Got G?

The colorless liquid is a rave scene staple in Rhode Island, but critics warn that it can cause unanticipated harm and even death

by Christopher Conti

It was another typical weekend of drug-induced partying on the rave scene for Steve, a 23-year-old furniture mover, who usually takes full advantage of his weekends by partying straight into Sunday morning. Starting off a Friday night at a Providence strip club, Steve watched a dancer collapse on her customer while performing a lap dance. "It was hilarious," he recalls. "Two security guards had to peel her off the guy. People thought she was dead."

But Steve wasn't laughing when he wrapped his roommate's car around a telephone pole at 9 the next morning (he escaped with minor injuries) while on his way to yet another after-hours party. The influence that had the exotic dancer crashing on the job and Steve asleep at the wheel was not alcohol, the usual suspect, but Gamma Butyrolactone, or GBL, a colorless synthetic liquid that is alternately described as the ticket to a little bit of harmless euphoria or sudden unconsciousness and worse.

GBL is a cousin of GHB, or Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate, a man-made dietary supplement that became popular with weight lifters in the '80s before being outlawed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1990. Like GHB, GBL resembles water, at least until it's mixed with yellow, blue or red colorings. When ingested, GBL is basically converted to GHB -- which exists in the bloodstream as a natural nutrient -- and provides the same mind-bending kick that led the FDA to ban synthetic GHB almost a decade ago.

Both GHB and GBL have a share of supporters who tout the substances as restorative and healthful. Many health officials, though, note that the synthetic liquids are made from toxic chemicals and condemn them as dangerous drugs. In January, the FDA cracked down on GBL, warning potential users to avoid it and imposing vigilance on manufacturers who might stray from a voluntary recall.

But in a social atmosphere that relies on seeking neurological nirvana by any means necessary, GBL is the latest elixir in current (and heavy) use in the feel-good after-hours scene of rave and techno devotees. In abandoned Providence warehouses and blacked-out basement house parties from Warwick to Seekonk, Massachusetts, some celebrants turn to a capful of G, as it is most commonly known, as part of their souped-up quest for nocturnal bliss.

Paying the typical $10 cover charge and entering an after-hours party is somewhat akin to stepping out on Halloween night: partygoers in sweat-soaked running suits and Kangol caps wield glo-sticks, 16-ounce bottles of water (sold at $4 a pop), and complete darkness pervades as guests dance to the fast-paced techno spun by the likes of Junior Vasquez, Jonathan Peters, DJ Venom and resident MTV celeb DJ Skribble. For many of those who turn out, their nights are just coming to a close at 10 in the morning.

Like it or not, illegal drug activity plays a role. You name the substance and chances are, through the right people, you can get it. Cocaine, marijuana, Ketamine or Special K (a powerful cat tranquilizer), and G play a role -- from fraternity parties and nightclubs to after-hours gigs. Adding to the appeal of GHB and GBL is the belief among users that they are the perfect complement while rolling on an Ecstasy high. G is said to take the edge off and balance the speedy high of Ecstasy, the hottest drug in town, which raises seratonin levels in the brain, dramatically increases the heart rate and dehydrates the body (thus the importance of replenishing liquids from water and juice bottles).

Small doses of G mimic the effect of alcohol, leaving users light-headed, uncoordinated and uninhibited. The problem is, a few capfuls of G can deliver the equivalent punch of pounding a 12-pack in a fraction of the time. An excessive dose of GBL can cause people to suddenly pass out and appear lifeless, aside from drooling and exhibiting muscle spasms that resemble seizures.

At the Rhode Island Poison Center in Providence, 19 incidents and more than 30 GHB/GBL-related telephone calls have been logged since January. "We've had a few 17-year-olds, two 36-year-olds and one 37-year-old father who was carried in by two friends, who thought he was going to die," says Howard Wine, a spokesman for the center.

GBL's fundamental use is about as far from the rave scene as one could imagine: as an industrial solvent tapped for such non-ingestive purposes as degreasing engines and cleaning circuit boards. With the addition of sodium hydroxide, better known as lye, GBL can be turned into GBH. Mixing the substances with other ingredients neutralizes the effect of the caustic chemicals, although there have been cases in which users suffered esophageal damage from swallowing homemade batches. The availability of G recipes on the Internet has made it particularly easy for amateur chemists to chase the action.

GHB found a following in the '80s among bodybuilders, who saw it as a beneficial supplement in stimulating the release of hormones that aid fat reduction and muscle building. In fact, GHB's drawing power might have come as much from its effect as a sedative for serious steroid users who had trouble counting sheep and controlling their "roid rages." Partygoers eventually discovered GHB, proclaiming it a hangover-free high and sexual stimulant, particularly while combined with Ecstasy.

