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Ketamine

KimonoKimono Posts: 201 Trailblazer
Just letting you know that there's a bit of a ketamine theme going on right now on TheSite:

Not so special K?
New case study - two people describe their k-holing times.

These articles are currently flagged up on the Drink & Drugs homepage:

Drugs A-Z: Ketamine
The facts, m'kay.

The origins of ketamine
Old article, but with updated info about classification, and a brief intro to John C Lilly's isolation tank experiments.

Enjoy!
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Comments

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kimono wrote:
    Just letting you know that there's a bit of a ketamine theme going on right now on TheSite:

    Not so special K?
    New case study - two people describe their k-holing times.



    Enjoy!

    Hmm.... not sure what to make of it and what message you're trynig to put across tbh.
    :confused:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    dgdsn wrote:
    Hmm.... not sure what to make of it and what message you're trynig to put across tbh.
    :confused:

    he is not trying to put across any message, this is the drugs board were lots of time Ketamine have been on topic and he is just posting links to some stories that might interest people...

    And btw this thread is dead...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    dgdsn wrote:
    Hmm.... not sure what to make of it and what message you're trynig to put across tbh.
    :confused:

    I read that article a few days ago, and it seemed to be about people getting off their heads and not remembering what they got upto.

    So to answer your question, the message = drugs are bad mmmkay :P
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    JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    Do you think you could be a bit more specific in your feedback? We can't really respond to any concerns you might have about the case studies if people don't give us something to go on...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    he is not trying to put across any message, this is the drugs board were lots of time Ketamine have been on topic and he is just posting links to some stories that might interest people...

    And btw this thread is dead...

    Right....ermmmm so the site.org does not have a policy on how they present drug cases then? :confused:

    Dead thread?? WTF??
    LadyJade wrote:
    Do you think you could be a bit more specific in your feedback? We can't really respond to any concerns you might have about the case studies if people don't give us something to go on...

    I'm just not sure that this is open and honest enough it all seems a bit 'talk to frank' that's all.

    So to answer your question, the message = drugs are bad mmmkay :P
    As I feared :rolleyes:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my one issue with the Not so Special K article is this;
    I'd drunk shedloads before I even got to the club, too. Piecing together fragments of the night from those who saw me, I was apparently stumbling about the place, hammering myself and others into walls in a dancing frenzy, kissing other boys in front of my boyfriend, taking MDMA, snorting more lines of K, and generally acting like a twat.

    This is not especially, from the context of the interview, something which can be attributed to Ket in isolation. I'd say the problem started with the alcohol in that situation, as it appears she was hammered before she touched anything.

    The Second interview i found more insightful, it dealt with the substance in isolation and gave a decent account of the effects, it was also especially insightful in touching on issues of tolerance and addiction potential.

    However I do think there is some ambiguity about the piece. It isn't enough in my view to simply present these two examples and leave it at that, it gives the impression of being 'heres what people have experienced, decide for yourself'.

    Only it isnt that simple; the title of the piece frames it initially in a dissuasive light and then proceeds to give two completely differing accounts of Ketamine use which dont neccesarily add anything to the overall content of the piece by being lumped toegether.

    I think the key problem is it presents to the reader an illusion of, or indeed allusion to, a type of balanced informative frame that it really isnt. This is the key problem, TheSite is a harm reduction operation and as such I dont think it helps to passively allude to a sense of information presentation and independant choice, when the piece and the authors clearly have a motive, well intentioned as that may be.

    What I think would be useful, in my view, if the piece were redone is a commentary where issues raised by the piece are explicitly discussed rather than suggestive ideas or tones to the piece being left for the reader to pick up.

    I think it should be more explicit in its aims and carry on a further discussion of the issues raised by the piece, backed up by both Social and Scientific research.

    Also, this would allow the issue of poly-drug use in relation to the first article to be properly addressed, which i do not feel it was in this article.

    I'm really not trying to demean the intentions of this piece or get it binned, rather i think you have some raw data here that needs development, direction and discussion.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    dgdsn wrote:
    Right....ermmmm so the site.org does not have a policy on how they present drug cases then? :confused:

    Dead thread?? WTF??

    Why should they have policy on how drugs case are presented?
    Some of those are stories by people, if they were edited then I think it will be really sad...

    And a thread that doesn't have one single reply in 10 days is dead imho...

