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National Documentation on Drug Misuse in Ireland. Drug Misuse Research Division E. TYPES AND SATURDAY MGHT FEVERS -The "STAYING ALIVE" Campaign by Steve Harding, Education Officer, Eastern Health Board Tutor in Addiction Studies - Trinity College In the middle part of the 1980s New Summer of Love, the effect their discov- had many year s experience in this area, to York Magazine published an article about ery was going to have on a generation of advise on an appropriate plan of action. a drug which, although first synthesised young people. Following brief research of the Dublin in Germany in 1912, had re-emerged in From all-night illegal raves involving Dance Scene and consultations between therapeutic trials on the East Coast of hundreds and even thousands of young Release and the committee, a pilot project America and was now finding it s way people, the culture spread like a whirl- emerged which operated under the onto the illicit streetmarkets. The drug wind picking up momentum as it made premise that if we can t interact with was 3, 4 - METHYLENE it s way across Europe and back to young people directly in night-clubs the DIOXYMETH AMPHETAMINE America and back again. New sounds next best thing is to work with the people (MDMA). Young people in small num- were added, the beat intensified, soaring who do and so the Dublin Dance Safety bers were experimenting with the drug to over 160 to 170 beats per minute. Initiative was born. The programme was and describing extremely pleasurable sen- New names emerged to try and capture designed in three phases with scope to sations - hence the compound rapidly the particular nuances of each rhythm extend as required. became known as Ecstasy. The reporter change, which often left even the club Phase 1 involved working directly with however was unimpressed and probably goers confused. Progressive House, owners and managers of nightclubs unperturbed as he wrote: - Jungle, Trance, Gabba, Speed Garage, Phase 2 involved training for Door Given that Ecstasy isn t much of an Acid Techno, Drum & Bass, Triphop. Supervisors (or Bouncers as they are more aphrodisiac and doesn t pack the wallop Collectively they have all, in recent years commonly referred to) of any number of other party drugs, it found refuge under the general umbrella Phase 3 involved getting accurate infor- seems possible that it will be little more title of Dance Culture. mation to young people in the setting in than a passing fad among recreational Of more significance however has been which they were taking the drugs i.e. the users - an ultimately disappointing street the growing acceptability of a culture nightclubs drug, something tried once because of all which only recently was confined to open Media reports emerging from the U.K. the hype and then discarded . (Klein. J. spaces, abandoned mills, vacant ware- and picked up by the Irish media had Cited in Cohen. R. 1998) houses or backstreet clubs and is now coined the phrase Saturday Night Fever Klein s prediction may well have been found in the hottest night-spots in town. in reference to the number of young peo- correct had it not been for other develop- Dance Culture has been subsumed into ple turning up in casualty departments as ments happening simultaneously in the night-clubs across the entire country in a result of drug use and suffering extreme- music world. In the mid 1980s new Ireland and with it there is much anecdo- ly high temperatures, organ damage and sounds began to emerge from nightclubs tal evidence to strongly suggest it has been hyperthermia. As plans for the Dublin in Chicago, New York and Detroit. The accompanied by Ecstasy and other dance pilot project developed, it somehow beat was faster, the rhythm relentless, a drugs such as Amphetamines (speed) and seemed appropriate (at least to one Bee new generation Dancing to it s own beat. more recently, Cocaine. Gee s fan) that a natural response to Peddled under different names as House, Saturday Night Fever was to launch a Garage, or Techno music that involved a HLOT PROJECT Staying Alive campaign. DJ concocted combination of synthesised Early in 1998 concerned by reports of percussion tracks and high energy young people leaving or being ejected MANAGERS AND OWNERS GROUP Eurobeat sounds that reached 120-130 from nightclubs and suffering adverse An initial attempt to engage the attention beats per minute, the music spread. The reactions requiring attendance at of Managers and Owners was extremely names continued to change as the beat Accident and Emergency Departments of disappointing but, as it later transpired, soared even higher, from American city hospitals, a small committee was this reluctance resulted from a genuine House to Acid House and ultimately to organised to consider an appropriate fear that if they became involved, it might Rave. Looking back, it seems like