Weight lifters and weekend warriors weren't the only ones paying attention. In 1990, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized the danger in Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate abuse and banned its sale and distribution in the United States. At the same time, GHB has been continually tested and investigated in the US and England for use in treating narcolepsy, alcoholism, and as a less-addictive cure for heroin addiction.

Now the FDA is waging war on the synthetic counterparts of GBL (which sold for $20 to $30 for a 32-ounce container when it was legally available at health and supplement shops, but now goes for two to five times that much on the black market) and GHB. GBL-based products such as Renewtrient, Serenity, Invigorate, Blue Nitro, Thunder Nectar and Enliven are basically the same as GBL (aside from dilution, or added vitamins and flavorings), and deliver the same effects as the illegal GHB.

But from college campuses to the club circuit, GBL remains a hot commodity in the Ocean State and across the country. The rising use of such rave drugs can be seen in the increase in GHB-related emergency room visits, from 54 in 1994 to 764 in 1997, according to the Drug Abuse Warning Network. Since 1993, local, state and federal officials have documented more than 3500 GHB/GBL-related incidents. A US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) survey reported G-related incidents in 41 states and the District of Columbia.

"We are aware that these products are out there," says Detective Lt. Brendan Doherty of the Rhode Island State Police. "These types of rave drugs in general are prevalent in Rhode Island now more than ever, but we are doing our best to control the situation." As with others who take a dim view of the risks associated with GBL and GHB, Doherty adds, "I don't understand why kids would want to use this stuff. They don't realize the danger involved with putting this chemical in your body."

Laura Bradbard, an FDA spokeswoman in Rockville, Maryland, doesn't mince words when she talks about the dangers of G. "Unlike alcohol and other substances, there is a very small sobriety index to take into account when dealing with GHB or GBL," she says. "It can shut down your respiratory system faster than anything else on the street. These chemicals are not designed for human consumption. It attacks the central nervous system and can be fatal."

But, as Bradbard says with palpable frustration, "There's a huge marketplace for this product right now and it's very difficult to stop production on every level completely. Dealing with illicit drug use is tough because of the motivation to make money."

Individual states have the power to control GHB and its synthetic counterparts. Rhode Island and some other states have classified GHB as a Schedule I substance, which carries a penalty for possession of up to three years in jail and a $5000 fine. Ironically, the DEA lacks the authority to crack down on GHB since it has an active FDA federal exemption as an investigational new drug.

Meanwhile, all the statistics, surveys, and warnings have done little to affect the willingness of some clubgoers to embrace black market G. In refrain after refrain, proponents claim the substance doesn't cause harm when it is used responsibly, particularly without alcohol.

"There are plenty of reasons why I like it," says Alex, a 19-year old Providence College student, who has only recently discovered after-hours parties and life after 2 a.m. A convert to G after trying it at a party in Seekonk, Alex, has since sparked an interest in GBL among his beer-drinking buddies. On a recent weekend, "Two friends and I picked up a full 32-ounce bottle for $80 from some guy selling out of his backpack in the parking lot," he says. "My friends were skeptical at first, because they're not really into the rave scene, but a few shots changed their mind pretty quickly. It kicked their ass and they loved it, and we had plenty more left over for the following weekend. There was more than enough to go around, as opposed to wasting the same amount of money on beer and tequila. Being a student, cash is tight anyway, and GBL doesn't leave you with a nasty hangover.

"Alcohol, particularly shots, would get me fired up and violent in the club by the end of the night," Alex continues, "and if I knew my ID wouldn't get me in for 21-plus at certain places, I would have to bother some of my friends to fetch me beers all night. I'd much rather hit a couple of capfuls [of G] in the parking lot and dump some in my Fruitopia bottle. It's still pretty easy to get, and even if the price goes up on the street, I think it's still worth the money."

Aimee, a 22-year-old aerobics instructor and former stripper from East Greenwich, has seen the effect of GBL on some of her close friends. "It's everywhere backstage, more than ever," she says. "It loosens up your inhibitions before performing, but some girls get carried away."

Although Aimee has witnessed the dangers first-hand, she also admits to late-night GBL indulgence. "You never see alcohol at an after-hours, so I'll take a shot or two when I'm out partying after the clubs close. It doesn't give you that bloated feeling like beer, and it won't give you a beer gut, which is important for dancers, as well as guys trying to get into shape but [who] still like to party."

