Anybody ever heard of a free party? Quite a simple concept, you pick up a flyer for a party, all it has is a phone number on it, with a recorded message, telling you what time to call back. You call back at that time, it tells you where to be, where the party is, simple as that. There are no tickets, no dress code, no age limits, and (hopefully) no police.

The story of my free party started back on Thursday, I was dead set for going to Creamfields, but £49 was steep for a ticket and a friend and I would have to drive from Sheffield to there, hoping to buy tickets on the door, so basically it wasn't going to happen. Thursday night I got a call from my sister who lives in Manchester, asking me if I fancied going to a free party that was happening. All that she knew to tell me was that I would need to be to hers for the pre-party warm up by 8.

The journey there was uneventful, but fun, straight over the snake pass, and into Didsbury, near to Manchester’s student district. We chilled out for a while, drank a beer or two, smoked a bit then headed up to my sister’s boyfriend’s house, where a guy called Henry lived. Now, Henry drives a 4x4… but not your typical Land Rover, he has a Toyota Hi-Lux! The exact same model as Clarkson tried to destroy on Top Gear, but failed to kill. We loaded up the back of his truck with his home-made speakers and camping gear, lights, and as many blankets and cushions as we could find, then waited out. We were waiting for a guy who was running one of the biggest rigs (sound systems) there, but he was nothing to do with Stumblefunk, who organised the party and have the biggest rig. This is commonly done; people will just show up and start playing the tunes, everyone’s happy. So we’re chilling at Henry’s, there are a few groups of us as not everyone knows everyone else, but people slowly arrive and we set off at about 11pm.

After a couple of minor mishaps, 3 cars, Henry’s Hi-Lux and a poor van start driving to Rochdale about half an hour later to a disused quarry on Rooley Moor. Now imagine (for anyone that’s seen it) my poor Focus, on lowered suspension, trying to get 3 miles up a dirt track, full of potholes, foot deep grooves, a lot of loose stone and various very deep, very large puddles. Unsurprisingly enough, we bailed out about half way up, after passing the majority of people who had already parked up and begun to walk. Maybe 20-30 cars made the full journey, compared to hundreds parked up at various points on the road. Mine ended up on literally a 45 degree angle on a bank, I felt sorry for it. People pulled over to let Henry burn past, and he made it in no time! We started walking, and the road just seemed to go on forever – it was pitch black, with no lights, we could just see the odd set of lights from a car, twisting along the road ahead. We came to the quarry at about 1am, some music was coming out of cars, but none of the rigs were up yet. The cars were all parked neatly into the car park, with an area roped off for the rigs only. Large tents were going up at various points, and we found Henry and the rest of the gang, now about 10-strong, chilling out in and on the Hi-Lux, just next to one of the rigs. We rolled up again (a few times, to be precise) whilst waiting for the music to come on.

Disaster strikes, 3 police turn up. Nobody knows how they got here, no police car was seen, they must have walked all the way up from back in Rochdale where the road ran out. They walk over to where the rigs were, and talk to the guys for about 10-15 minutes. We later find out that they were mostly concerned with what we planned if someone was hurt, if cars got stuck, etc. They walk away, talk to a few people, but smiles are all round – the party’s on! Just moments later the generators start to fire up and speakers are plugged in. The time’s maybe 1.30AM and it’s just happening.

I had hoped to write about all the different things that I had seen, the weird and wonderful people, but to be honest, the hours between 3-8AM have just moulded into one long “wow” that I could not do justice with words, but I will try my best. We partied mainly in the Stumblefunk tent, but people were all doing their thing, some chilling in their cars, some dancing out on the hills, some were doing amazing fire-poi displays - Poi is an art where you have two weighted balls on the end of a string, with streamers coming out. You swing these, one in each hand around your body, you might have seen dancers in clubs with them. Fire-Poi is the same, but when the balls are alight. I have some pictures on the way; I’ll upload them as soon as possible. I met one guy, he was… maybe 65-70 years old, and partying hard! Apparently he goes to all the free parties, and loves every one of them. A few people seemed to be tramps, but they weren’t begging, just enjoying the music.

