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Project GHB News
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Project GHB News is an Internet newsletter delivering the latest information about GHB and its precursors, and various other recreational drug news. We rely on your input and welcome articles written by subscribers, doctors, nurses, emergency medical personnel, and other individuals affected by the use of GHB. Send news items or full length articles to the editor. Features
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In This Issue
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Featured Websites Toxic Tidbits from the Hudson Valley Regional Poison Center
http://members.aol.com/hvrpc/ghb.html *** Project GHB gives the Hudson Valley Regional Poison Center the GHB Awareness Website Award! |
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A Special Word of Support...We at Project GHB offer a special holiday prayer for the families/friends of the more than 219 GHB-related death cases that have been reported to us from Australia/New Zealand to Sweden/France, plus those who have been victims of GHB-facilitated sexual assaults and overdoses. And, a very special holiday prayer goes out to the more than 400 GHB addicts (from approximately 40 states and several foreign countries) who have come forward for help during the past two years (since the addiction helpline's initiation on December 23, 1999) and their families. They are all quite familiar with impaired driving as a result of GHB use! Tony Young (featured in articles in the New York Daily News and Los Angeles Times and the recent Tech TV Cybercrime segment about GHB addiction) will spend this Christmas in jail in Washington. His numerous GHB DUI incidents in a short period of time have been traumatic to his family, but he courageously has spoken out and allowed the video tape of him under the influence to be used in the Tech TV show for educational purposes. Our thanks to Paul, Nate, Amber, Mitch, John, Brent and several others for their unselfish participation in the news/tv articles that have been so valuable in bringing attention to the addiction issue, and to those on the message board who are working hard with their own battles as well as working to help others. More has been learned about GHB from their experiences, heartbreaks, tragedies, relapses AND their successes in withdrawing from GHB than has been learned in the previous 40 years! Special thanks to Tom Gugliotta for speaking out about his personal experience with a GHB overdose; Mike Piazza for speaking out about the loss (suicide) of his friend and personal trainer, Mike Fox; and all of the doctors who have worked so closely with us on all GHB related issues. Much good will come from the lessons learned.
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Viewer CommentsName: Jennifer My brother started drinking liquid G about 4 years ago. At first, it was for his body building, but later on, it was apparent that he was using the drug for more recreational purposes. Soon his friends were taking it when they went out to bars and clubs. With their ingestion of "G", they were also drinking alcohol. My brother crashed his truck twice, and his Mustang. After GHB stopped being sold in health food stores, he started drinking alcohol more and more. He became an alcoholic. Now, he has no job, lives at home, his car has been repossessed, and he'll soon be filing for bankruptcy. His cognitive awareness is very low, and he cannot remember things as clearly as he used to. GHB has affected his brain and he is probably unable to live on his own. He cannot remember to do things or write checks, pay bills. Ironically enough, I recently moved into a place and found out my roommate MAKES GHB. I told him what happened to my brother. GHB is NOT a wonder drug. It's used to remove paint!? I wouldn't recommend ANYONE use GHB unless you have an extreme case of narcolepsy. In the long term, your brain will deteriorate. Your cognitive thinking skills will be lowered. My brother is living proof of the negative effects of GHB. Find other alternatives for relaxing....please! December, 2001 Comments: This drug has affected my children's life as well as mine. The man that i married is no longer the same as well as their father. I went for help in an emergency room and was told it only makes him sleepy and has no side effects. I went to va counselors, employee assistance program counselors, etc. They never even heard of this drug and it's effects. I watched this man black out, sleep while standing, sitting up with his eyes open. I watched the tremors, convulsions, memory loss, etc. And i had no! Help or support from any one to get him help or any support for me. I was told he is a grown man and he knows how much of these health store stimulants he and his body can take. Not so... When does the help come for these people and these families that are affected by this drug? It is too late for anyone to get help when they are dead or the brain is so badly affected. PLEASE FILL OUT THE ONLINE ADDICTION FORM! www.projectghb.org/addiction/addiction.htm NEW COMMENTS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE WEBSITE!See other comments submitted since 1998 ArticlesNational Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention MonthDecember has been proclaimed as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (bold and italics added for emphasis). Hooray for our side! Not only does the White House Policy address drunk driving, but mentions drugged driving and driving while impaired. This is SO important, since many people think that as long has they have not been drinking alcoholic beverages, they do not qualify as as Drunk Driver! Oh how mistaken they are. This month's arrest of BSU Football quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie will bring attention to the fact that ANY impaired condition while driving can bring a stiff penalty. This includes GHB. Taking it and then driving is tantamount to drinking alcohol and driving. It must be given the same attention and consequences. When the Project GHB website was first launched in 1998 (it wasn't Project GHB yet, but was called GHB - The Stone Cold Truth), it was praised by