    It isn't dead anymore tho...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Indeed. Blanks can be caused by any number of things, drink or mdma can both prodcue black outs and memory loss.

    Harm Reduction? So it is a drugs are bad mm kay site then? Because the information posted in that article is not enough to be a true exhaustive evaluation of ketamine or indeed a 'study'. It's based on tales of fucked up nights :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I dont see what the relevence is as to whether a thread is dead or not that's all?

    It's the language and terminology I have issue with. All sites need to have some kind of guideline that they follow, is it all bollox or is it gospel?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    dgdsn wrote:
    I dont see what the relevence is as to whether a thread is dead or not that's all?

    It's the language and terminology I have issue with. All sites need to have some kind of guideline that they follow, is it all bollox or is it gospel?

    Well as I said, it's not anymore, so nevermind :)

    And I am only saying that cos if you go and dig up some dead threads all the time, people will bitch at you big time... I know, cos well, been there, done that and it ended in a bitch fest...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    deleted cos double post for some reason...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    dgdsn wrote:
    Harm Reduction? So it is a drugs are bad mm kay site then?

    No, its a policy of harm reduction, as in informing drug users of the risks of certain actions so that the overall harm caused by drugs can be reduced. Its the policy of every charity who work with drug users.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kimono wrote:
    The origins of ketamine
    Old article, but with updated info about classification, and a brief intro to John C Lilly's isolation tank experiments.

    Enjoy!

    This includes the section;

    "It was famously used on American soldiers during the Vietnam War as an emergency anaesthetic, and although it's still used in human medicine, it's only done so in select cases since it can produce some extremely unpleasant side-effects such as extreme nausea and disturbing out-of-body experiences."

    Its largely used by Armies all over the World because of its action, it is an excellent battle field anesthetic because you dont need breathing equipment. (not just the US during Vietnam)
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    JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    There is plenty of information on theSite.or about Ketamine.

    Doing a search brings up 8 articles that have everything from information about its effects, lawas and risks to its origins to the case studies mentioned above. Put together these articles should give somone an overview of ketamine. The case studies on thier own weren't meant to provide comprehensive information. Case studies are also not by their nature balanced, they provide an individual point of view of their topic. They aren't meant to be articles or provide information, just to describe experiences.

    Oh, and NMM, we do have an editorial policy ;)

    I've posted this up before, but it is useful to post again to help explain what the information on these boards attempts to do -
    The board isn't about promoting drugs, but of "harm minimisation", which is widely held to be the most beneficial way of reducing harm caused by the myth and misinformation around substances which is widely reported by the media etc. TheSite recognises (as do most health professionals) that people will take drugs and alcohol no matter how you try to stop them. Therefore, the best way to minimise the harm that people do to themselves is to educate them in the safe usage of substances, with an emphasis on encouraging people to think about what they are doing to themselves.

    Hope that answers some of your questions.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    LadyJade wrote:
    Oh, and NMM, we do have an editorial policy ;)

    Noted :)
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    JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    However I do think there is some ambiguity about the piece. It isn't enough in my view to simply present these two examples and leave it at that, it gives the impression of being 'heres what people have experienced, decide for yourself'.Only it isnt that simple; the title of the piece frames it initially in a dissuasive light and then proceeds to give two completely differing accounts of Ketamine use which dont neccesarily add anything to the overall content of the piece by being lumped toegether.I think the key problem is it presents to the reader an illusion of, or indeed allusion to, a type of balanced informative frame that it really isnt. This is the key problem, TheSite is a harm reduction operation and as such I dont think it helps to passively allude to a sense of information presentation and independant choice, when the piece and the authors clearly have a motive, well intentioned as that may be.What I think would be useful, in my view, if the piece were redone is a commentary where issues raised by the piece are explicitly discussed rather than suggestive ideas or tones to the piece being left for the reader to pick up.

    Martin, like I said above a case study is about someone's experience. It isn't intended to be balanced or contain any commentary. There is other information on TheSite, written by the editorial team, that presents the information and the views of theSite. I think you are missing the point of a case study.
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    KimonoKimono Posts: 201 Trailblazer
    Yup, a case study is just a straightforward, insightful account of an individual's experience. Anyone is free to discuss their own experiences in response to a case study here on the boards.

    If you want more of an idea of what TheSite.org's case studies are like, check them out.