At one point we sat down to warm up by a campfire. I was a bit apprehensive, I didn’t want to intrude, but it was totally cool. Nobody knows who made the fire, who the seats belong to, but it doesn’t matter. I started talking to a woman who was probably in her late 30’s, but she was cool. She was just another regular here to enjoy the music. We had some interesting pills which contained a little MDA, a hallucinogen. When chilling in the Hi-Lux we did a lot of staring at the moisture drops on the windscreen. When you blur your eyes and look at condensation on glass, it can appear to take on separate colours, like when you get too close to your monitor and can see the pixels. When you’re on MDA then these tiny blots of colour start to get together, and make the most amazing patterns in front of your eyes. It’s a very nice high, magic mushrooms will give you the same and much more, but it’s not as controllable. With these pills as soon as your brain clicks back into gear, you’re totally compus mentus, but it’s not all plain sailing. The girls were tripping a bit more, they were watching the quarry wall move, and at one point my sister got really scared of the gear stick, and we had to take her out of the truck before she panicked.

We had been told to expect a little commercial enterprise there, people were openly selling beer, laughing gas, pills, and you could ask for anything else you wanted and it would be found. We came prepared though – we knew prices would be high. At around 4AM, the locals had got news so a new crowd descended, but it didn’t seem to spoil the atmosphere, they just wanted to have a good time. It started to get light at about 6AM, but by then the cloud had dropped which soaked everything, but partying inside a cloud is a pretty cool thing to do. Myself, Ali (my sister’s boyfriend) and Henry waited for a little while then decided it was a good time to put up the tents, which made for an interesting experience. Ali and Henry had dropped some ketamine, which is a horse tranquiliser, but has an interesting effect on people – it makes you confused, but very giggly. I had never seen their tent before, but somehow we managed to get it up, sort of in one piece – we’re lucky it stopped raining soon! After that, Henry treated us all to a pill each and a celebratory off-road session in his car! We gathered everyone together and chucked every soft item we possessed into the tents, and set up the rig out of the back of the Hi-Lux. There we stayed for some time; lots of different substances were smoked, snorted and swallowed. At one point we tried to get a barbeque set up, but the wind stopped that, even after we tried using petrol to light it. We decided to pack everything up at about 1PM, and got an amazing ride for a few miles on the back of the Hi-Lux to the car. We were mightily impressed that the sound systems did not stop playing until after we left, and people were still dancing away. I thought that the place would be left a mess, but everyone had packed their rubbish up into bags and taken the lot away. Apart from a lot of mud, the place was left as good as we found it.

The word going around was that it went off without a hitch. There were no injuries, no robberies, no crime at all. A coat had been left on the back of the Hi-Lux and not claimed. There was a phone in there, so we called every number in it until someone knew how to get in contact with the owner, and it will be sent back to her. The people there were amazing, such a mis-match of people, you have middle class students, tramps, ravers, housewives and the occasional pensioner.


I don’t know what to say for my most memorable moments, I think I will have to wait for the photos to come back to remind me of so many different things, but I’ll try:

Henry’s friend doing Poi – we thought he was a complete novice, he just asked for a go, wandered to a high point, and did the most amazing display I’ve ever seen.

Being one of 4 people crammed into the cab of a 2-seater Hi-Lux.

My first ever off road experience being going down a 45-degree hill with no seatbelt, whilst the driver was on ketamine.

Looking at people in the tent, you look at anyone and they smile straight back, because they knew how much fun we had all had :)

Probably The Forums 'non response' to your post speaks volumes.

It worries me that one of the best experiences of the party for you was quote:

'My first ever off road experience going down a 45-degree hill with no seatbelt, whilst the driver was on ketamine'

Ketamine being a horse tranquilizer, I think you said

:loopy:

I worry for you, man.

I wish you good luck with the rest of your life, anyway:shakes:

Hmm... are we supposed to be impressed by your thoughtless and irresponsible behaviour? I presume that whoever drove you back on public roads had not taken anything?

:D what is this, some kinda 80s restoration movement? (the restoration of the anarchy :) )

Glad you had a good time, and that the party didn't descend into a police battle or mudslide.

