"I'm from the U.S. where I have never seen yaba but I have a little story about my encounter with the drug which took place in Thailand.

I was on what was to be a 1 week trip to Thailand, which turn into a 4 week stay. Not entirely the fault of my yaba usage. I had been hanging out by myself for a week mostly drinking way too much with one exception of an evening involving some ecstasy (which was great). Things started getting boring, when I met another American from NY, just a bit younger than myself (23) and also on a trip by himself.

The trip became a bit more fun again now that I have a companion about the same age and someone who was into going to the trance and techno clubs to party. Anyways we went out to a club, I lost track of my new friend but wasn't to worried about it.after that club closed at 4 I went to another on that went till 6. Finally dancing and drinking until I didn't think I could even stand I made my way back to the hotel. Walking down the street to my hotel I see my new friend talking on a pay phone. He doesn't seem to know who he is calling which I find a bit funny. Ok, so he then tells me he is hanging out with some girls from a bar and there all smoking the stuff "yaba". like hey cool Im game. So I go up and join them. Neither one of us have tried this stuff before. It seems rather straight forward...its speed. So the girls (who are excellent hosts) hook us up with all the smoking utensils, tin foil, a bottle of baby oil which has been converted into an old type of bong and of course the little orange pill which gets broken into quarters and smoked.

Now not really knowing anything about this stuff other than it speed I kept smoking it expecting to "get off" on it. Between the two of us we smoke about 10 pills in an afternoon. Only finding out that most people don't do more that 2 in a day. now this is where I really have a problem seeing yaba becoming the "new rave drug". That speedy feeling never kicked in, even after doing like 5 times the usual amount. As far as I can tell the drug has NO recreational use but THIS CRAP DEFIANTLY KEEPS YOU UP, AND IT SUCKS! Already having been up one night on my own I was about to stay up two more against my will due to the drug. My friend on the other hand had already been up two days and was going to dive even deeper into delirium. By the way the drug it self has no psychedelic affects. That just happens because you cannot sleep.

So I didn't know at the time that this crap keeps you up for days and it was the day after doing this that I was to be getting on my plane back home. Well finally around 6pm my friend and I decide that we should take showers to clean up from the night before and go out for a good round of drinking. I get back to the hotel room take a shower and start to thing about how extremely hard my heart is pounding. I then decide that I should just chill out for my last night in Bangkok and watch the tele before going to sleep. Well no that's not a possibility. I spent the night occasionally twitching, trying to keep as still as possible so my heart would not feel like its going to explode. 4am, I get my wake up call (no need to wake up). So get up take a shower and my heart is just banging away. I feel horrible, like I should REALLY not try to go through customs and get on a 12 hour plane trip...So I didnt. I think Im just going to extend my stay by a few more days so I can recover but Im told my air ticket expired so, I must least the next day. Ok, one more day. its better that leaving well I'm still twitching.

So I spend the morning in the bar, after feeling conflicted about whether I should even go out looking like a crack monster (I had that battle a lot). My friend is already there, well he never left. Spent the morning drinking trying to calm myself down noon I think Ill try sleeping again...nope. Then I thought about how my buddy said he had some sleeping pills. I go to find him. He is kind of resting in the apartment above the bar. I talk with him take some sleeping pills (which I double up the dosage) and down then with a couple gin and tonics and a beer. Feeling the affect of the sleeping pill and alcohol I to back to the hotel to sleep...I sleep for one lousy hour before I wake up kicking, tossing and turning. my head is completely gone from all the sleeping pill but my body is still going. So I spend the next few hours attempting to do jumping jack, sit up pull ups, anything. Half the time falling over. Eventually the I stop feeling the affects of the sleeping pill and I work of some of the energy that built up in that hour of sleep. I go to see my friend who had a much worse time. He when completely delusional. Apparently he was laying down when he thought he heard me come running up the stairs yelling that the police where coming. He jumps up in panic and starts trashing the girls place looking for drugs to hide (which in hind sight sounds a bit funny). The girls fight with him to calm down assuring him that that police are not coming. later. He again think he hears my voice, turns his head and see a photo of the back street boys (or sometime similar) think the photo is me and starts to talk to the wall for a while.... he was a bit more calm by the time I was really there.

Anyways the story end with us going out to get a good round of drinking in at the bars. I then decide that Im going to get myself one of the famous Thai massages (traditional) and that finally did it. I got four hours of sleep before getting my wake up call to get on the plane.

I haven't seen the kid from NY since that last night but I got a call from him about a month later. I guess he had decided to stay a bit longer himself and apparently did more of the drug well he was there, which is completely beyond me.

Personally I think it is a horrible horrible drug. its not fun, it just keeps you up forever and that sucks!"


Kalon

27 April 2000

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