many people as having the only information about GHB available. While it was not the only agency disseminating information about the dangers of GHB, it WAS the most outspoken about it. Countless lives have been saved by the information received from this website, not to mention the addicts who have received help. One of the many problems with getting correct information to the masses regarding GHB, is that the very agencies that people turn to for help have not had the information to give! Police departments, Emergency Rooms, Poison Control Centers, Drug Rehab centers, and Federal/State/County/City agencies in general have not had the information they need in order to educate the public. Project GHB has been heralding the "drunk or drugged" driving dangers for years, as have many other agencies. They are pleased that this message has become "official." Read the Project GHB Press Release (will open in new window) Sarah's SpeechThis is a speech my daughter did recently for one of her college classes. She told me after she gave this speech, she was amazed that so many of the kids in her class still had never heard of GHB. (And, she did get an A on her speech, yea!) Maybe this will start to get a lot more kids involved on writing about the dangers and their experiences with GHB. ~Elise Hagmann Imagine this… you’ve been out on a four-mile long jog when you come running into your house and see two water bottles sitting on the coffee table. You grab one and take a gulp to refresh your body. A few hours later you are dead. Imagine this…you go to a party and decide to make your beverage of choice Mt. Dew. Later that night you are taken to the ER and die before the next morning. Imagine this..…you go to a rave and try a new drug that someone told you about. They told you that you’ll get that drunk feeling without the nauseous feeling and without the hangover the next morning. Only you don’t even make it to the next morning. Instead you are in a hospital in a coma. And lastly, imagine this…you are having trouble falling asleep one night in your noisy dorm so you take what you’ve understood to be a safe sleep aide. Your roommate finds you dead on the couch the next morning. Believe it or not, but each one of these stories are true, and they are the result of a deadly and unpredictable drug called GHB. GHB stands for Gamma hydroxy butyrate. Some common street names for GHB are G, Liquid E, Fantasy, Scoop, Water, Blue Nitro, Everclear, Soap, Easy Lay, Salty Water, Cherry Meth, and Jib. Other street names for GHB that use the first letter from each word to spell out GHB are Georgia Home Boy, Grievous Bodily Harm, and Great Hormones at Bedtime. In my speech I will be telling you about GHB and why it is so dangerous. I will also be telling you about at least four different uses for this drug along with stories to illustrate each use. These four uses are to enhance muscle development, as the date rape drug, to get high, and as a sleep aide. Before I tell you what GHB is and why it is so deadly, I’m going to tell you why I am here to inform you about this drug in the first place. I am here to inform you because 18-25 year olds are the biggest target for this drug, and many people have already died from it, and by informing you, I hope to lessen those numbers. I hope that after my speech, you will know enough about this drug to tell your friends or anyone that may accidentally become involved with this drug. GHB is made from GBL, gamma butyrolactone and Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide. I’m sure those words probably don’t mean much to most of you, but basically it is degreasing solvent or floor stripper mixed with drain cleaner. When GBL or products containing it are ingested, GHB is produced in the body. This drug actually originated as an anesthetic for humans in Europe, however, because it was too difficult to regulate and unpredictable with many side effects, they discontinued its use. GHB is now illegal but was at one time sold in health food stores as a safe sleep aide and muscle enhancer. GHB is a clear liquid that looks just like water. It can be mistaken for water because it is usually found in a small clear plastic water bottle, which contains several doses. One quick taste and you'll know it's not water. It can also be found as a white powder, however this form is not as common. The effects of GHB include intoxication, increased energy, muscle relaxation, loss of coordination due to loss of muscle tone, difficulty concentrating, loss of consciousness, being conscious but unable to move, and death is certainly possible, especially when mixed with alcohol. Sometimes these reactions depend on the size of the dosage, and sometimes they don’t. Everyone’s body reacts differently to this drug. For example, a 250-pound male could take a small dose of this drug, and drop dead when a 120-pound female could take even more and not even be affected. It is an incredibly unpredictable drug, and that is what makes it so dangerous. Your body manufactures enough GHB for its normal metabolism and by taking more, you are only putting yourself in a dangerous situation. My first story was about a 27 year old named Caleb Shortridge. He swallowed a large amount of GHB thinking that it was water by sight. A normal dose of GHB is a cap full, and Caleb ingested nearly 10 times this. He knew immediately what he had done and he knew that he was in trouble. He called his girlfriend, Melanie and told her what he had done and told her that he loved her. He knew he was going to pass out and by the time the ambulance came, it would be too late. Caleb was taken to the ER, but by the time he arrived, his body was already lifeless. A dose this large causes the heart and respiratory system in the body to slow down and eventually after he passed out, his heart quit beating and he was no longer breathing. Caleb had taken GHB on several occasions before and he was always very careful with its use. It was an unfortunate accident what happened to Caleb because a bottle of GHB was left carelessly on the coffee table. My second story demonstrates the use of GHB as a date rape drug. 15 year old Samantha Reid was at a friend’s house when some boys thought it would be a clever idea to spike Samantha’s