To start off–this post is in no way a judgment on hard partying, drugs or alcohol. While each on their own could spark endless thoughtful debate, especially as they relate to the LGBTQ community, we’re not here to scrutinize anyone’s behavior.
Nor is it an attack on gay cruises, a social outlet beloved by many.
What we will say, echoing another post from this week following the overdose death of Joel Taylor on board a gay cruise chartered by Atlantis Events, is that the last to be ingesting copious amounts of drugs and alcohol is a boat out in the middle of the ocean.
Because wherever you come down on the issue of drug use, we can all agree that it comes with a set of serious risks that a boat bobbing out in the deep blue sea may not be entirely equipped to address in an emergency.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
In a 2010 article on the blog Cruise Law, Jim Walker wrote:
“Cruise ships are not the place to have a medical emergency, whether you are gay, lesbian, transgendered, or straight. Cruise ships are often characterized by the questionable experience and training of the shipboard doctors and staff and the limited nature of the cruise ship’s medical facilities.”
Yet a few days after such an emergency claimed Taylor’s life at just 38-years-old, reports indicate some guests on board the same cruise are still at it.
“A ‘White Party’ was held Thursday night,” reports TMZ, “on the cruise ship and passengers tell us drugs were everywhere … including ketamine and ecstasy.”
We hope this report is inaccurate, but we wouldn’t be shocked if there’s some truth to it.
Taylor’s is at least the third drug-related death on cruise ships charted by Atlantis Events in the last decade.
Kieran
Thank you President Trump. This is all your fault.
ChrisK
Wow. You’re really grasping with that one.
mc4bbs
Yep! Thanks Trump!!!
prarie pup
What? Trump likes to take credit for everything so why not this?
BGinBigD
Bless your heart! I despise Trump; however, you can’t blame him for Queens’ behavior on cruise ships. These morons who seek to escape real life and party past their age have been doing it for decades. So someone dies. Don’t let a death interfere with their narcissistic behavior. These idiots care only about the next party and their next high.
batesmotel
Freak.
pudman56
Okay, I’m thisclose to hating Trump but what has he got to do with this one? For transparency’s sake, I say I’m only thisclose to hating Trump because I don’t believe in hate.
Tête Carrée
@BGinBigD
Take your homophobia elsewhere.
Paco
Hopefully the family of the victim will publicly shame the cruise line for running drug cruises so that the cruise line will have no choice but to terminate its relationship with the event company or cracks down hard on the drugs being smuggled on the ship.
Other passengers said there was a river of drugs at the parties. If that was indeed the case, then that sounds like a problem. Ultimately, the people running the ship are complicit if they turned a blind eye to the illegal drug usage.
Xzamilloh
I think they’ve “cracked down” enough as it is , if there are that many free flowing drugs. How is PNP even still a thing??
Paco
I just read elsewhere that the police, in two different ports, raided the ship after the guy died and arrested a bunch of people. The ship was also searched before it initially left port with some arrests for drugs as well.
calpoidog
They don’t “run drug cruises” and in fact tell you outright that drugs are not permitted. It’s not like you can go up to the bar and buy a bottle of ecstasy. They scan your luggage when you come on board but unless their going to do strip and body cavity searches of their passengers, there’s not much they could (or should) do. It’s nobody’s fault but the user so he should be the only one publicly shamed.
Frankly, why anyone would ingest a substance made by some unknown person under unknown conditions which contains unknown ingredients (on or OFF a boat) is beyond me. Natural selection at work. These aren’t FDA approved drugs made under GMP conditions after all.
Dymension
Well, that’s stupid. Ships don’t run drug cruises. It’s been my experience that wherever gay men are partying, there are usually drugs.
Sad state.
Valueadded
What a stupid thing to say. Yes, gay people do drugs, but guess what?? PEOPLE DO DRUGS. While tragic, this guy made the decision that he made. Neither Atlantis or RCL had anything to do with it.
pudman56
The cruise ships do not provide the drugs. I do drugs, most of my life illegal ones, and it was all by MY choice. Had I ever od’d, it would have been no one else’s fault but my own, not the dealers.