If I could offer you any advice it would be to find out in a little more detail the precise nature of the things you ingest, before you take them; when mixing drugs be aware of possible interactions (particularly with Ketamine and alcohol).

Of course, going to free parties in off road vehicles, getting ripped to the tits on crank, and stumbling home 48 hours later injured and strung out is not only illegal, but highly irresponsible and probably very good fun too.

Don't try this at home (unless you want a garden full of Mad Laughing Ravers and Huge Dealers (tm).)

"Just say know"

Hehe, in 86/87 we simply called them raves.

There's nothing new about it, just a new generation having fun with something they think they invented ;)

Acceeeeeeddd!

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Maybe I'm just just getting to be a boring old fart :help:

A good read. Very evocative.

Cosy

Yeah it sure was a good read Cosy ..

It does all sound a bit abandoned and mad though ... but if you're controlled and have no fun ever in your life and are always a "responsible citizen" ... then that's good.

Funny thing though ... control is ...

Personally ... I would be a tad anxious about taking all those substances and then being around a large group of unknown people ...

Originally posted by Tony
Hehe, in 86/87 we simply called them raves.

There's nothing new about it, just a new generation having fun with something they think they invented ;)

Acceeeeeeddd!

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

From your post Tony, I seem to get the impression that taking drugs is a good thing. Should a moderator being promoting the use of drugs?

Maldonado, how do you actually know you went to this party and all these cool things happened? With the amount of drugs you had taken, you could have imagined it all.

Also taking drugs around a quarry face isn't exactly responsible. What would happen if you decided you could fly?

What you on about?

Funny thing though ... control is ...

You should have gone then and not taken any substances, (it's not compulsory) you might have met one of those allusive women you are always going on about.

Originally posted by Skatiechik
From your post Tony, I seem to get the impression that taking drugs is a good thing. Should a moderator being promoting the use of drugs?

Where does Tony mention drugs? Raves weren't just about drugs. I went to a few back in 88-89 and didn't drop any acid tabs.

I didnt notice the moderator actively promoting drug use!

and
Also taking drugs around a quarry face isn't exactly responsible. What would happen if you decided you could fly?

Why would you suddenly think you could fly??? Have you been on the edge of a quarry whilst on drugs and suddenly thought you could fly?

:loopy:

Originally posted by neeeeeeeeeek
What you on about?



You should have gone then and not taken any substances, (it's not compulsory) you might have met one of those allusive women you are always going on about.

re: Control being a funny thing.

Too contolled and not allowing things to happen without your control ... not good.

Going with the flow 100% and having no control ... also not good.

Control is a funny thing ...

re: I should have gone to meet up with miss elusive woman.

Sounds like a fab idea neeeeeeek ... plz remember to invite me to the next one !! (and I shall bring wine cheese and biscuits) ... :thumbsup:

Thanks for the suport guys. I wasn't promoting drugs in the slightest.

Raves were about music in those early days. The drug culture attached itself to it, not the other way around.

Not to say that there weren't any drugs around, just that it wasn't a requirement. They've never interested me, but that didn't stop me doing 2 day sessions in unknown locations in a corner of an abandoned airfield or warehouse.

You see, it wasn't about money then - it was about dancing and partying. A little alchohol, lots of water, dancing and the resulting endorphins work just fine ! :thumbsup:

I'll say it again...

Acceeeeeeeeeddd!!! :) :) :) :)

Originally posted by alchresearch
Where does Tony mention drugs?

"Acceeeeeeeeeed" = acid.

I have no problem with idiots that want to use substances, but this behaviour was irresponsible. For example, what if one of them had had an accident and required an ambulance in an emergency? This is one ambulance less for people who have had genuine accidents and not self inflicted accidents through selfish behaviour. Also, on the way home, what if the driver was still high? Would "acceeeeeed" still be so cool if the driver lost control as a result of the drugs and robbed a family of their young child?

Originally posted by Skatiechik
From your post Tony, I seem to get the impression that taking drugs is a good thing. Should a moderator being promoting the use of drugs?

I didn't think he was acting (posting) in his official capaticy there Skatiechick ... but just expressing a view like any other forum user !?