But not all the testimonials have an upbeat ending. One after-hours patron (a 28-year-old male who refused to reveal even his first name, perhaps understandably so) had an unexpected accident two months ago as a result of "OG'ing" -- an accident in his pants.

"That was the first and last time," he says. "I drank, like, six shots over the first few hours of the party, and then I just blacked out and collapsed. At six in the morning, my two friends found me in the corner, lying in my own shit. Honestly, shitting my pants and passing out in public isn't my idea of a good time. I had no idea what hit me. I'm not a lightweight by any means, so it was scary to know that a few shots of something could force me to lose all control of my body while lying there unconscious. Never again."

Crapping one's pants is trivial compared to what happened last year to Ken Shortridge of San Diego. Answering his home telephone after a midnight call, Shortridge was informed that his 27-year-old son, Caleb, had died from an overdose of homemade GHB. Shortridge was told that his son was "an occasional user"" who had mistakenly chugged an unlabeled bottle, assuming it was water. After realizing his mistake, Caleb called his girlfriend and, in his last words, expressed his love for her. Shortridge has since created a Web page (www.ashesonthesea.com/ghb) that warns about the danger of GHB.

There is also national concern about GHB and GBL being used as a date rape drug, particularly on college campuses. The sedating effect of these substances is more powerful than alcohol and Rophynol, also known as "roofies," which made headlines in recent years. Since 1996, the DEA has logged reports of at least 22 sexual assault cases in which GHB was a factor.

Meanwhile, the most obvious proponents of GBL and GHB -- manufacturers -- contend that the FDA has no business in attempting to regulate what they describe as a nutrient. On Web sites, some manufacturers claim that "the FDA is actually putting people in danger by pulling the plug on these products, forcing consumers to obtain products from kitchen chemists on the street." References are made to a New Jersey man, who was hospitalized for severe burns in his esophagus after consuming homemade GHB that was too heavy on the lye.

"It is our impression that consumers are being misled by the media via the political greed of the FDA," says Carl Gorton, director of Renewtrient Research in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Renewtrient is one of more than a dozen self-described research companies which market synthetic GBL. The company's Web site calls it, "a non-toxic liquid compound [that] the body cleanly converts to GHB when ingested as a dietary supplement used to induce natural sleep."

Renewtrient has complied with the FDA-imposed voluntary moratorium and ceased distribution while the FDA continues its research and investigations of synthetic GHB-related products. For his part, Gorton sees a conspiracy. "The fact is, widespread use of products such as ours would cost the pharmaceutical companies trillions per year," he says. "It is currently the only cost-effective, anti-addiction compound under research and, in my opinion, should be considered highly beneficial."

Although Renewtrient and its counterparts have been pulled from the shelves, some other companies continue to hawk purported benefits while selling related products on the Internet. There are also dozens of Web sites promoting and defending GBL, with hundreds of accounts of positive results and good times (a contributor to the newsgroup alt.psychoactives insists that the synthetic substance "satisfies virtually every reason I drank alcohol").

To which Wine, of the Rhode Island Poison Center, responds, "Something that can cause seizures, uncontrollable sleepiness or respiratory failure can be good for you? Anything that can shut down your respiratory system in a matter of minutes can't be that good for you."

Dr. Richard Wang, a toxicologist at Rhode Island Hospital, also expressed concern about the growing number of people stumbling through his office after using too much GHB or GBL, particularly over the last few months.

"We see at least one case per week now," Wang says. "And I am sure it will only get worse throughout the summer. Luckily, there have been no fatalities yet in our area, but almost every case involved Ecstasy, and a few cases involved the combination of alcohol," which is extremely dangerous because of the possibility of asphyxiation while the victim is unconscious. If a G user passes out, Wang recommends that the person be brought to a hospital or poison center.

The clampdown and dire warnings about G, though, have done little to diminish the interest of the club-crawlers who, regardless of the consequences, avidly seek a convenient, economical and mind-numbing thrill. Even Steve, who crashed his roommate's car while under the influence of GBL, remains as enthusiastic about the substance as ever. In fact, he downed some GBL the night after the crash as part of a road trip for a night out dancing at Avalon in Boston (he justifies it by saying he wasn't driving this time).

"Everything is just a phone call or car trunk away," Steve says "Denying the right to purchase GBL legally, or anything else for that matter, won't stop anyone from getting it. If anything, the exposure will only tempt more people into trying it when they're out partying. This stuff is everywhere now, and will only get bigger through the summer, regardless of all the warnings and statistics."

Christopher Conti can be reached at Renidrags@aol.com.