Bruce Garner
So many of these comments are vast generalizations about these all gay cruises. I’ve been on six of them. The first generalization/exaggeration is that the guys actually on these cruises and the advertisements for the cruises are about as far from the same as anyone could get. The guys are an ordinary cross section of gay male life and represent every body type, looks, most races and all that other “stuff” by which we define ourselves. It would be helpful if the posters here would get off their collectively moral high horses and deal with reality…..not what gets portrayed as such.
Yes, there are drugs on the cruises and NO not everyone is using them anymore than everyone is getting falling down drunk all the time. Let’s not forget that alcohol IS ALSO a drug. Legality per the DEA is immaterial, the term “drug” has a wide range of descriptions.
There will always be the uber-party crowd that engages in excesses. That’s the way it’s been and that’s not just a “gay” thing. Our hetero compatriots do the same sometimes stupid things. That’s where there needs to be some education and maybe even a little monitoring if they cannot self-monitor.
Few drugs are inherently bad. Just as with alcohol, the responsible use of them is the issue. If you are getting so high every day that you can’t function, it’s probably an addiction and you should seek help.
GHB has been an issue for decades. Again, it isn’t the drug, it is knowing how to use it without killing yourself. But this one is sneaky and dangerous and I’ve been at major parties where the music was stopped and the crowd warned that if one more guy fell out from GHB the party was over. I’m the one who had the DJ make that announcement!
We live in a society where middle grounds do not exist in every venue from politics to parties. Our puritan heritage still influences us to make sweeping generalizations and to try and impose values on others.
Taylor’s death is a tragedy. It was preventable. Unless it was deliberate on his part, being aware of what to take and what to mix and what not to mix could have made the difference. Again, we don’t get to provide education on such things. Prohibition proved we can’t legislate morality, yet there are huge numbers who continue to try!
Tête Carrée
Yes Paco, let’s shut down everything gay. It’ll be for their own good!
Paco
@Tête Carrée – How about shut down the selfish people that think they have the right to ruin other peoples vacations because they think they have the right to do whatever they want and break the law and rules. It’s supposed to be a drug free gay cruise as stated by the cruiseline and the event company. I hope you aren’t saying that gay=drugs.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand to be around people screwed up on substances. I see them no differently than the homeless drug addicts shuffling down the streets pushing shopping carts. It’s gross and far from sexy or glamorous.
toronto
Three in ten years? That’s good considering how many straight people die on ships
nokkonwud
It’s cause of the Chupacabra. He only eats straight people.
ChrisK
I see no problem with people using drugs on events like this. Whatever floats your boat. Probably should stay away from things that can kill you if you don’t dose correctly though.
Dymension
There is no correct dose. Drugs fry your brains.
gskorich
any circuit party i have gone to has always had a medical tent or medics set up to handle situations like this. the organisers of the cruise should know this. at white party in palm springs we see people passing out and the medics come and get them. take them to the tent and they recover. you will usullay see the person on the dance floor later and sometimes the same night. it’s all about personal responsibility
CastleSF
It’s a tricky situation. I don’t think that these cruises fall into the category of the drug fueled gay parties such as the White Party. By having the medics on site, you basically are saying that you condone the drug use, which is against their strict anti-drug policy. It’s a wise thing to do the wholesome things like sightseeing when you are on a cruise but if you can’t refrain from doing the hard drugs, you or your companions need to know how to save yourself.
simulations
Medics are present for a bunch of non drug-related medical issues that people can have. If you’re hosting an event with thousands of attendees, it’s irresponsibe not to have medics present. It is certainly not about condoning drug use.
Creamsicle
CastleSF, the alternative is not having a medic on site and more people dying. Sure, drug use is unwise and inadvisable, but you could say the same about drinking alcohol to excess. In both cases most people can keep it down to a shout, and these deaths are the exception rather than the rule. Also, even without illicit designer drug use I can see how someone might need a medic for a simple panic attack when there are partying crowds and a moving ship.
brandon
“We’re not here to judge or scrutinize, but judge judge judge… people need to stop….as you know, we all agree so, do this…don’t do that… “
Brody
People don’t stop swimming when someone drowns, air travel doesn’t cease when a plane goes down, cars aren’t outlawed after a lethal wreck, but for some reason a party ship of 5000 people was supposed to stop partying after one of them OD’d?
