DRUGS AND DANCE: A POPULAR APHRODISIAC

In the five years that Michael Arnold has been operating Rave Safe - an
organisation that provides information and secure areas at raves where
those overwhelmed by drugs can go for help - the scene has changed, and
dramatically grown.

"The first Earthcore we went to in February '95, when we came down from
Sydney, was 300 people and (this) New Year's was 14,000, so there's been a
huge increase," says Mr Arnold.

The appeal of the rave scene, he says, is its sense of community and the
different outlets for involvement in a dance party.

"Obviously ecstasy lends itself to that but everybody who comes to a party
is a factor in the way that party pans out ... there's the art, the
lighting, the production, the music and the promoters really try for a
sense of involvement. So I think there's a sense of community that people
are looking for that they don't really feel in today's society.

"The music is a big part of that as well because to be good, you don't have
to have spent 10 years learning an instrument ... basically you can get on
a synth, or a bass-line modulator and within a few hours you can make sounds."

The scene is only going to get bigger, he says. Outdoor gigs like Earthcore
are successful partly because of big budgets and organisation, but also, he
says, because promoters clean up sites after the party, provide abundant
water and medical services.

While the dance scene continues to grow, ecstasy use is also growing among
more non-traditional groups.

"There's a lot of married couples now that are using it for sex,
essentially, as an aphrodisiac drug. That's becoming an increasing
subgroup. There's a lot of regular heroin users that are using it for a
different night out and even within the band scene there's a lot that tend
to be using it now. But I think a lot of the distribution networks still
tend to be centred around the rave scene," he says.

And yes, there are a lot of under-18s delving into the rave scene as well.
"In Sydney we used to call it kiddiecore," Mr Arnold says. "And there's
always been an element of that. Obviously there are health issues related
to drug use while your body is still developing and it probably is
increasing, but I don't think to the extent that has been promoted ...

"A lot of them (under-18s) are there without their parents' knowledge, but
I think also there is now a level of understanding about raves. Parents
have reconciled themselves to the fact that 'OK, my child is going to
experiment with drugs, what's the best environment for that?' and sometimes
parents are choosing the rave environment for the social support structures
that go with it.

"Going out tends to be about two years at which point you either leave the
scene or you become really involved ..." says Mr Arnold.

"There's also been quite a large retention rate of those who've been around
for a long time. Most started going out really hard but then reach a point
where they want to con-tinue being involved but it's just not possible to
continue using at the rate they were - whether financially, psychologically
or physically - so they pull back."