Interesting point though Skatiechick.

Are mods allowed to express their views with the same freedoms as the rest of us ... or is it one set of rules for us ... and another for them !?

"Acceeeeeeeeeed" = acid.

I think it is more to imply acid house music when used in that context.

Originally posted by t020
"Acceeeeeeeeeed" = acid.

I have no problem with idiots that want to use substances, but this behaviour was irresponsible. For example, what if one of them had had an accident and required an ambulance in an emergency? This is one ambulance less for people who have had genuine accidents and not self inflicted accidents through selfish behaviour. Also, on the way home, what if the driver was still high? Would "acceeeeeed" still be so cool if the driver lost control as a result of the drugs and robbed a family of their young child?
Durrr!!! I think your comments say more about you than me.

You're showing your lack of knowledge there t020. In YOUR mind its drugs. In MY mind its a genre of house music... early trance if you like. The name originates from the cut up, looped, sampled styleee, not that you have to drop a tab to enjoy it.

Thanks for the diary Maldonado...it must have taken you all morning to write that up :)

As for the rest of the ensuing controversy, guys just relax, everything doesn't have to turn into a massive debate. Over analyzing and criticizing every moderator comment is going to make their heads explode as they try to predict every possible nuance of their paragraph/sentence/word/suffix.

In my mind it meant drugs too, which is where I made the point from, that you were implying the use of drugs for recreational purposes was good.


Perhaps this is the classic case of misinterpretation. I have no interest in dance/house music or whatever you call it so am not in the know of slang words. However I do know that acid is a form of drug.

Cheers skatie :thumbsup: It's probably an age thing, hehe.

I'll have to dig out that Acid James track that's going through my mind now.

I'll try to avoid the dealer betwen the PC and the turntable ;)

Originally posted by neeeeeeeeeek
Why would you suddenly think you could fly??? Have you been on the edge of a quarry whilst on drugs and suddenly thought you could fly?

:loopy:

No, thankfully I have never had any interest in drugs, I much prefer to be in control. However I did have a friend who jumped off a cliff face and killed himself in the process.

I remember dancing to 'aceeeeeeeeed' music, the yellow smiley faces, the big fish little fish cupboard box!!

Just might have to watch Human Traffic again soon!

Sounds like a fab idea neeeeeeek ... plz remember to invite me to the next one !! (and I shall bring wine cheese and biscuits) ...

They happen all the time, often at ringinglow or supprise view or out near ladybower. sure people can send you the number to ring if you are interested or check out the nta website or headcharge website. be quick tho, summer soon going to be over. :mad:

Originally posted by t020
"Acceeeeeeeeeed" = acid.

I thought he was quoting that godawful song!

I find it hard to even comprhend what it must have been like as it seems so far removed from any experience I have ever had as to be almost alien. You use terms and jargon which are just unknown to me. We hardly seem to be speeking the same language.

From what I can make out the whole thing sounds horrible with a bunch of druggies and tramps dancing around to some tuneless 'music'. I dread to think what the respectable people of Manchester or wherever it was must have thought. I can't understand why the police didn't show much more interest in it in much greater numbers. I think they were being neglectful in their duty in not doing so.

Originally posted by slimsid2000
From what I can make out the whole thing sounds horrible with a bunch of druggies and tramps dancing around to some tuneless 'music'. I dread to think what the respectable people of Manchester or wherever it was must have thought. I can't understand why the police didn't show much more interest in it in much greater numbers. I think they were being neglectful in their duty in not doing so.

You have summed up what I was thinking to a tee.

Originally posted by Skatiechik
No, thankfully I have never had any interest in drugs, I much prefer to be in control. However I did have a friend who jumped off a cliff face and killed himself in the process.
They were obviously stupid. If you think you can fly why dont you take off from the ground first. You dont see ducks waitng to take elevators to take off! Quit ruining it for everyone else!! (Yes I know I nicked this entire post from the great Mr Hicks):thumbsup:

My only problem with drugs is that I cant get any! I must look like CID or something!! :mad: :mad: :( :( :mad: :mad:

Originally posted by miniminch
They were obviously stupid. If you think you can fly why dont you take off from the ground first. You dont see ducks waitng to take elevators to take off! Quit ruining it for everyone else!! (Yes I know I nicked this entire post from the great Mr Hicks):thumbsup:

My only problem with drugs is that I cant get any! I must look like CID or something!! :mad: :mad: :( :( :mad: :mad:

Isn't that the whole point though. When someone is 'high' on drugs they are not thinking stright and so will do stupid and illogical things, sometimes with disasterous consequences.