Riiiiight.
dwes09
Swimming, traveling by plane, driving and so on are regulated for safety, have people on duty (lifeguards, police, trained pilots, stewards…and so on), or folks are trained in how to swim, how to help others.
Odd that someone with the brains to use a computer does not see how taking street drugs is kind of different. But then you ARE a regeressive so your brain is only loosely tethered to reality. Perhaps you are a libertarian with even a more tenuous connection to the real world as they don;t even have an understanding of the social contract or the reason for ethics of any sort.
Brian
They definitely shouldn’t have cancelled anything after the OD. It’s not like cancelling a concert where you can just reschedule for a different night. People take time off work and pay a lot of money for these cruises, they shouldn’t have their vacation ruined because some idiot and his idiot friends managed to cause his death.
He BGB
What gets me is alcohol is legal and kills people all the time including on cruise ships (how many go overboard literally?). Use anything like that in moderation. Drugs are fun. Why lie? Just know what you’Re taking and don’t get greedy. And probably not out on the high seas (pardon the pun).
Paco
What gets me is with all the effort these guys put into being the bestest most beautiful lay at the party, they decide it’s ok to put questionable shit in their bodies. Can’t eat carbs, but chemicals from a stranger is a-ok.
dwes09
I suspect that if one compares the number who die from alcohol abuse and the number who die from street drugs as a function of numbers who use and frequency of use, alcohol might prove safer (excluding the carnage of drunk drivers where one hopes the driver is the only one to be killed). It takes effort and commitment to drink oneself to death. It only takes one bad pill or one misunderstanding of dosage to die from street drugs. That’s a huge difference.
Creamsicle
dwes09, I agree that this kind of drug use is unwise, but legality doesn’t equate to safety. You only have to look at the opioid crisis in the Midwest to see that. The DEA allowed pill mills to operate for decades even when the number of prescriptions being written exceeded the number of people in a city or town.
alfy
3 dead in 10 years? I’ll take those odds. Every death is awful but seriously the same crowd partying on land would have way more deaths due to people trying to drive to the next party. I’ve tried most every drug there is the last 5 years and the circuit parties are awesome rolling on ecstasy but some guys overdo it. Btw I never did any drug before I was 39 (5 years ago) when my dad was dying and I had a fling with a 19 year old boy who got me to try some.
Creamsicle
I think there’s something to be said for late in life drug use. Typically people who try drugs as actual adults (not just 18 years old) are more cautious of the risks involved and know better than to lie to medical workers if they have a bad trip. I personally only started smoking cannabis regularly about a year ago (I’m 32), and I feel safe knowing that I’m getting my products from legal dispensaries (state law) with consistent standards. I wish that more drugs could be legalized so that responsible people dipping their toes into altering their perceptions could take the necessary precautions and avoid these kinds of overdoses.
Legalization probably would not affect which substances I’d be willing to try. I only tried cannabis because someone suggested that it could help with my insomnia and back pain (and it has).
People can shame drug users all they want, it’s not going to stop people from being curious. Maybe it’s time for us all to stop with failed policies and work toward harm reduction programs instead.
Brody
Creamsicle –
Well said.
Drug laws are archaic.
The fact that alcohol is legal while being one of the most dangerous drugs out there is seriously f’d up.
frankcar1965
Why oh why do gay men feel the need to ALWAYS take their shirts off when they get together?
Kangol
Maybe because some of them have bodies they want other gay men to see? Like, hello?
Geeker
This is why gays can’t have nice things!
prarie pup
LOL!!
hankscott
Isn’t it time for you, the writer of this piece, and other gay men to actually take a stand against the use of life-threatening drugs like GHB and Meth? There is nothing good or right about using such drugs. I know some gay men say condemning the use of dangerous drugs in an act of “shaming.” But I’m guessing most of them wouldn’t say that about condemning the failure of our government to properly regulate guns.
