There’s a common mindset behind Australian drug-fuelled escapades, pretty simply worded as – “F*** it, why not?”, which is exactly the mindset that fuelled the fire of a story this piece will reveal.
The two gentlemen behind this tale I was lucky enough to meet at a pub some time ago, which is when they gave me my first, much briefer rundown of the night that is the centrepiece of this writing. For the sake of our storytellers, no names of people or places will be used, however you’ll still get the blow-by-blow of what went down. This account took place a few years back, when D and N were 18 and 19, in their local town on a Thursday night after footy training.
This story deserves a warning – there is explicit language used and graphic talk regarding the consumption of illicit substances.
D:
At the time, I was only working casual so I didn’t have anything on the next day, and was feeling keen to go and do something after training.
N:
I was already working my apprenticeship full time, but for some reason I had the day off Friday.
D:
We were with another mate from footy and we decided to go to the local pub, which all three of us lived within walking distance from which was really handy. It was pretty low-key, just kinda hung around and had a few beers.
N:
Yeah, I don’t think we really planned or expected to get to the level that it did. Anyway, we got chatting to a couple of dudes in the pokie room, nothing out of the ordinary, just general chit-chat. And one of them is like, “So you boys looking for anything tonight?”, and I’m kinda like “Ah, what do you mean man?”
D:
It was really funny actually, kinda awkward too, the two groups of us were like staring at each other, waiting for the other to say something. I think we knew what he meant, but didn’t want to get it wrong given the nature of what was going on, and I think they thought they’d made a big mistake by asking and we’d go and tell the seccies (security) or something.
N:
Haha, everyone was scared to be the first one to speak. Eventually, the same bloke was like, “Pills man, I’ve got em’ in my car, 25 bucks each.” Obviously, it was a bit random and OBVIOUSLY you shouldn’t buy ecstasy off the random bloke you meet having a slap at the pub, but the three of us looked at each other and had this weird telepathic discussion.
D:
We probably looked hilarious not saying a word to these guys for like twenty seconds.
N:
Oh, for sure. Anyway we ended up saying yes, we knew the procedure having bought and taken stuff before, so we went and got some money out for one each and followed the dude to his car to get on.
D:
I wish it was that easy all the time, most simple deal I’ve ever done.
N:
That’s true. We asked the guy what they were, and he was like “They’re blue batmans, lots of fun” or something. And we looked at each other with the same look that was like “Well, shit.”
Although (thankfully) not currently prevalent, “blue batman” pills now hold a fairly notorious status not just around young people but around the general population of Australia, after they took the lives of multiple young Aussies and hospitalised even more. The news was broadcasted across Australian media, warnings even being issued by police regarding the dangers of the substance.
Check out SMH’s 2014 story regarding the police warnings here.
(Picture of a blue batman pill posted by pillreports.net)
Although the “blue batmans” are disguised as regular ecstasy pills, they’re actually a hallucinogen/psychedelic substance known as NBOMe. It may mirror the effects of LSD or other hallucinogens, but the problem comes with its incredible potency requiring far smaller doses – unfortunately, quite clearly these superhero logo-wearing tablets in question do not adhere to safe dosage guidelines.
News.com exposed NBOMe in 2016.
What would you say if you were in the boys situation? You’re with your buddies and you’ve had a few beers, with a safe, warm home to return to – accept or decline?
D:
Yeah, we knew what they were cause there’d been a bit of talk about them after they’d been on the news and stuff, and we’d already paid this bloke which was a bit annoying, maybe if we knew it before that we would’ve walked away.
N:
We walked back to D’s house, and we kinda sat around looking at them on the table for a while (D’s parents weren’t home at the time). We looked up the news articles, pill reports, everything (yes, there’s a site that provides reports, reviews and warnings for various drugs, check out the report for the blue batman pills here. I think we justified the decision by saying “Well all these people were in unfamiliar and uncomfortable places, we’re safe here at home with no parents and we’ve got each other.”
D:
Definitely, in the end I think the words said were “Fuck it, why not?”.
N:
God, we don’t come off well in this story, sorry Mum.
