
As I said, it's nice to know there's still an Angel or 2 out there
Until the law changes to make clubs responsible ( or forced to prove otherwise) for any death or injury to their patrons, this sort of behavior will continue to serve as the 'best' way for a club to avoid trouble. All too common in some parts, unfortunately.
As I said, it's nice to know there's still an Angel or 2 out there
MaXaM
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^^^And why should the club be held responsible?
Your logic is deluded. Why should the club be responsible if u take illegal drugs and od? Ahhh yes we should be able to sue them too, cos we took the drugs and we overdosed in their club, thus they are responsible for our actions.
Your logic is deluded. Why should the club be responsible if u take illegal drugs and od? Ahhh yes we should be able to sue them too, cos we took the drugs and we overdosed in their club, thus they are responsible for our actions.
Maybe someone could introduce a device called a Survivalon.
A Survivalon would be a battery-powered, matchbox-sized gizmo with a timer, microwave communication circuitry and a position transponder.
To use the Survivalon you'd pay a small subscription fee - possibly to the nightclub you're in (if they provided it), or maybe to some centralised agency.
You'd set the Survivalon to vibrate in your pocket every 15 minutes. Each time it vibrates you'd have to press a big button on the front of it. If you failed to press the button, your Survivalon would broadcast a message that you needed help, and the nightclub medical team/paramedics would know you were in trouble and would be able to find you.
clop
A Survivalon would be a battery-powered, matchbox-sized gizmo with a timer, microwave communication circuitry and a position transponder.
To use the Survivalon you'd pay a small subscription fee - possibly to the nightclub you're in (if they provided it), or maybe to some centralised agency.
You'd set the Survivalon to vibrate in your pocket every 15 minutes. Each time it vibrates you'd have to press a big button on the front of it. If you failed to press the button, your Survivalon would broadcast a message that you needed help, and the nightclub medical team/paramedics would know you were in trouble and would be able to find you.
clop
Pop Popavich
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^^ Sounds good Clop I'd be in favour of something like the Survivalon being used in clubs, or even become a standard that nightclubs can choose to subscribe to. They would be a great way to promote a safer clubbing environment.
I think the club should be have as much responsibility as any individual does in that kind of situation. Which means they should call an ambulance as soon as they know someone is in trouble. The value someones life is worth a lot more than any publicity scandle.
I'd be in favour of something like the Survivalon being used in clubs, or even become a standard that nightclubs can choose to subscribe to. They would be a great way to promote a safer clubbing environment. MaXaM said:
I think the club should be have as much responsibility as any individual does in that kind of situation. Which means they should call an ambulance as soon as they know someone is in trouble. The value someones life is worth a lot more than any publicity scandle.
lostpunk5545
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clop said:
Good idea in theory but sounds fucking annoying in practice. Maybe instead, as this gadget is so high-tech, it could have one of those things you get attached to your chest (little suction cap thingys) in hospital to measure your heart rate. That way it would eliminate the need to constantly press a button all night.
Raz
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Totally...obviously a club shouldn't be held responsible for someone taking an illegal substance under their roof, but if staff can see that a person is fucked and they're happy to let them stay, then they should also be happy to do something to help them if they go beyond just "fucked" to "overdosed".Pop Popavich said:
Besides which, I'd like to think it's just common decency to not let someone die if it can be avoided...
pinkness
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I hope that the situation never arises... but if I had a friend in need of medical attention from overdose of drugs, I'd call an ambulance... and if I knew, I'd tell the ambos exactly what my friend had taken to put them in this state...
...every piece of information and every second counts in a life threatening emergency right?
...every piece of information and every second counts in a life threatening emergency right?
phase_dancer
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My logic stems from 4 + years working as project coordinator for Qld RaveSafe, and many more prior to that promoting events. Because of our previous promotions work, in the early days of RaveSafe we were able to reach many of the major club managers/owners in the city and coasts and even had coffee with some of them.
However, as much as these people appreciated the work we did, at the time, either publicity problems or floor space restrictions meant RaveSafe was not welcome in their clubs. Having 2-5 people on the floor who weren't buying stuff just wasn't economically acceptable. Often the final word was something like " Until it's made law, we don't want your teams there" That being said, there were those who were concerned enough to allow our teams in, but they were few and far between.
When you've picked up enough seriously affected people, some obviously underage, you tend to want to place blame on those profiting from the exercise. I couldn't begin to recount the number of run ins with security over similar interventions to that which azzes described.
As far as I'm concerned, if you take their money, duty of care falls on you! But maybe I'm just a jaded old fuck...
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
neverwas
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To go with the first post,
Im always on my friends back about looking after themselves. If they are in trouble id like to think they felt open and comfy enough to be able to come to me or people around and ask for help. because if i was in trouble id certainly go to them.
Ive seen people od before. Ive witnessed a VERY scarey G overdose in sydney (which was a few years back a few old skooler's may remember it) I had to give this girl e.a.r in the car on the way to hospital cause her breathing was non exsistent. shes still alive to this day thank god. everytime i saw her after that she thanked me for saving her life...
Id like to think everyone was aware of situations and how to handle them...but unfortunantly this isnt the case.