We are, sadly, the Queens of Denial.
johnnymcmxxx
Thank you for being realistic. These are all shit drugs. Bring back LSD. It was safe and mind expanding and music never sounded better (unless it was shitty EDM garbage. Nothing makes that crap sound better)
Danny595
lol. The people who write for Queerty are paid to promote hedonism and promiscuity, not to to defend what is good or right. In the service of hedonism, they tell lies, minimize harm, spin away the loss of life and health, attempt to equalize behavioral choices which aren’t equal, and try to equate hedonism and promiscuity with being gay. That’s the nature of this webite. The best you can hope to do is disrupt the narrative in the hope that some of our gay and bi brothers can see through the shiny, happy lies.
ChrisK
@Danny595. Where has Queerty promoted “hedonism and promiscuity” other then in your paranoid mentally ill mind?
Yes Danny. Some people are having sex and get this. They’re not even ashamed of it.
TallguyLA
In the past 22 years, I have been on 16 Atlantis cruises and 13 RSVP cruises and not once did I ever take any illegal drug while on the ship. Granted, I’m 64 years old and I simply consider myself lucky to still be alive. However, this article implies that after the death, everyone should have stopped partying, worn black, and spent the rest of their vacation in mourning. I believe this ship carries about 6,000 guys, each of whom has spent thousands of dollars for this vacation. Atlantis and RSVP have always discouraged the use of illegal drugs, and the ships always have an abundance of liquor on board. Taking drugs with you is a bad idea because you might be able to hide them from human inspectors, but the dogs used by Customs agents cannot be fooled and there is too high a probability that you will get caught. Passengers are always reminded that we are guests in the home of hundreds of staff and crew members who spend months at a time on board the ship doing everything they can to make our gay cruise vacations as fabulous as possible. As another reviewer said, “It’s not like you can go up to the bar and buy a bottle of ecstasy.” When I was in my twenties, this kind of vacation was not available at any price so I feel very fortunate that we have these options. I love gay cruises and will continue to take them until I drop dead. True, someone mismanaged his drugs. If someone really wants to take drugs, they will do so no matter what the setting. These people were on vacation. They paid a lot of money, spent a lot of time preparing their costumes for the various parties, lobbied their friends to get them to come with them on vacation, and hopefully, everyone, except those who mismanaged their drugs had a fabulous vacation and made of lot of memories. Don’t blame Atlantis. Don’t blame the cruise line.
Heywood Jablowme
Yes, this makes sense.
How many of the passengers even KNEW that Joel had died? (Died at all, never mind what he died OF.) There may have been rumors, but probably the vast majority of passengers didn’t know about the death.
Drugs were already prohibited and everyone knew that. The ship didn’t have a duty to cancel all recreational activities and urge everyone to sit around glumly for several days.
getit1986
I agree the implication that people still enjoying their vacation was somehow bad or to be shamed. What’s dumb article. There were thousands of people on the boat who do not do drugs and have a wonderful opportunity to share a wonderful vacation with each other. Should they have sat around and done nothing for 5 days? Get a grip Queerty. The circumstances are tragic and sad but that does not mean thousands need to wear black as not go on enjoying life thoughtfully.
oaksong
Having good medical staff isn’t condoning anything. That kind of thinking is just plain stupid. Having appropriate staff is common sense.
CastleSF
They have trained medical staff on the cruise I am sure but if nobody can pull themselves together and reach out for help because they themselves are high, disheveled, and disoriented, it would be too late by the time the authorities are notified.
getit1986
They do NOT have a MedEvent tent like at other similar events though. They made It seem like anyone who sought help would be arrested and kicked of the boat if they admitted any drugs were involved in their doctor visit. People were scared. Atlantis did handle It poorly be crewing so much fear. Hopefully hey can learn from this just as much as those who parry too much can learn moderation.
CastleSF
NoSahme, your anger is so palpable in your comments that you lash out against a world that doesn’t deserve your vitriolic verbal attacks. Maybe booking an anger management class will do you some good. You need help, man.
fireman452
CastleSF funny – after reading your response to my comment I was thinking the EXACT same thing but about YOU.
Mark King
Worth repeating about now…?
https://www.queerty.com/ten-signs-you-are-on-the-way-to-partying-too-much-20140921
Rex Huskey
“it’s the gay lifestyle” ….hurry up and kill yourselves…
BGinBigD
@calpoidog could you possibly be any more naive?? If it’s a gay cruise, it’s a drug cruise!
