If you are the parent of a teenager or young adult, you may want to keep reading this hub. Let me introduce you to the world of raves. What is a rave? Well, the definition of a rave is a high energy all-night dance party that features dance music with a fast, pounding beat and choreographed laser programs. These parties have become increasingly popular over the last decade and can be potentially dangerous for your child.

Beginning as an underground movement in Europe, raves have evolved into a highly organized, commercialized, worldwide party culture. Rave parties and clubs can be found throughout the United States and in several countries around the world.

Raves are generally held either in permanent dance clubs or temporary venues that are set up for a single weekend event. It is not uncommon to find these events in abandoned warehouses, open fields, or empty buildings.

Depending on the size of the location of the rave, attendance can range from 30 “ravers” in a small club to as high as tens of thousands in an open field. A rave can be a potential breeding ground for drugs such as MDMA, Ketamine, GHB, Rohypnol and LSD. In addition to the techno music and light shows, these drugs have become an integral component of the rave culture.

 Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me take a step back and start off with giving you a little bit of history on how raves got started. Raves evolved from the dance parties of the 1980s with the addition of European techno music and American house music. In Europe, clubs that sponsored raves made every effort to limit the exposure of attendees to the public and to law enforcement.

Raves were secretive, private dance parties that were held after-hours with restricted attendance. It was customary for the location of the party to be kept confidential until the actual night of the event.

In fact, because of the restricted access to these parties and the secrecy surrounding the locations, many people referred to the growing rave culture as an “underground” movement. By the mid-1980s, raves in the city of London had become increasingly more popular that simply going to a dance club.

The rave phenomena significantly increased with all-night raves—which attracted thousands of people—in large open fields on the outskirts of the city. Raves entered the United States in the late 1980s, with the first parties appearing in cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The rave culture did not take long to spread further into the United States. Rave parties and clubs were present in most metropolitan areas of the U.S by the early 1990s. Traditionally, young adults were the primary visitors of raves.

However, teenagers took over and a new rave culture emerged; events became highly promoted instead of being kept a secret. It is sad to report, but many new rave promoters within the United States were career criminals who recognized the extreme profitability of organizing events that were specifically geared towards teens.

Specialized industries were developed to market clothes, toys, drugs and music in order to capitalize on the growing popularity of raves. In fact, private clubs and secret locations were replaced by stadium venues with off-duty police security.

If you are still reading this hub, how does that make you feel as a parent? It makes me very angry to know that there are people out there who are only concerned with making a dollar, no matter whose safety is at risk. Just because you add security to the equation doesn’t mean that the drugs will stay out! Let’s continue on our educational journey….

Today’s raves are known for their high entrance fees, extensive drug use and extremely high priced bottled water. The event is typically held in a very dark atmosphere that often has dangerously overcrowded dance floors and “chill rooms.” These rooms are a designated area where teenage ravers can go to cool down and oftentimes will end up engaging in open sexual activity.

 Moreover, many club owners and promoters appear to promote the use of drugs--especially MDMA. They provide bottled water and sports drinks to manage hyperthermia and dehydration; pacifiers to prevent involuntary teeth clenching; and menthol nasal inhalers, chemical lights, and neon glow sticks to enhance the effects of MDMA.

 In addition, rave promoters often print flyers featuring prominent and repeated use of the letters "E" and "X" (E and X are MDMA monikers) or the word "rollin'" (refers to an MDMA high), surreptitiously promoting MDMA use along with the rave.

MDMA is by far the most popular of the club drugs and evidence of MDMA use by teenagers can be seen at most rave parties. Other common drugs that are used are Ketamine, GHB, and Rohypnol, although to a lesser extent. Hallucinogens are also fairly common such as LSD and PCP. Ravers are also attracted to inhalants like nitrous oxide which is sold in gas-filled balloons called “whippets” that sell anywhere from $5 - $10 a balloon.

Rampant use of club drugs at raves may be leading to the use of other and highly addictive drugs by youths. There have been widespread reports of increasing availability and use of Asian methamphetamine tablets (frequently referred to as "yaba") at California raves and nightclubs.

 Heroin is being encountered more frequently at raves and clubs in large metropolitan areas, especially in the eastern United States. A wider variety of visually appealing and easy-to-administer forms of MDMA, LSD, heroin, and combination tablets are also found at raves and on college campuses. 

One sign that you can watch for to see if your teenager is potentially participating in rave activities is to pay attention to how they dress when they are getting ready to a dance party. For example, many young ravers wear distinctive clothing and carry paraphernalia that is commonly associated with the use of club drugs and the rave culture.

Ravers dress for comfort; they usually wear lightweight loose-fitting clothes and dress in layers. This allows them to remove clothing as they become overheated from dancing for hours. Many teenagers will wear loose shorts, baggy pants, or pants that have extra wide legs.

Female ravers will wear bikini tops, tank tops, tube tops and open-back halter tops to help keep cool. After hours of dancing and often after using MDMA—which elevates the body’s temperature—many ravers have removed most of their clothing. It is very common for female ravers to wear costumes to rave parties, dressing as princesses, cartoon characters, or other fantasy figures in order to match the theme of the rave.

Now, let’s discuss the accessories that teenage ravers usually have in their possession. It is very popular to wear bright accessories like bracelets, necklaces and earrings made of plastic beads or pill-shaped sugar candies.

Some teenagers will use these accessories to disguise their drugs by stringing the MDMA tablets along with the candies. MDMA can cause involuntary teeth grinding and many ravers will chew on baby pacifiers, hard candy or lollipops to offset these effects and make it less obvious. Pacifiers are generally worn around the user’s neck, often on plastic beaded necklaces.

Many ravers bring various items to rave events in order enhance the effects of MDMA. Ravers use bright chemical light and flashing lights to heighten the hallucinogen properties of MDMA and visual effects that are brought on by its use.

Chemical glow sticks, bracelets and necklaces are commonly worn at raves and waved in the eyes of MDMA users to enhance visual stimulation. Female teenage ravers will often insert flashing red light in their belly buttons and pin blinking lights in the shapes of hearts, stars and animals to their clothing to provide additional visual stimulation.

Now that I have brought you up to speed on the history of raves and some of the dangerous drugs that are consumed at these events, let me explain to you the effects that MDMA or Ecstasy can have on your child. Ecstasy is a “mood elevator” that produces a relaxed, euphoric state.

Ecstasy takes effect in as little as 20 to 40 minutes after a tablet has been consumed. The effects start with rushes of exhilaration which can sometimes be accompanies by nausea. 60 to 90 minutes after taking the drug, the user will feel the peak effects. Sensations are enhanced and the user will experience heightened feelings of empathy, emotional warmth and self-acceptance.

According to research, the long term effects of ecstasy use can turn into severe health issues such as anorexia, high blood pressure, and kidney failure, loss of memory, emotional changes and changes in brain chemicals. There are also severe psychological effects that can be a result of ecstasy use such as depression, sleep problems, anxiety, paranoia, psychotic episodes and hallucinations.

I know that this particular hub has had some length to it, but I hope that I did not bore you with this information. The whole point of this hub was to hopefully educate parents that may have otherwise been uninformed on just how dangerous a rave can be for your child.