    Bong - I think the Vietnam War is oft quoted since it was particularly well-remembered for being used then (because it was quite new at the time) but indeed it has been widely used as an anaesthetic since. The history behind it makes interesting reading.

    Extra info about John C Lilly
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kimono wrote:
    Bong - I think the Vietnam War is oft quoted since it was particularly well-remembered for being used then (because it was quite new at the time) but indeed it has been widely used as an anaesthetic since. The history behind it makes interesting reading.

    Oh, certainly, and its not wrong to include it, but its somewhat misrepresentative because it suggests that this military use was in the past, which it isnt.
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    JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    bongbudda wrote:
    Oh, certainly, and its not wrong to include it, but its somewhat misrepresentative because it suggests that this military use was in the past, which it isnt.

    *sighs* well we can't all be perfect like you budda....
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    KimonoKimono Posts: 201 Trailblazer
    LOL

    Ketamine has also been used in research on non-lethal chemical weapons, it seems: "The US Army is testing aerosolized ketamine, an anesthetic and psychoactive substance similar to BZ that has been identified as a potential chemical weapon agent." - Non-Lethal Weapons Research in the US: Calmatives and Malodorants

    Love the article's bit on stink bombs - sounds very Dennis the Menace to me
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yes but my point was, is this the best way to pursue your objectives in this area. I am aware of what a case study is but I think its use here is a bit limited and would be better accompanied by a commentary piece.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    LadyJade wrote:
    *sighs* well we can't all be perfect like you budda....

    You could try just a little harder though.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kimono wrote:
    Yup, a case study is just a straightforward, insightful account of an individual's experience. Anyone is free to discuss their own experiences in response to a case study here on the boards.

    I suppose because the term 'case study' implies something more scientific, you can't have a scientific study on people who take illegal, recreational, non-pharma grade drugs. :)

    Perhaps a 'diary of...' or a 'users experience with...' might be a more accurate description? :confused:
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    JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    yes but my point was, is this the best way to pursue your objectives in this area. I am aware of what a case study is but I think its use here is a bit limited and would be better accompanied by a commentary piece.

    The aim is to provide information for people to make up their own minds MB, not to tell people how to think.
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    JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    bongbudda wrote:
    You could try just a little harder though.

    Oh we will. You do set the standard so high though budda, its difficult to meet your expectations.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Zenie wrote:
    you can't have a scientific study on people who take illegal, recreational, non-pharma grade drugs. :)

    Of course you can, just because the drugs are variable and illegal doesnt mean you cant have a good stab at understanding what they are doing to users.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    LadyJade wrote:
    Oh we will. You do set the standard so high though budda, its difficult to meet your expectations.

    Keep trying, you might make it some day.
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    KimonoKimono Posts: 201 Trailblazer
    I suppose because the term 'case study' implies something more scientific, you can't have a scientific study on people who take illegal, recreational, non-pharma grade drugs.

    In journalistic terms a case study is an account of a person's experience. That's about as scientific as it gets.

    ETA If you read the article, 'case study' isn't even mentioned, but it's the term used to describe an article like this.

    A 'commentary' (although it's unclear what MB means exactly by this) would surely mean putting some kind of editorial opinion on the article? If so, it would diminish the article's impartiality. If it's extra info you're after, check out the two other articles mentioned in the thread as well as the numerous related links on the articles themselves.

    As I said before, take a look at the other true stories on TheSite for an idea of what they're like if you're not sure. And that's all they are - true stories. We don't put words in anyone's mouths and we make sure we aim to provide as much supportive factual information as possible without passing judgement.
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    KimonoKimono Posts: 201 Trailblazer
    One more thing... I'm sure all the medical researchers out there might dispute the claim that 'you can't have a scientific study on people who take illegal, recreational, non-pharma grade drugs' ;)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    LJ I think you're still missing my point in the sense that my issue isnt with the case study as it stands, rather that in the broader framework of what TheSite appears to be aiming to do it could be tied in better.

    This is not an attempt at thought control, rather an aknowledgement of the aims of an organisation. The problem I have is with an allusion to absolute objectivity where clearly there is an objective, in this case I believe to inform and increase welfare.

    Its not a massive or cutting criticism, I think either I have phrased it badly or you are misunderstanding but it was merely a comment that it could do with a Site commentary piece to accompany it, possibly as a separate link.

    This isnt thought control; no one is going to believe that anyone working for this organisation or involved in it does not have a view on the subject.
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