Deepdow
The nature of right-wing discourse is that this scene will be used to conflate the lives of all gay men into that of drug-fueled party boi. That’s just how it works. I feel like I’ve read about this before when it happened to some kids at EDM concerts. I mean, the whole of American culture in 2018 is very drug oriented, be it prescription or otherwise. Maybe we should start asking ourselves, collectively, why that is.
CastleSF
“American culture in 2018 is very drug oriented”? How could you possible compare heroin addiction filled with images of cheap motels, needles, prostitution, neglected children and poverty, with the drug fueled reckless gay party scenes? There are two very different animals; the former is destroying our great country big time but the latter only affects a small number of gay population.
fireman452
I don’t know – I guess I am really naive – I have been on 4 Atlantis Cruises and my Husband and I do this for the fun, entertainment, excursions, etc. Never popped any kind of drugs and most likely never will – I have seen statements that EVERYONE was doing it. Well, I guess in that case we are “no one” because we were not and we were just on the Barcelona to Venice cruise and in two weeks we leave for Auckland to board the Auckland to Sydney cruise that ends three days before the infamous Sydney Mardi Gras. We have ALWAYS had a GREAT time and we have ALWAYS managed to do this Thanks to Rich and his crews coordination and assistance. I am not saying that there are no drugs on these trips, just saying that SOME OF US prefer to get high on the scenery, the experience and the entertainment. For us that is MORE than enough and it is not likely to change in our case.
RilkeRainer
That’s the best idea… Others turn to other tastes with the known consequences…
Esa es la mejor idea… Otros recurren a otros gustos con las consecuencias conocidas…
CastleSF
Fireman, With your vast experience with all the fancy cruises you have been on, I doubt you are naive. Maybe just clueless and willing to turn a blind eye on things right in front of you.
RilkeRainer
Boys: Frenzied rumba, drug everywhere, pleasure without meaning, a lethal mixture. Coupled with mass entertainment, with luxury in between… Results: Lethal death. No complaint… or yes? Traducción textual: Chicos: Rumba frenética, droga por doquier, placer sin sentido, una mezcla letal. Unido a la diversión en masa, con lujo de por medio… Resultados: Muerte fatal. No hay queja… o si?
Rob91316
It’s a gay cruise, people. Do you expect to find a gazillion horny gay boys spending their vacation sipping tea and knitting sweaters? Of course not! They’re there to party — and the fact that a gazillion of them are doing it without dying from overdoses shows that the problem lies not in rampant drug use but in IRRESPONSIBLE and RECKLESS drug use. So party on, boys! Just keep it in check, learn your limits, and get your drugs from trusted sources!
Danny595
False bifurcation fallacy from a fugly dude!
Ttrotski
Um… What are the death drug related death rates over a ten year period for other cruise lines? As a bartender in the Mid-West, mostly in gay though a few straight bars over a 23 year period, 3 in 10 years seems astonishingly good. And what’s up with the useless video to illustrate nothing? Did some one at Queerty sleep with the guy who sold it to TMZ at a pennies per click basis?
Danny595
It’s a ship of despair. Not even the Somali pirates would take that ship, at least not without biohazard suits.
ChrisK
Don’t worries. When it comes to mental problems and toxic personalities no one does it better then you.
Danny595
“Don’t worries”
ChrisK
I’m sure if i had a chance to edit it I would’ve written it slightly different. What’s your excuse?
RobF
Is there no personal responsibility anymore? Regardless of where the drugs came from or how they got onboard, Joel Taylor took them. He wasn’t forced; he gambled and he died. And I’m not buying the lack of a medic tent — you’re enabling a potential drug overdose! “Party hard!!! We gotcha!” Problem is – they don’t always help.
Why the need to blame Atlantis? Solution: Pat downs on boarding or when entering the ballroom, searching luggage or sniffing dogs in every room trying to track down the drugs in the future? How’s that for a vacation!
getit1986
They do have drug dogs. They do discourage drug use. The idea that EVERYONE on the boat is partaking is just wrong.
batesmotel
Atlantis cruises are known for their hardcore partying while on it. Part of the reason that those who choose to go choose that as their cruise. Nothing wrong with partying if that’s what you like, but unfortunately there will be consequences for some. The writer of this article is right. You’re out in the middle of nowhere on the ocean partying hardcore. If something goes wrong, you’re kinda screwed.
getit1986
What jerk filmed all these people without consent and who gave y’all permission to post it?