N:
Haha. We pretty much just chilled out and mucked around waiting for it to kick in, and we all started to feel it at the same time I think. The next few hours consisted of a LOT of utter shit talk between the three of us and a LOT of uncontrollable laughter, it seemed like time wasn’t really moving to be honest.
D:
That part of it was fine I think, we were pretty relaxed, even though we were tripping pretty hard at this point, feeling very weird.
N:
Yeah it was only after a few hours when the effects took a weird turn and we all started doing our own thing, instead of hanging out together. D kept coming in and out of a room in his house with all of these family photo albums, showing me all of these pictures. It was like he HAD to, it was super weird, funny now, but weird then.
D:
I actually ran through my back fence that night…
N:
I forgot about that, wow.
D:
Yep, I can’t even remember what inspired me to do that, but it happened. Mum was pretty mad about it too, firing questions at my scattered head the next day.
N:
My memory is pretty hazy about what happened later, but I remember being pretty freaked out and going super quiet – D will probably agree.
D:
Oh, one hundred per cent, completely shut off, still wide awake but not really saying anything, it was pretty scary actually. I’d try and speak to you and not really get anything back, which was concerning.
N:
I just remember a feeling of being worried, and also this dreadful sense of time not really moving by, as if I’d be like that forever, which would not be enjoyable. Apart from that I don’t remember much.
D:
So strange, because I can remember pretty much the whole night.
N:
Guess that shows how fucked up and inconsistent these things are.
D:
Come early morning with the sun came up, I was ready for bed and the boys were to, but wanted to go home to their own places. So our other friend called his sister for a lift, who surprisingly got them on her way to work.
N:
TERRIBLE IDEA.
D:
About an hour later, I get a call from N’s Mum like “What’s N taken? I know he’s on something, just tell me now.” And I’m freaking out at this point, not knowing what to say, so I told them he was really drunk and had taken an ecstasy pill.
N:
They told me I was up in my room staring out the window just muttering shit like “They’re out there looking for me”, like I was possessed or something. They were going to take me to the hospital, but luckily, thank God, I calmed down and started responding and being normal-ish again. I’m still really bad with my memory here, but apparently they were super worried and couldn’t get mad at me because of the state I was in.
D:
But they did eventually.
N:
Oh, God yeah they did. It wasn’t fun.
D:
I still think they don’t like me because of it.
I can guess the question on your tongue for the boys, so I asked it.
Would you do it again?
D:
Not under those circumstances, knowing what we knew, hell no, I wouldn’t make that decision again.
N:
Not a chance man, I’m just happy it ended how it did and not worse like it did for others.
Do you think others in your position would’ve made the same decision, saying why not?
N:
Definitely. There’s this thing in Australia where like it’s cool to get fucked up and make the wrong decisions, especially when it comes to taking drugs.
D:
Completely agree. That doesn’t speak for most people though, any responsible, sane person would say no. But if you ask if others would’ve done it, we’re talking about certain groups/types of people who one hundred per cent would’ve, and it’d be the same “why not?” attitude. I know people personally then and now who would’ve for sure, and these aren’t like drug addicts with terrible upbringings and mental issues, they’re regular people who take drugs for fun.
Do you think that’s a dangerous attitude to have?
N:
Yeah it is, but it’s there. It’s not really something you can explain to your parents or someone outside that scene, but that attitude is just there, and I don’t think it’s going anywhere.
D:
I agree, people are happy to try new drugs or take stuff that they have no idea about just to get on it. Lots do it to have fun, others to show off to their mates, there’s plenty of reasons. I still take drugs, no more Thursday night killer pills, but I still take them for fun with friends.
N:
Me too, not very often, but I’m not against it or anything, just getting older I guess.
So do you think age plays a factor in this scene and this attitude we’re talking about?
D:
I do, for sure, as I’ve gotten older I’ve just not been as crazy and reckless. Maybe it’s just a young, stupid, adventurous brain thing.
N:
Yeah, I guess I’m not as blatantly stupid as I used to be, and that’s probably due to growing up a bit, thankfully.