and her friend’s drinks with GHB to liven up the party. They may or may not have had intentions of pursuing them sexually, but this is how GHB is used as the date rape drug. They poured GHB into their drinks without them knowing. Later that night, both Samantha and her friend passed out in the bathroom. They were both taken to the ER and Samantha died shortly after. Her friend was in a coma for several days, but finally came out. It is because of this case that GHB is now a Schedule I drug and puts it in the same category as heroine and cocaine. My third story about going to a rave is a true story to many people. There have been several cases of young people using GHB as a recreational drug. Though some people may have a good experience with it, and continue to use it time and time again, it only takes one time to die. My forth story is about my brother, Kyle Hagmann. He came back to his dorm room one night two years ago at California Lutheran University after having been out with a few of his friends. It is to our knowledge that he took the recommended dose of GHB that night to help him sleep. He never woke up. His roommate found him dead at 8:00 the next morning. The reason GHB is commonly taken as a sleep aide is because as it slows down different systems in your body, you become more relaxed, making it easier to fall asleep. And once asleep, you are in such a deep sleep that the three hours you get will feel like a full nights rest. GHB is a powerful drug, and still unknown to many. Its main uses are the date rape drug, a recreational drug, a muscle enhancer, and a sleep aide. It is a floor stripper mixed with drain cleaner and is also very addictive. I hope you remember this speech because you may save a life, and believe me, life truly is a priceless gift. Written by:
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We would like to
feature your article here Questions AnsweredFrom Trinka Porrata---We occasionally get emails like this one from Scott in New Jersey (who gave a phony email address, so he isn't terribly genuine). I'd like to share both his email and my response: "You are idiots. I have been using GHB for months. I make it with GBL+NaOH+H2O and it helps me sleep! I only use 3 tsp per night(--deleted GBL+NaOH+his precise recipe--). Give it a rest, I'm a 35 year old Pharm-tech and know what I'm doing. It's not harmful as compared to Xanax or Soma!" Scott--We get messages like yours now and then. I always reply that I'm glad to know that SO FAR you haven't had any bad effects. Stand by. So many, many of those addicted to GHB have told me to be "nice" to people like you, at least once, because there was a time that they talked just like you. And then GHB turned on them, took over their lives, costing them jobs, families, their health, etc. GHB doesn't grab everyone in its web, and some are "OK" using it longer than others, but for those who do get caught, it is devastating. And, for your information, GHB withdrawal for many is far worse than heroin withdrawal. Heroin withdrawal, though ugly, isn't considered life endangering. Withdrawal from alcohol, benzos (Xanax, for example) and GHB is indeed considered life endangering. So many have thought they too "knew" what they were doing (like the pharmacist in Canada who was using and supplying it to the USA but she's dead now). You see, there comes a time when you may find yourself taking it more often, for more reasons, and then you have to have it, to sleep or for sex or to face the world. It sneaks up on you, they say. Once taking it more than once a day, the ride gets rougher. Sadly, you will be the very last to know. Loved ones, friends, co-workers are the first to realize that something is wrong with you. It may start with little things, like a head snap while brushing your teeth at night, shortly after dosing, and maybe you break the mirror, or hit your head on the sink and pass out on the bathroom floor. But you won't consider it a problem at first, just a fluke experience. Those around you may see this and other episodes, increasingly bizarre behavior that you flatly deny. We recommend that they video tape you at this point, because you just won't believe it otherwise. And you'll deny it's a problem as the dents start to mount on your car. Or maybe the drunk driving arrests will get your attention. Worse yet, innocent people who don't know you at all may get to know you the hard way--when you kill a loved one of theirs in a traffic accident, for example. One of our first inquiries when we started the GHB Addiction Helpline came forward because his buddy had hit a car head on, killing a three-year-old (in daylight in a company truck). We have had contact with more than 400 GHB addicts, the vast majority of them great individuals with varying introductions to the world of GHB. Most of them just like you. I truly hope your luck with GHB continues to hold out. If it doesn't....When you need help, we'll be here to back you up. The last message I got like yours, well, he did provide his real email address and I wrote a similar message to him. Two hours later he called me. Said he recognized some of the symptoms I mentioned. It was starting to happen to him already and he wanted to stop before it got worse. Wise move on his part. Trinka
Please send your questions..... Editor's note: Pop on over to the GHB Addiction and Withrawal Message Board to see how GHB addiction has affected many people in many different ways. How to HelpWe need your help to continue. If you would like to contribute financially, here's where to send it! Donations to Project GHB, Inc. are tax deductible! You will receive a receipt for your tax records. WHERE TO SEND YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS: Checks, money orders: Project GHB, Inc.
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Copyright © 2001-2002 Project GHB, Inc.
Project GHB
"Creating public awareness
of the dangers of GHB"
Project GHB exists to educate the public about the dangers of the substance GHB
which has become an increasingly popular drug of choice, causing addiction,
injuries and death. Our goal is to save lives.
Project GHB is a 501c3 non-profit corporation
Project GHB, Inc.
P.O. Box 710693
San Diego, CA 92171
www.projectGHB.org