Young Timer
Well, just based on the posts on this thread:
Cute dude ingests heavy drugs on cruise ship…
Passes out… friends clean dude up off the floor, dump him in his cabin….
Dude dies without waking up…
Some people sad….. some people logical……. some people judgmental….. some people humorous….
Some people glad it wasn’t them…… some people, no opinion at all but needing to exercise their typing fingers……..
Let’s move on to the next gay topic.
Brian
I’m game.
What did Morgan McMichaels do to her face? It looks very different, more than just a decade of aging. I’m feeling like it’s something with the eyes.
Giuseppe
Same bs night after night, nothing like needing a vacation from your “vacation”. Yawn.
kyscott28
I believe the original article said his friends helped Joel Taylor back to his room.
My question is, did they seek medical attention for him immediately? With the stigma of getting in legal trouble over drug abuse (which is a reality in current society), did they wait to report his illness thinking he’d just sleep it off and be okay, which would later lead to his death? Did the friends drop him off in his room to sleep it off and return to the party, leaving him alone?
Can’t we in the gay community (that is often guilty of excessive drug/alcohol use) or society in general find a way to educate the general population on the signs of drug overdose and any simple medical activity we can do to help save lives? Even if it’s the message “Never leave a possible drug overdose victim alone!” or “Always seek medical attention immediately!”
ChrisK
Back in the late 90s-2000s people knew better. GHB was big back then and people were educated about it. In a way I can understand his friends for being naive. They looked at him like you would someone drunk.
CastleSF
This tragic scene has happened many many times. Too often the people who take their unconscious buddy back to his room are themselves high as a kite and unable to take care of themselves, let alone someone else who passes out.
DHT
or did his “friends” give him the drug, with the intention of raping him, and say he took it himself?
Jaxton
Oh but we are “gay men”. We love the label. The rule is that you must party. Party, party, party. Even when our fellow gays are dropping like flies, we must keep partying.
Even when we were giving each other AIDS, we still kept partying. Party, party, party. Lesions? Nobody cares about lesions….
Marqus
RCL and Harmony of the Seas are no more complicit in allowing drugs aboard their ship than we are in allowing drugs on our streets. They don’t allow them. They do everything reasonable they can do to prevent drugs from coming aboard. We’ve had a well over all out 40 year War On Drugs, and we still have them, so singling out RCL, Harmony of the Seas or gay cruises in general is simply wrong.
Curtispsf
Blame Atlantis, blame the gay community, blame the dealers…when in fact the blame should be laid at the feet of Joel Taylor, who CHOSE to ingest GHB. It’s a drug without much of a dose tolerance; the difference between a high and an overdose is only a factor of 5X to 8X+. Also GHB+ Alcohol is a guarantee of an overdose, and usually responsible for most of the fatalities involving GHB.
I stopped drinking alcohol in my 20s, but partied hard in my 40s and we always kept a cardinal rule in place: when ingesting GHB, we had a buddy system in place where a friend was responsible for making sure another friend was being safe. And on the very rare occasion when an overdose occurred, we made sure that person got medical attention, promptly.
Alcohol is by far the most dangerous drug out there: it accounts for more death and injuries than ALL the other “illegal” drugs combined. Period. But when someone falls out drunk or dies as a result of alcohol, no one calls for a BAN of alcohol. It was tried in the US called Prohibition which was a colossal failure. So all this wrestling of hands and clutching of pearls saying “drugs” should be banned or gay cruises should be banned, or self moralizing saying “I’ve been on gay cruises and *I* didn’t take dugs or I would *never* take drugs is ridiculous.
One could write a thesis on why those in the gay community are *more* at risk of addiction, but, in the end it is about taking personal responsibility for your *own* actions OR having friends who are smart enough to seek medical attention when it is warranted. Sadly, Joel Taylor rolled the dice and lost. What’s called for is MORE information and education about the risks of drugs so that those who choose to imbibe can do safely. All the moralizing in the world will not change a thing.
