AMSTERDAM – HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN DRUG SUPPLY

Lately when someone is puking in a club in Amsterdam, the relevant question is no longer “Too much booze?” but “Too much G?” And the answer is either a new wave of vomit or a weird facial expression from someone who a few seconds later falls asleep. GHB is no longer for lower-eschelon suburban 16-year-old wiggers looking for any role in the date rape at a house party milieu–it’s the new Ecstasy and the new Heineken.

The advantages of this drug include the absence of a major hangover or severe depression and that it doesn’t take a week’s salary to get and stay high. If you’re a total loser or if chemistry used to be your favorite subject in high school, GHB has another advantage: it’s made out of products that are likely to be found in the cupboard belonging to any person of average cleanliness. We asked around and found someone who produces his own GHB supply. He wanted to remain anonymous.

Vice: Hi dude.
GHB Guy: Hi!

So you are one of those guys who produces his drugs at home. What made you decide to go down that sketchy road?
I was always very interested in chemistry. Whenever I try new drugs, I always make sure I know what it consists of. A few years ago I was at a party where I discovered GHB. I tried it and it made me feel fantastic. A friend told me that it’s not difficult to manufacture it yourself, so a couple of days later I started brewing GHB. Of course this was also an economic consideration, because it’s much cheaper to produce it yourself than to buy it somewhere.

How did you begin?
I looked up the ingredients online. There are plenty of websites that share recipes for producing GHB. The most important ingredient is GBL. It’s also used for paint thinner and floor stripper, to name a few applications, and in Holland you can legally purchase it online and at some bigger hardware stores.

Definitely sounds like something I’d want to put in my body. Is it true that GHB also contains drain cleaner?
True. In chemistry this is referred to as sodium hydroxide, and it is used in GHB to manipulate the pH. It’s important to use pure sodium hydroxide, so always check the label first. Furthermore, GHB consists of demineralized water and concentrated acetic acid.

But I thought GHB is naturally produced in the human body?
True.

So our body also consists of drain cleaner and paint thinner.
No, of course not! Matter always undergoes changes during a chemical reaction, transforming it into a completely different substance. I mean, in the end, all people are built out of stardust. But that doesn’t make you a star.

No, but let’s go back to the manufacturing process. How do you test your GHB?
Proportion is very important, that’s why a decent measuring cup and balance are crucial. Adding too much water, for instance, might result in very poor GHB, and you don’t want that. Anyway, with pH level test strips I check the acidity of the substance, depending on which I add a little more GBL or sodium hydroxide. After that, I always take half a dose to test the effects myself.

Weren’t you afraid to OD and end up in a coma the first time you tested it?
Look, I know very well what I’m dealing with. I’m not just fooling around or something, I know how it works. That’s why I’m never afraid when I’m testing my own GHB. But unless you know a lot about matter and chemical reactions, it’s better to just buy your shit instead of making it yourself. That could very well be dangerous.

Makes sense. By the way: why do people always act so fucked up when they’ve had too much G?
Well, why do people get stoned when they smoke pot, or why do people get sad when they break up with their lovers? Every action has a reaction. GHB is a narcotic, that’s why people fall asleep as soon as they have taken too much. Taking little amounts results in feeling really light and happy, like a very sweet state of drunkenness. Anyway, when someone takes too much, they narcotize not only their body, but also their consciousness. They start acting through their subconscious.

A Freudian take on GHB?
Maybe… Think it through: People on G act only on their basic instincts and impulses; they’re not ashamed of anything. It’s not surprising that people get so sexually excited when they are on G. In the end we are all horny animals, right?

Probably. Something else you’d like to comment on?
Yes. It really strikes me that taking drugs has become so fucking important to some people. If the shit doesn’t work as well as they’d like, they become unsatisfied. Most of the time people don’t measure out the right proportions. These people should really ask themselves what they are doing! At a good party, drugs might add up to the fun, but it should never be required.

Nice disclaimer.  We should also mention that just because we’re telling you how it works, you should not actually do this.

GIJS VAN DER SANDEN

(Photo by Charlotte Van Den Brekel)