Great stuff that I found on Lolita's page. A little context for the un-initiated. Safe, Sane, and Consensual (SSC) have become the watchwords for S/M play. 'Safe' means that though it may hurt, no one will be harmed, as in permanent or lasting physical or psychological damage; 'Sane' is variably interpreted. I've always found this second element problematic. Talk about 'in the eye of the beholder.' And Consensual means that before play, both the partners negotiate what's going to happen, what limits either of them might bring, etc. At the inception, SSC was stunning in terms of brilliance and ingenuity. To the extent that S/M has some legitimacy, it's because of Safe, Sane, and Consensual.

Lately, SSC is rarely discussed without some wag saying something that begins with the preamble, "Yeah, but what about..." and then bringing out a largely valid objection. SSC works in every case, except when it doesn't. But even then, it does. Enlightened?


Here's my bone of contention. And it's a little one, like one of those bones in the wrist or the foot. Last year at a GMSMA wednesday night program, the issue of drug use was raised. As in, "it's irresponsible to use drugs during a scene." Many heads nodded. And someone chimed in and said, "Well, except poppers." And everyone sitting around me said, "Yeah, except poppers." Well, now, it's either a duck or it's not.

Poppers (amyl nitrates, butyl nitrates, or isobutyl nitrates) are inhalents. They are vaso-dilators; they constrict the blood vessels, causing oxygen rich blood to flood the brain, so the user experiences a rush. And, they relax muscles in the butt, making it easier to accommodate getting your kitten punched. But what about that trippy feeling you get when you do poppers? Well, that's a feeling common to all inhalents. Inhalents are substances that have molecules small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier. That's why teenagers huff glue, but not say... Bosco Chocolate Syrup. The odor of Bosco is much more pleasant, but those molecules are so large that they don't go much further than your nasal passages. But the wee little molecules in inhalents go to your sinuses, and basically right from there into your brain. Your brain goes into a defensive posture and starts pumping out norepinephrine (aka, adrenaline), sensing that it's under attack. Adrenaline is what's produced by your body to ready you for the fight or flight response. Your senses are heightened, your pupils dilate to let in lots of light so you can see whatever is potentially hurled at your face, and blood flows to your arms (to hurl something back) and legs (to run and get the hell out of there) and away from less necessary muscles, such as your anal sphincter. Which relaxes. Now, your brain feels that it's under attack because your brain is under attack.

And, poppers knock out your immune system for about the next five days. And, because poppers have disinhibitory effects (risk taking can be a good thing in 'fight or flight' situations, the user may relax his or her safer sex precautions.

And, because poppers lower your blood pressure, do too much of them and you could lower your blood pressure below the level necessary to maintain consciousness. It's a bad idea to use them with Viagra, which also lowers your blood pressure.

And, because distribution and sale of poppers is illegal, you really don't know what's in that little glass vial, and what the dossage is that you're administering.

Okay, so am I being a tight-ass and declaring popper use to be bad and wrong and evil? Nothing of the sort. What I'm saying is that there are risks associated with poppers, just like there are risks associated with using alcohol, shooting heroin, taking a bump of crystal (speed mimics adrenaline and causes a psychoactive response similar, though more intense than poppers), or smoking pot. Being informed about what you are doing enables you to reduce the risks involved to a level that you find acceptable. Crossing a city street involves risk as well, but we do it anyway, but do things to reduce those risks, such as looking to see if there are cars coming.

Overall, I would not go making a blanket statement such as, 'Using drugs during a scene, or playing while intoxicated, is a violation of the principles of Safe, Sane, and Consensual S/M." Because everybody in the room might be nodding their heads, but half the people in the room are doing that most of the time that they play. But, rather than risk social stigma from their peers, they'll just not talk about it. And not get information that could enable them to reduce risks. It's not all black and white, and when declarations create the illusion that it is, people get hurt.

So anyway, on Lolita's page we find this neato essay, concerning RACK (Risk-Aware, Consensual Kink). I think it's an idea whose time has come. I'm just gonna provide the link (here), because Lolita's page is really great, and you should go there and get to know it anyway. Scroll down. You'll find it. Attaboy. (Or girl, as the case may be.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------