ChrisK
Thanks for that. I did my share of GHB as well. You really need to be careful with it. Most every other drug can be done irresponsibly but not that one. Education of the drug most likely would’ve saved his life. I guarantee you that he or his friends didn’t have a clue.
DHT
how do you know he chose to take the GHB? Because witnesses said so? Those “witnesses” could have given him the drug and then said he took it himself. It is after all a well known date rape drug. This needs to be investigated as a murder and until the police start doing so these deaths will continue happening. It took the conviction of a GHB serial killer in the UK for them to being investigating these, now they are reinvestigating over 50 deaths!
ChrisK
Oh and I too was involved in GHB overdoses. The most important thing you do is never leave them unattended and if it looks bad call for help.
Curtispsf
@ChrisK. What you said was spot on about GHB. While I NEVER fell out or even came close to falling out on GHB, I did help provide medical assistance on about 10 occasions when friends or acquaintances had “overdose” situations. All the self moralizing in the world is not going to stop people from partying…I’ve been to a number of “raves” where straight folks used GHB too, and the number one rule is “you look out for others”. Sadly, just returning someone to his cabin so he can “sleep it off” was not the best course of action. What’s needed is more education; NOT more wringing of the hands or saying “I told you so”. That doesn’t help one bit.
ChrisK
If any of his friends that were there are reading this I’d be interested in hearing from your POV as well. No judgement.
surreal33
The real question is why is EVERY gathering of gay men infested with DRUGS and depraved unsafe sex? Please do not bother saying drugs are everywhere!!! When was the last time a drug overdose made headlines on a non-gay cruise? Also, the drug abuse on cruises, circuit parties, is NOT hidden it is blatant. Why is this behavior tolerated? Which begs the ultimate question why do so many gay men need to abuse drugs, alcohol, and engage in dangerous unprotected sex for fun?
Curtispsf
@surreal33 The REAL question is why some self appointed “judgement queen” such as yourself needs to be moralizing about some tragedy while clutching your pearls? Your statement about “Gay men *infested* with drugs and depraved sex and “why do so many gay men need to abuse drugs, alcohol and engage in unprotected sex for fun?” makes me think that you are some closet case Republican or homophobe. You know, there’s GOOGLE. I suggest you use it. You will see evidence of “straight” people overdosing and dieing from alcohol on boat cruises. I repeat what I said in my earlier comment: “What’s called for is MORE information and education about the risks of drugs so that those who choose to imbibe can do safely. All the moralizing in the world will not change a thing.” SO STOP being such a JUDGMENTAL C*NT. PERIOD.
surreal33
My apologies if ruined your meth high.
DHT
shouldn’t this be investigated as a date rape that ended in a man’s death? That is a far more likely scenario than what we are being led to believe but generally the police in this country won’t investigate the drug related deaths of gay men (though I understand they made a show of it here).
DHT
Until the police start investigating chemsex deaths in the US as murders (which they currently do in the UK), this is going to continue happening. I doubt that the police in the US care enough about gay men to do so. I sincerely doubt this fellow took the GHB himself, more likely it was slipped to him in a drink. The two who carried him back to the cabin should be charged in the least, I wonder if they were the ones who drugged him? When you have been given this drug you don’t remember the sex and you don’t know how many guys could have used you.
DHT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Port
Notright
Okay so someone OD’d at party? Big whoop. This is news because??
DHT
Probably the most upsetting thing is how sexist you all are. If a woman had done some cocaine and was drinking and then was found dead with GHB in her system your conclusion would be that someone(s) was going to rape her. Men get no such benefit of the doubt? So many here are assuming this guy did the GHB himself…everyone knows how dangerous it is. GHB is a date rape drug! I sincerely doubt the guy, who by all accounts seemed to be pretty rational, took this himself. More than likely the “friends” who carried him back to his room were in fact his rapists but like I stated previously the police in this country won’t even investigate this because ourlives aren’t worth the time.
draven
I would never go to one of these things it’s sad what happened to this man and they just cleaned up the body and keep going on like nothing is going on but the rent wow may the guy RIP