it was response. The group comprised of repre- indicate that their clubs had a drug prob- almost a challenge to see how far and how sentatives from the Eastern Health Board, lem. A follow-up was much more suc- fast Disc Jockeys could push their audi- I Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Local Drugs cessful but by this time the committee ence. Task Force (L.D.T.F.) and the Garda had secured the backing of the Chairman In 1988 the Ibiza Party Set made their I S och na, and following a number of pre- of the Irish Night-Club Industry own discovery when they mixed a cocktail liminary meetings decided to conduct a Association who also happened to own a of Acid House music and Ecstasy and \ pilot scheme in the South Dublin region. night-club in the area and, through his found the energy they needed to dance j Using a grant of £5,000 secured from The encouragement coupled with some timely the night away. Little did the participants j L.D.T.F., the committee contracted the media coverage, numbers increased sig- know, in what has become known as the j Release Drugs Agency in London, who nificantly. Following some very fruitful JOURNAL OF HEALTH GAIN Page 23 meetings a training programme was this phase have not been underestimated. myth? This piece of research will hope- devised for the owners/managers group. Night-clubs are first and foremost, fun fully provide some clues. This training was subsequently held on venues, and any health promotion mes- A further key development is the two afternoons and over forty representa- sage whether it concerns HIV prevention, establishment of a working group com- tives from fifteen venues attended. The safer sex or drug use needs to be imagina- prising of key personnel drawn from the response to the subject matter was well tive, inconspicuous and above all rele- Eastern Health Board, Local Drugs Task received, as was the open discussion of vant. Scare tactics, however must be Force, Garda , and Club Owners. This different perspectives for everyone avoided at all costs. Drug education can- committee aims to produce a document, involved. Another positive outcome was not be based on worse case scenarios with which hopefully will form the template that appropriate training for door super- misleading or inaccurate information. for a code of good practice for safety at visors was identified and the content Young people will switch off if the infor- dance events similar to codes produced agreed. There was also a strong indica- mation doesn t tally up with their own for some U.K. cities such as London and tion that if suitable material is produced experiences (Williamson 1997). Glasgow. This report and the research for distribution to club goers or for dis- The VIP booklet produced by Release report should be ready by early next year play in key locations that, while they adopts a very pragmatic approach and, and it is the committee s intention to won t distribute it they would facilitate while it doesn t encourage drug use, it highlight the issues by holding a one-day drug workers/volunteers carrying out this provides information that attempts to be National Conference targeting staff from role inconspicuously. A sample of some balanced and relevant and recognises that dance venues across the country. Release material including wall posters on the person reading the booklet may be five dance drugs and a small credit card using drugs. Sometimes referred to as CONCLUSION size information booklet called a Vital harm reduction, it is no more than a sec- It would be nice to think that recreation- Information Pack (VIP) received guarded ondary prevention measure to somebody al drug use in night-clubs will disappear support provided they would not be con- who has, for whatever reason, decided to but, to date, there is very little evidence to strued as encouraging drug use. say no to the message. Drawing an anal- suggest that it will. It may possibly ogy from our favourite drug, Alcohol, it is change and indeed the mighty drinks and DOOR SUPERVISORS somewhat akin to the type of information beverages industries are doing their By agreement with the Owners and often passed on to recreational drinkers utmost to win back some of the business Managers a ten session course was not to mix drinks, not to drink on an they have lost to the love drug. Already designed for Door Supervisors which empty stomach, to eat a sandwich first or through aggressive marketing of Alcopops included: drink a pint of milk. While it is possible and high content caffeine drinks, they are # Exploration of Attitudes to argue with this viewpoint of compar- making inroads, but whether they will # Drug - Legal Aspects ing illegal street drugs to alcohol, few satisfy this generation s insatiable thirst to # Basic First Aid (4 sessions) could argue with an underlying philoso- dance only time will tell.

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