Project GHB Newsletter

• “A Friend To Have Award” Nominations Open

Know Someone to Nominate?
“A Friend To Have Award” Nominations Open

Nominations are open for the “A Friend to Have Award”!!!!!! Nominations can be made at any time but we would like to hear from you as soon as possible if you have ideas for deserving individuals.

In early 2003, to counter the prevailing myth that people overdosing on the drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB) should be allowed to “just sleep it off,” Project GHB initiated the “A Friend To Have Award” honoring those
1--with the courage not to let friends or others die needlessly from this dangerous drug,
2--those who have escaped its addictive grip and taken time to help others, and
3--those who have contributed dramatically to GHB prevention/treatment issues.

Recipients to date of this award include:

A Missouri lady for her insistence on getting medical treatment for a friend who had overdosed on GHB (having accidentally picked up the wrong drink). Trying to reach her friend on the phone, she learned that her friend was unconscious from an overdose when someone else answered his cell phone. She returned to the club, was disturbed by her friend’s condition and took him to the hospital, in spite of the insistence of those around him to just leave him on his side and let him sleep it off. By the time he arrived at the emergency room, the friend’s heart rate was dangerously low and doctors said her friend might well have died without medical intervention at that time. In fact, this award was created as a result of this incident.

Two other first-round recipients were Aaron and “Grainger” from our GHB Addiction Helpline Message Board. Both know all too well how difficult it is to escape from addiction to GHB, and have spent countless hours helping others through the maze of recovery. Their dedication to keeping a positive tone to the Project GHB Addiction Message Board, accessed via www.projectghb.org, has aided many working to get off of GHB and onward to a healthy existence. Grainger later suffered critical injuries in a bizarre traffic accident in Chicago and is battling through rehabilitation. His very survival is testimony to his character and his good physical conditioning at the time of the incident.

Doctors Stephen Smith (Minneapolis), Christopher D’Amanda (Philadelphia), Karen Miotto (Los Angeles), Alex Stalcup (San Francisco), Deborah Zvosec (Minneapolis) and Jo Ellen Dyer (San Francisco) were all A Friend To Have Awards at the May 2003 national GHB conference in Orlando for their dedication to GHB issues, especially addiction/withdrawal. All of these doctors are involved in seeking the best treatment for the potentially severe withdrawal from GHB and in spreading the word to others in the medical community. All but Dr. D’Amanda are published and/or involved in grant funded research on GHB issues but have given time and expertise far beyond the call of duty (unpaid time on the phone with addicts, their families and other medical personnel). Dr. D’Amanda was “recruited” in Philly when a GHB addict needed help shortly after the GHB Addiction Helpline was started and has since treated a number of cases and has given freely of his time in helping others.

Oscar Anzaldo, United Way, Stockton, California, was presented with the Project GHB award in May 2003 for the ongoing financial support and encouragement that he and the Stockton United Way have given to Project GHB.

The myth that GHB overdose victims should be ignored and allowed to sleep it off has resulted in numerous deaths. Friends simply party on while the person lies dying or near death. They often describe that their friend was snoring (GHB causes a rather distinctive snoring in many cases) and they assumed all was well. Bogus websites and even bogus labels of illegal GHB product bottles often even say not to bother calling for help as it will result in “unnecessary” and expensive medical services. Many of those who have died from GHB would be alive if someone had called for help! GHB overdose victims may lose their gag reflex and can easily die in the tub or spa or in their own vomit when left unattended and without medical treatment. In fact, some people are being prosecuted for failing to seek help for their overdosed friends in states with Good Samaritan laws.

These recipients are proof that people do care about others and can make a difference. Contact Trinka via email at Equus555@att.net or call 626-577-5204 to make a nomination. Please provide the person’s name and contact information and any related news articles, etc.
 

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• Last Chance To Join Us In Vegas!!!

September 25-27, 2004
Last Chance To Join Us In Vegas!!!

Registrations are still coming in for the International GHB & Chemical Drug Conference in Las Vegas, September 25-27 at The Palace Station, 2411 W. Sahara Blvd. Hurry and sign up now and get your hotel reservations made as the hotel is filling up. Any problems with getting hotel accommodations, contact Kim Blank, 626-292-7211, for guidance. We will have alternate hotels to recommend if need be!

The presentations will be great and will cover an array of drug issues, not just GBH. Hear the latest information regarding MDMA (Ecstasy), ketamine, PMA, Foxy, Lucky 7, 2C-B and related designer drugs. MDMA and GHB drunk/drugged driving issues will be presented. Drug-facilitated sexual assault will be covered, along with all the latest information on testing for GHB and its analogs.

See our website conference page for registration form, agenda, vendor information. We have a good turnout of vendors this year and greatly appreciate their support and presence.
 

Conference Home Page

• Raffle Items For The Vegas Conference Still Accepted

Want To Help?
Raffle Items For The Vegas Conference Still Accepted

If you would like to donate raffle prizes for the Vegas Conference, please submit the items right away to Project GHB. Sports memorabilia, art items, gift cards to national chain stores, anything you’d like to contribute would be appreciated. Project GHB is a nonprofit organization and depends on your assistance to maintain our website, our educational efforts and the conference.

• A fundraiser to protect America’s youth from designer drugs

Voice of the Victims

It’s a Fund-RAVE-r
Date: Saturday, October 23

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: 22892 Mill Creek Dr.
Laguna Hills, CA 92653


A fundraiser to protect
America’s youth from designer drugs

From Beth Pearce at Voice of the Victims:

Kids all across America are dying at an alarming rate at the hands of popular designer drugs they feel are fun and harmless. Someone needs to open our children’s eyes to the dangers of these drugs before it’s too late! I have an answer. I’m currently in the process of preparing my second educational film on the dangerous effects of designer drugs. I have partnered with Project GHB (www.ProjectGHB.org) to warn our kids about these drugs, and VOV is now holding a fundraiser to help us continue in our fight – and you can help.

We’re calling our event a FundRAVEr (get it, like the raves where kids often use these drugs). We’ll have a DJ play music from all different eras. Everyone will dress in clothes from their favorite decade (I’d be a 70s disco girl), and we’ll just have a good old time. In addition, the FundRAVEr will include many elements of a real rave, so you can see the pressures our kids are under at these events. Since it is a fundraiser, we will charge $100 for a “RAVER” ticket ($50 tax deductible to Project GHB which is a nonprofit), which will get you in the door. Half will go to Project GHB, half to Voice of the Victims.

If enough people come out to support this critically important cause, we will generate enough funds for me to finish my second documentary (this one is about GHB and DXM; the first was on Ecstasy and Ketamine) and get it to those that need it most - parents, children and our schools. In addition, it will allow Project GHB to continue in their fantastic education and rehab efforts.

Here’s how you can help. Log on to our Web site, www.VoiceoftheVictims.com to purchase a ticket or to make a donation. Your generosity will help see that more lives aren’t senselessly lost to designer drugs, and you’ll have a rockin’ good time to match.

Thank You,

Beth Pearce
Voice of the Victims
 

Voice of the Victims