A few weeks back at a partie i was touched that everytime i spoke to Pop he asked me if i was drinking enough water...i was...but it was reassuring to know that there are people who do look out for others.
everyone is responsible for their own actions and your mates lives are in your hands.
clubs should bare the brunt of responsibilty to in the event of an incident. you enter their premasis and they have a duty of care to their patrons. working in a nightclub for quite a while i have seen people off their dials...i use to always carry a stash of chewy and a few lollypops under the bar for the really bad gurners. i had a guy so off his chops one night there was nothing i could do for him...he'd lost his mates, his phone and was peaking so hard all i could offer him was a straw to chew on to stop his teeth from grinding. he stood at the bar and just talked for hours. he was at my bar...so i made sure he was ok. otherwise who knows what he may of done.
Im always on my friends back about looking after themselves. If they are in trouble id like to think they felt open and comfy enough to be able to come to me or people around and ask for help. because if i was in trouble id certainly go to them.
Ive seen people od before. Ive witnessed a VERY scarey G overdose in sydney (which was a few years back a few old skooler's may remember it) I had to give this girl e.a.r in the car on the way to hospital cause her breathing was non exsistent. shes still alive to this day thank god. everytime i saw her after that she thanked me for saving her life...
Id like to think everyone was aware of situations and how to handle them...but unfortunantly this isnt the case.
A few weeks back at a partie i was touched that everytime i spoke to Pop he asked me if i was drinking enough water...i was...but it was reassuring to know that there are people who do look out for others.
everyone is responsible for their own actions and your mates lives are in your hands.
clubs should bare the brunt of responsibilty to in the event of an incident. you enter their premasis and they have a duty of care to their patrons. working in a nightclub for quite a while i have seen people off their dials...i use to always carry a stash of chewy and a few lollypops under the bar for the really bad gurners. i had a guy so off his chops one night there was nothing i could do for him...he'd lost his mates, his phone and was peaking so hard all i could offer him was a straw to chew on to stop his teeth from grinding. he stood at the bar and just talked for hours. he was at my bar...so i made sure he was ok. otherwise who knows what he may of done.
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roshy
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When I have had to use the first aid service at events I have always been incredibly impressed with the level of service and tolerance they have provided.
My friend came down with food poisoning (hadn't taken anything yet) at Two Tribes and we brought him along to the tent. The attendants were fantastic, bringing bottles of water and damp rags and practicing pressure acupuncture on him. What really topped it though, was when my very-obviously-fucked other friends decided one of the attendants needed some hugging... she was fantastic, hugging them back and dispensing the wisdom of the ages.
The whole non-judgemental attitude going on in that tent made me feel incredibly secure. If anything had gone really wrong with my friends there (thankfully it didn't) I would not have hesitated to go back to the tent and cooperate. I know that not all attendants can be as cool but it's very comforting to know that they really are there to make sure we are ok. It's a pity that they don't usually have anything similar at the smaller events. Alot of trouble could be saved for everyone if that vibe was more common.
My friend came down with food poisoning (hadn't taken anything yet) at Two Tribes and we brought him along to the tent. The attendants were fantastic, bringing bottles of water and damp rags and practicing pressure acupuncture on him. What really topped it though, was when my very-obviously-fucked other friends decided one of the attendants needed some hugging... she was fantastic, hugging them back and dispensing the wisdom of the ages.
The whole non-judgemental attitude going on in that tent made me feel incredibly secure. If anything had gone really wrong with my friends there (thankfully it didn't) I would not have hesitated to go back to the tent and cooperate. I know that not all attendants can be as cool but it's very comforting to know that they really are there to make sure we are ok. It's a pity that they don't usually have anything similar at the smaller events. Alot of trouble could be saved for everyone if that vibe was more common.
First off, I'd just like to say that the assistance offered to drug taking people at Earthcore has been the best I have seen. The first aid and ravesafe people are always friendly and helpful.
I'd just thought I'd like to share an experience that happened at the Earthcore before last. A friend ate a bunch of starburst lollies on an empty stomach and smoked some weed. I don't know how his body works but it managed to make him feel very ill. So I march on over to the first aid tent and get one of the guys to come back to our camp site. I tell the guy that my friend had a whole bunch of starbursts and some weed. My friend gets asked a bunch of questions and then (I forget what was said beforehand) the guy says "OH starburst lollies! I thought he'd taken some drug I'd never heard of before!"
I guess the point to this story is that you should always make sure you tell the ambo/attendant/doctor what your friend took as clearly as possible.
I'd just thought I'd like to share an experience that happened at the Earthcore before last. A friend ate a bunch of starburst lollies on an empty stomach and smoked some weed. I don't know how his body works but it managed to make him feel very ill. So I march on over to the first aid tent and get one of the guys to come back to our camp site. I tell the guy that my friend had a whole bunch of starbursts and some weed. My friend gets asked a bunch of questions and then (I forget what was said beforehand) the guy says "OH starburst lollies! I thought he'd taken some drug I'd never heard of before!"
I guess the point to this story is that you should always make sure you tell the ambo/attendant/doctor what your friend took as clearly as possible.