When someone is 'high' on drugs they are not thinking straight and so will do stupid and illogical things, sometimes with disastrous consequences.


When people are straight they do stupid things, they do stupid things when they are drunk, people do stupid things all the time!

From what I can make out the whole thing sounds horrible with a bunch of druggies and tramps dancing around to some tuneless 'music'.

All I can say is I am glad not everyone is as narrow minded as you. As Tony mentioned, drugs are not a requisite at parties, I have driven to many I not taken anything more than a can of cider. The police know that these parties do not cause trouble, are normally far enough away so not to annoy anyone and they have enough on their plates dealing with the scum in towns, such as the idiots who attacked people at the CRB on Sunday. I think it's a shame that you seem to think they should be stopping a couple of hundred people from dancing the night away in a wood in the middle of know-where but people with your attitude are generally never going to change their opinions.. Shame.

Originally posted by neeeeeeeeeek
I think it's a shame that you seem to think they should be stopping a couple of hundred people from dancing the night away in a wood in the middle of know-where .

What you have to remember is the wood is probably Private, and they are illegally trespassing. So yes the police should be stopping it.

Originally posted by miniminch
They were obviously stupid. If you think you can fly why dont you take off from the ground first. You dont see ducks waitng to take elevators to take off! Quit ruining it for everyone else!! (Yes I know I nicked this entire post from the great Mr Hicks):thumbsup:

My only problem with drugs is that I cant get any! I must look like CID or something!! :mad: :mad: :( :( :mad: :mad:

Next time a friend of yours dies, I would like to tell you that they probably weren't worth the waste of space they were taking up on earth and they probably deserved it anyway for their stupidity in dying.

But seeing as I am a nice person, I won't say that. I also won't say they were stupid either. I will probably give you my condolences.

You are not in full control when doing drugs, so please don't tell me you are. Drugs can make you do silly things you regret (like trying to fly). I bet very few of us can say that they haven't forgotton bits of an evening when getting completely trollied with alcohol.

Not to mention that driving when high is as bad as drink driving and could prove fatal to innocent passers by. I'm sorry if this concern isn't "cool" but I have more concern for innocent by-standers than whether or not some druggies have a "good night".

Originally posted by Skatiechik
Next time a friend of yours dies, I would like to tell you that they probably weren't worth the waste of space they were taking up on earth and they probably deserved it anyway for their stupidity in dying.

But seeing as I am a nice person, I won't say that. I also won't say they were stupid either. I will probably give you my condolences.

You are not in full control when doing drugs, so please don't tell me you are. Drugs can make you do silly things you regret (like trying to fly). I bet very few of us can say that they haven't forgotton bits of an evening when getting completely trollied with alcohol.

I found miniminchs comments distasteful and incompassionate too.

What you have to remember is the wood is probably Private, and they are illegally trespassing. So yes the police should be stopping it.

So would your attitude change if it was on Private property with the owners permission? Like about 2 months ago, the party in a barn in the Chesterfield direction which was a free party of a very similar nature with very similar people, probably many of the same people, organised in conjunction with the land owner??
Are you also against the right to ramble?

Please may I never become a 'respectable' person if you have to practice ignorance to take the title.

