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CallaFirestormBW -> RE: Drugs, Edgeplay and RACK (6/12/2009 10:25:32 AM)
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~Fast Reply~
quote:
Original: Fitznicely
What I believe though, is that even in private, using drugs (meaning HARD drugs, pot, speed, meth, etc) in a scene is a big no-no.
This one section really jumped out at me from the OP, because it seems like it is more a judgement of behavior than a safety statement. If what you're trying to promote here is -safety-, then why just limit this to "hard" drugs? Alcohol and caffeine are the most frequently used drugs in the US, and who knows how many prescription medications including things like muscle relaxants, pain medications, hypertension medications and mood-adjusters Americans are on at any given time. Add to this the interactions between all these things, and I don't think that there is any reasonable way that a person can say that they're worried about 'safety' and yet ignore these other "inoffensive" drugs.
On the other hand, for those of us who regularly use certain medications or drugs, we get pretty accustomed to how our body responds on those medications. I wouldn't even -think- about doing a piercing on someone when I've been taking Clonidine (a prescription blood-pressure medication. My prescription is PRN... as needed... for when my blood pressure doesn't respond to my daily regimen due to problems with my renal arteries) -- it changes my body's capacity to move/adapt/function and my brain's ability to perceive what I'm doing in such a profound way that it makes it impossible for me to even consider doing delicate, intense work like a piercing... and it impacts my perceptual skills sufficiently that I wouldn't pick up a flogger, either.
On the other hand, one of my prescription medications is THC -- the same substance that is in mari**ana. I take mine in pill form, but it's the same drug. What it does -for me- is keep my body from having excruciating muscle spasms that strike suddenly and are instantly debilitating. Just think about what would happen if I had one of -those spasms- during a session. When I first started taking the medication, there were some perceptual changes that came along with it, but I've learned to adapt over time and recognize my limits. The medication is taken on a daily basis, on a regular schedule, and I know where and how things fit into my life around that medicine. I'd hazard that it's not much different for someone who uses the natural form of THC. If they're accustomed to it, then they probably know what they can and can't do when they use it.
On the other hand, I think what -should- be part of our awareness, on -both- sides of the kneel, is the individual who is -clearly- out of control. The individual who has chosen to drink hirself into a stupor, or smoke until xhe's glassy-eyed and weaving, or who is clearly not functioning and spaced out of hir mind on -anything-. Many times, people who have a tendency to move in those kinds of directions believe that they are, somehow, invincible. They aren't paying attention to their level of impairment, and may not even believe that they -are- impaired. It is up to the other people around them to keep them from making fools of themselves, and potentially damaging someone in the process. If I were on the other end of the kneel from a dominant individual who chose to drink or drug hirself into a stupor, I might beg forgiveness later, but I'll be damned if I'd let hir damage me that evening. Chances are pretty damned good that xhe didn't -want- to damage me, and had no -plan- to damage me... so in letting hir be an ass and damage me, I'm not doing my part in giving good service/submission/bottoming if I let hir show hirself to be an idiot in public -or- private when unable to function.
In the same way, if I am a dominant-type individual and a bottom/submissive or servant comes to me and wants me to play hir, and xhe is -clearly- intoxicated with -anything- to the point where hir judgment is compromised, then I'm an -idiot- if I play hir. I should have the common sense to say "Hey, you're too messed up to do that right now, but let's sit down and talk, and plan on meeting on another day to really -enjoy- that." That's part of what it means, in my mind, to be a dominant-oriented individual. I take responsibility for MY actions (I don't play with people who are too messed up to be responsible for the consent they think they're giving) -and- for the actions of those who put their trust in me to do the right thing.
To me, this whole issue is a complete no-brainer. Of -course- it's dumb to play with someone who is wasted to oblivion and beyond, no matter -what- xhe's wasted on. Of -course- it is important not to use -any- medication or drug, legal or otherwise and play until you -know-, for sure, how your body reacts to that substance. Of course we have a responsibility to ourselves and others to stay out of situations that are going to put us or someone else in danger. The issue is one of applying that, and it seems to be just basic common sense that applying it to ourselves and those we come in contact with should be automatic. There's no need to judge what the person is doing or has done, or specify which things are "OK" and which are "EVIL"... what matters is the individual's behavior, and preventing inappropriate behavior regardless of the reason.
Dame Calla
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