Erowid Note: Obviously if his 'friends' had read our GHB page they would know that alcohol and GHB cause this reaction. So either the problem came from being totally uninformed about GHB or they were actively trying to ruin your husband's evening. Are we promoting GHB? Of course not. It seems quite likely that you've misunderstood what information is on what site... check the URLs.

I can understand how upset you are by all the dangerous use and misuse of GHB or any drug, but the question remains: what is the best way to limit the risks and dangers ?

Your note here suggests that we include inaccurate or intentionally misleading information. If this is true, we not only welcome specific criticism (you must include a URL, specific problem, and hopefully some supporting evidence) but we actively seek out critical reviews.

Unfortunately exactly none of the people who contact us to say that we need to change our GHB information give us specific data that needs to be changed. While being angry and shaking your fist at our site probably is somewhat satisfying, we are left with the practical problem of what we should do or change to make the world a better, more healthy place.

Erowid recognizes that GHB probably has the worst emergency risk profile of all the recreational psychoactives used (besides alcohol, of course) currently in the club, rave, and psychedelic communities. I find it hard to believe that anyone would read our site and think that we consider it a completely safe drug. Reading the titles of the first 6 entries on our GHB page its hard to imagine that you actually read what we have to say about GHB: "GHB Overdoses & Poisonings", "GHB Precautions", "GHB Addiction & Withdrawals", "GHB Neuropharmacology", "GHB & Sexual Assault", and "GHB Material Saftey Data Sheet".

Yet we are unwilling to remove all information about GHB's positive effects. We believe strongly in providing a balanced collection of information capturing the reasons people do what they do, why they like it, what they _dont_ like about it, what the likely and unlikely risks are, what the idiosyncratic reactions are, what research has been done, and what the laws are.

GHB overdoses are a serious problem in the world and more specifically a problem in our community. Death is infrequent but does occur, but convulsions, vomiting, enormous hospital bills, and a couple of days ruined are not uncommon. Even more common, however, is people enjoying GHB like they enjoy alcohol with few dangerous side effects when used properly without accident. All activities have risk, there is no such thing as perfectly 'safe'. It is an open question what percentage of GHB users find themselves at serious risk and one that is not likely to get reliably answered in the current legal and social climate.

For me personally, GHB has too dangerous a risk profile to make it an alcohol replacement, but whether you like it or not, everyone makes this decision for themselves. We believe that more information makes for better decision making.

Erowid Note: As a nurse in an ICU you are probably aware of how little training is given to medical professionals in dealing with the newest psychoactives people are using. Some emergency personel have had experience dealing with GHB Overdoses, but very few can see anything but unrousable comas. How many unnecessary intubations and ICU treatments go on because the level of knowledge is so low and the lack of ability to differentiate GHB mini-comas from other types of more life threatening comas?

Certainly I would rather be intubated than inhale my own vomit and have myself brought people to emergency treatment for accidental ODs, but I have also been around milder GHB ODs that were rushed to hospitals when it was completely unnecessary.

And, of course, erowid is in no danger of being shut down.