Cosy:rolleyes:

wowee, this had no replies for 2 days, then suddenly jumped to 3 pages, i'll try to respond to as many of the points raised as i can, please excuse me if i miss anything out.

the quarry was privately owned, trespass is a civil offence, not a criminal one. the police cannot arrest you for trespass. the owner of the land had not made a complaint, hence no-one was arrested.

draggletail - yes, ketamine is a horse tranquiliser, but humans aren't horses. we didn't crash the car, didn't get it stuck, didn't have any near misses, just a fun time. the driver had enough control of the vehicle, if not full control, but the same can be said of an elderly driver, or of someone who has one pint in them.

t020 - i'm not trying to impress anyone. i wrote the post for a different forum, which just a few friends use, mainly because i didn't want to forget anything. just writing everything down brought back lots of memories. i drove one of the cars home, about 30 miles to manchester, then another 50 or so back to sheffield. as above, i didn't crash and didn't have any near misses.

Phanerothyme - cheers for the advice. anything i (or my friends) took, we had brought oursleves, nothing was bought there. we already knew what was in everything, it had all been sampled before in the usual method - quarter pill, if it's ok, take another quarter, then the other half, etc.

Tony - as i said, people of all ages were there, and at 21 is was one of the youngest. we're not claiming to have invented anything, we're just having a good time.

cosywolf - thanks.

Jamie - there were about 11 of us in our group, so i no-one was ever alone. in any case, every single person there was so friendly you wouldn't believe it.

Skatiechik - lol, i am sure that these things all happened, with the chemicals that i took, you're never transported to an alternate world, you don't think that you have powers (e.g. flying) or anything like that. it's hard to explain, yes i did ingest some MDA which caused very low-level hallucinations, but all the time i knew that it wasn't real, i was just enjoying it. as soon as i wanted it to end, i just sat up, blinked a couple of times and you're totally with it.

Jamie - you describe well what i'm trying to say above - you do lose some control, but the right amount.

Tony - a "rave" in the common sense of the word these days is a commerical affair where people just want to take drugs and get laid. a free party shouldn't be confused with this, people were there for the music, and to have a good time.

t020 (again) - there was a designated safety vehicle, a landrover defender. it would have taken anyone to hospital that needed it. by the wording of your question, you are suggesting that if someone injures themself through their own fault, then they should not receive medical care? perhaps you should go to big tony B and tell him your great scheme for clearing hospital beds.

genesiscouch - glad you enjoyed reading it, it took me maybe an hour or so.

Skatiechik (again) - i'm sorry to hear about your friend, but you don't state that he was taking drugs when he jumped. was he? were there any underlying factors such as depression that should be attributed to his death, rather than drugs?

slimsid2000 - if you read my post, you'll note that we were about 3 miles from the nearest house. as far as i know, no complaint was made about the noise because no-one could hear us. please tell me why you think the police should have stopped us? what crime were we commiting? in any case, the police couldn't have started arresting people, for a variety of reasons, which i won't go into. you say "druggies and "tramps", there were maybe 2 or 3 tramps there, and everyone else came from a fair cross-section of society. i'm a student, i have a full time job over the summer. are you picturing a load of crackheads? you need to open your mind a little. if you met me, or any of my friends, the fact that we have taken drugs would not enter your mind, we're just normal people.

Skatiechik - can i just re-itterate that the party itself broke no law?

Funnily enough I ended up at a random warehouse party on sat morning. Had a very interesting time indeed.

In response to a few points, I think free parties are a great idea. They allow people to enjoy themselves without annoying local town’s people. Most free parties I have been to have been held with the land owner’s permission. Infact I went to one a couple of weeks ago in the Lake District. About 100 random people met up in a field, set up camp, went on a hike, had dinner, and had a big mad party afterwards. I must admit that I do have issues with drug driving, which is why I wouldn't consider it. Most of the events I have been to, we have had a driver who has stayed sober. As mentioned before, not everyone drinks and takes drugs at these events, so there is usually a good supply of safe drivers.

I'm glad that these kinds of things have become more popular again after all but disappearing 10 years ago.

Maldonado - so you admit that people did drive on public roads under the influence of drugs?

Originally posted by t020
Maldonado - so you admit that people did drive on public roads under the influence of drugs?

yes, a lot of people will have had residual levels of various drugs in them, the same as someone who's had 1 pint has some alcohol in them, or someone who drives the morning after a drinking session.

you have to draw the line somewhere and say one side of it is ok, one side is not. yes, the drugs will still affect you, but to what extent? i suppose there's no hard and fast answer to this, every person who drove had to make the decision themselves, you can't wrap yourself up in cotton wool all your life. if i had been driving home that night then of course i wouldn't have had anything to drink and i wouldn't have taken any drugs either, but in all fairness i had at least 12 hours to get everything out of my system.

bottom line is i didn't crash, and i haven't heard of anyone else doing so.

