Though many people still associate it with sexual assault, GHB is growing more popular as a fun high with less of a hangover than alcohol, MDMA, or cocaine.
LHE
One recent weekend in San Francisco, a guy we'll call Jesse was dancing the night away at a house party when he grabbed the wrong cup. Instead of the tart cranberry and vodka he was expecting, he tasted red Gatorade. Within half an hour, he felt disoriented and had to sit down. Just as Jesse began to pass out, his friends, a group of gay men he parties with all the time, recognized that he was "falling out," or overdosing on the drug they call "G." They gave him water, walked him the five blocks to his apartment, made sure he was sleeping on his stomach so he wouldn't choke on his own vomit, and headed back out.
Three hours later, Jesse reappeared at the party, sober and awake, like nothing had ever happened. Some were shocked to see him again, so soon after what had appeared to be a dramatic overdose, but his friends were unperturbed. They laughed, and everyone went on dancing.
A quick recovery time is one of the primary appeals of G, which has long been present in some raver circles and gay clubs but has become increasingly popular in the last few years. While substances like Molly, alcohol, and cocaine typically lead to a day of physical and emotional recovery, with users experiencing exhaustion, pain, or chemically induced depression, G does not. And as long as you follow the rules — take small doses at deliberate intervals, no mixing with alcohol — you're guaranteed all the perks of coke or MDMA with no hangover. But have just a few sips too many, or give in to the temptation to take a shot, and you could wind up limp, like a rag doll, with little control over your own body.
The overdose effects are why most people know G not as an exhilarating high but as a disturbing low — specifically, as the date rape drug GHB.
Alice Mongkongllite/BuzzFeed
That's right. A substance most often portrayed in movies and TV shows like Veronica Mars as a tool for rapists is not only being taken recreationally, but those who use GHB consider it a perfect high, and a safer, more responsible alternative to alcohol. You know, as long as they only use it around people they trust.
GHB, or gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, was first synthesized in France in 1960 as an anesthetic but soon proved to have a surprisingly varied set of uses. While late-night revelers appreciate the lowered social inhibitions and heightened sex drive, bodybuilders take GHB for its supposed release of human growth hormone, and narcoleptics use an FDA-approved version to get to sleep. Club kids began dabbling in GHB recreationally in the late 1980s, leading the government to list it alongside heroin and LSD as a Schedule I substance in 1990, but its popularity had dropped significantly by the end of the 20th century.
Now doctors and partiers, particularly in San Francisco, say they're seeing a resurgence of the odorless, transparent liquid, primarily among gay professionals.
"It's a pretty popular drug in our city. I've definitely seen it much more as a recreational drug of abuse [than as a date rape drug] in recent times," said Dr. Craig Smollin, who is the associate medical director of the San Francisco Division of California Poison Control and has been an emergency physician at San Francisco General Hospital for the past 10 years.
In a city fixated on developing ways to live and work more productively, it's no surprise a drug promising temporary euphoria and no hangover has found a significant following. But just as many of Silicon Valley's supposedly time-saving technologies have enabled unprecedented levels of procrastination, the efficiency of GHB's high and comedown process depends entirely on how you use it. Despite the pervasive sense among partiers that G is safer than alcohol, Smollin said a breathing tube and placement in the intensive care unit is more likely to be necessary for a GHB overdose than for an alcohol overdose. Combining GHB with alcohol can be lethal, and frequent GHB use on its own can lead to addiction, seizures, hallucinations, and serious respiratory and central nervous system problems.
Another part of the appeal is that GHB can be made at home, because the necessary precursor chemicals are available online as cleaning solutions, adhesives, and paint strippers. Most of the time, those making the drug will mix liquid GHB into a sweet nonalcoholic drink to mask the sour, salty taste one user compared to Windex, and take sips every half an hour or every two hours, depending on the concentration.
View Entire List ›
...
Read more
Posted in
BBC
,
buzzfeed
,
BuzzFeed - Latest
,
CNN
,
computerweekly
,
filehippo
,
IT
,
NDTV
,
technology
,
topnews
| 
Saturday, April 4, 2015|
Mobile Bollywood
Suresh Raina married his childhood friend Priyanka in a glitzy ceremony attended by prominent faces of international cricket including India captain MS Dhoni who came with wife Sakshi.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was seen with Ziva and wife Sakshi at the Birsa Munda international airport in his hometown Ranchi.
The one lakh capacity Salt Lake stadium will only release 30,000 tickets for the IPL opening ceremony. The galleries in a large part of the stadium have to be closed because of the performances on stage.
Johan Botha has previously played in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals. He was brought by the Kolkata Knight Riders to replace injured Australian batsman Chris Lynn.
Jagmohan Dalmiya hosted a dinner party for the Bangladesh U-17 side who will play a three three-day matches, two ODIs and one T20 against CAB colts.
Three Rajasthan Royals players including the former India pacer S Sreesanth were arrested for alleged role in spot-fixing in IPL in 2013.
Sunil Narine, who checked in the city on Thursday after his test at the International Cricket Council (ICC) accredited centre, Sri Ramachandra University for his suspect action, was missing on the turf as his teammates led by skipper Gautam Gambhir slogged hard at the Eden Gardens nets.
Saeed Ajmal was suspended from all international cricket after a bio-mechanical analysis showed his action transgressed beyond the 15-degree tolerance limit allowed by the International Cricket Council.
Pakistan announced a tour of Bangladesh which will include two Tests, three ODIs and one T20 International. This after BCB agreed to compensate for the 2012 series which never took place.
Saeed Ajmal will make an international comeback for Pakistan on a tour of Bangladesh later this month.
Australian all-rounder James Faulkner said his main focus next summer will be first class cricket as he aims to add to the one Test cap he earned way back in 2013.
The highly-anticipated Indian Premier League 2015 begins from April 8 as international rivals once again join forces for the glitziest T20 tournament in the world.
Mohammad Irfan was not considered for Pakistan's tour to Bangladesh - scheduled for later this month - because of a hairline pelvis fracture which also forced him out of the World Cup quarter-final against Australia last month.