So do you think it's fair that you put other (innocent) peoples' lives at risk through your drug driving? And where is the scientific basis behind your claims of "residual levels" of the drugs being equivalent to 1 pint of beer?

Bottom line is, driving under the influence is selfish, irresponsible, and unfair. I wonder if you'd ever be able to sleep at night knowing that your drug abuse had caused someone to die an horrific death in a road accident?

Originally posted by t020
I wonder if you'd ever be able to sleep at night knowing that your drug abuse had caused someone to die an horrific death in a road accident?
I'm not sure I'd be able to sleep at night if I'd caused anyone to die in a road accident, drugs or no drugs.

Originally posted by t020
So do you think it's fair that you put other (innocent) peoples' lives at risk through your drug driving? And where is the scientific basis behind your claims of "residual levels" of the drugs being equivalent to 1 pint of beer?

Bottom line is, driving under the influence is selfish, irresponsible, and unfair. I wonder if you'd ever be able to sleep at night knowing that your drug abuse had caused someone to die an horrific death in a road accident?

please re-read my post, stop reading between the lines, and stop mis-quoting me.

i did not equate the residual levels of drugs to one pint, and i never claimed that there was any scientific basis behind them.


my bottom line is that in my opinion, i gave enough time for the drug levels in my body to drop low enough for me to be safe to drive. as i did not crash, over a long and difficult drive (snake pass) then evidently i was safe to drive.


all i'm trying to do is show you a reasonable way of thinking. have you ever had a pint then driven? have you ever driven the next day? there's still alcohol in your system then. in this case, the police have set a specific limit of how much alcohol can be in your blood for you to legally drive, but for drugs then it's in the hands of the person behind the wheel to make the decision for themselves.

and please - i'm human, and of course i have feelings. if i killed a hedgehog in the road when i was completely sober, i'd feel bad. if i killed a person when i was sober then i would be mortified and i don't know how i would deal with it, even before you bring in the question of driving after taking drugs.

I read about one of these parties in the Sunday Express. Ok, so it's hardly a raver's paper, but they did raise the points of the noise disturbing wildlife and pollution in the form of human waste and condoms littering the area.

Originally posted by alchresearch
I read about one of these parties in the Sunday Express. Ok, so it's hardly a raver's paper, but they did raise the points of the noise disturbing wildlife and pollution in the form of human waste and condoms littering the area.

Yes but what about wildlife that disturbs our life do we complain? There is an owl who sits outside my window in Nether Edge thats hoots all night.
Condoms could be used as sleeping bags by mice and some under weight voles? Not thought of that? Its all in how you look at stuff and I would definately advise you never and i mean never read that newspaper again.
Oh and if someone is stupid enough to 'jump off a cliff' just because they took drugs then they deserve everything they get. If there is an underlying reason then we can be sympathetic but dont blame the drugs. Plenty of people take drugs everyday and very few top themselves. I would have thought that you are more likely to commit suicide if you are on alcohol as it is a depressant. It is a drug as well you know?

Originally posted by miniminch
Yes but what about wildlife that disturbs our life do we complain? There is an owl who sits outside my window in Nether Edge thats hoots all night.
The owl isn't in a position to know better.

I read about one of these parties in the Sunday Express. Ok, so it's hardly a raver's paper, but they did raise the points of the noise disturbing wildlife and pollution in the form of human waste and condoms littering the area.

Get a grip FFS. All the damage we are doing to this planet and you are moaning about a few people having a party in a Quarry. A MAN MADE QUARRY, OOoo; someone might wake up a sleeping sheep. And T020 with your holier than thou attitude about everything. People on mobile phones, people turning up the stereo, people sneezing, all these selfish people, they might cause an accident. I am not one who would encourage driving under the influence but for someone with NO experience you don't half go on. I don't think you have any real idea of how you feel or how long it takes to be what would be regarded as safe to drive, are people who have just got out of bed safe to drive? A breakfast radio presenter has just cracked a joke as you pull onto the motorway, are you safe to drive then? Cough medicine, hay fever tables? Safe to drive or selfish??
Grrrrrrrr.

Hehe, not so much a moral high horse as a whole wild herd of 'em.

Thanks for taking the time to write that all down though, it was a clear and lucid account of the opposite end of the spectrum to the highly manufactured and controlled entertainments industry that now governs most people's leisure time.

About the driving thing. I would contend that there are drugs that exist that can improve your driving, so drugs and driving are not necessarily a bad mix.

Alcohol and driving are banned because repeated tests show that alcohol impairs functions that are vital to safe driving to a degree that exceeds driving when tired, angry, etc.

Two unconnected studies done on cannabis and driving seem to conclude that cannabis does not affect driving adversely until abnormally high levels are reached, and the IDTMU study showed an increase in awareness of other road users and less hesitation and better risk awareness in the cannabis group than all the others.

In fact it is possible to drive safely when you are, to all extents and purposes, unconscious.

LSD25 is known to precipitate latent mental disorders, and jumping off a cliff is suicide. Depends what drugs of course, but a dissociative hallucinogen, such as ketamine or pcp is far likelier to induce a delusional state of mind than a true psychedelic or entheogen.

What LSD would do, in a chronic depressive or paranoid schizophrenic, is to ampflify the symptoms to an unbearable level. In some recorded cases of chronic depression this has led to a remission of symptoms, but slef harm is a more often recorded result.

As miniminch's invocation of hicks points out - if you have taken acid, and for some totally inexplicable reason you are possessed with the belief you can fly, you will stand on the ground and flap your wings or try and levitate.

The truth is, if you have taken some LSD-25, the mere notion that a 'tripper' would be so possessed would cause you almost uncontrollable hilarity.

As a wise old bird once said "LSD, if you've taken it you're biased, and if you haven't - well then you haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about."

We used to go to an annual free festival 'organised' by crusties in hampshire called 'torpedo town'. For middle class kids like us it was a real eye opener, and certainly helped to infect me with the libertarian ethos. The music, however was crap.

miniminch, you live round the corner from me then, there's two owls I think - one screeching one and one hooting one. Any ornithologists on board?

And as for the point of disturbing nature - hmm we'll we'd better just close every major road, motorway railway and airport then :)

The hooting Owl could be a Tawny... We get them on our back garden at night some times.

Along with the odd Bat.

Originally posted by Rich


Along with the odd Bat.

That is no way to speak of the elderley Rich!:D

Phan, we either have owls or one of us is doing really bad impressions of owls to **** the other one off - it must be the narcotics!

You are the new drugs czar!!

Originally posted by miniminch
Condoms could be used as sleeping bags by mice ...

... with free mid-night snacky drink !??

It's full of vitamins and nutrients, apparently :D

Wilf

Originally posted by Maldonado
Tony - as i said, people of all ages were there, and at 21 is was one of the youngest. we're not claiming to have invented anything, we're just having a good time.
I wasn't implying anything other than making an observation based on a bit of irony that I'm suddenly feeling old in my mid 30's! Ouch!

Originally posted by Maldonado
Tony - a "rave" in the common sense of the word these days is a commerical affair where people just want to take drugs and get laid. a free party shouldn't be confused with this, people were there for the music, and to have a good time.
Agreed. It sounds like you had a very old fashioned sort of affair ;)

Originally posted by Sidla
The owl isn't in a position to know better.
Wasn't he just suggesting that the owl could be in a better position :D

lol, found some pics of people from our lot, taken by someone else! [edit: can i display them directly from this post, or do you have to click the links?]

ali, my sister's bf, in the black t-shirt

http://www.minimoomaa.com/rants/uploads/post-6-1094059931.jpg

sarah, and ali

http://www.minimoomaa.com/rants/uploads/post-6-1094059980.jpg

the site, showing the main tent a few hours before everyone got there

http://www.minimoomaa.com/rants/uploads/post-6-1094060198.jpg