Overdoses related to the deadly ‘don’t wake up’ drug have skyrocketed among Australians in recent years as some fear financial pressures may be pushing young people towards hard substances.
Gamma hydroxybutyrate, better known as GHB, is being used by an increasingly large number of younger Aussies.
Many believe its low cost, accessibility, and mind-altering effects are making it an increasingly popular alternative to alcohol.
The drug has attracted global attention due to the notoriously small margin of error between the amount used for an average recreational dosage and an overdose.
The effects – relaxation, sociability, euphoria and an increased sex drive – can be felt within 15 minutes. But, even a slight overdose of the drug can prove fatal.
The number of GHB-related ambulance callouts has surged across Australia in recent years according to new research from Monash University and Turning Point.
Victoria is the national capital for GHB-related ambulance attendances, with 65.8 attendances per 100,000 people in 2023.
It represented a 67 per cent increase from the year prior, following a 147 per cent increase across the state between 2012 and 2019.
GHB is notorious for the thin margin of error between overdose and recreational dosages
The drug is increasingly popular across Australia, particularly among young people
Attendances also spiked in Tasmania, increasing by 346 per cent between 2022 and 2023.
Reformed ice dealer Braiden Tonks recently told Daily Mail Australia GHB was on the rise nationwide for its sought-after side-effects.
‘It just slows your heart right down, puts you into a completely relaxed state where your heart will just slowly beat and just slowly just stop, that’s how you die from it,’ he said.
‘It’s not like an instant bang of being stabbed, I’m dead. It’s just slow, just like, go to sleep, don’t wake up.’
Young people are more likely both to abuse the drug and to require emergency help following GHB use.
Affordability aside, some believe financial pressures are contributing to an appetite for harder substances.
Canberra emergency consulant Dr David Caldicott told ABC News its promise of ‘escape’ from reality was more influential than its afforability.
‘I think young people are looking for an escape from what really does not appear to be a very attractive future for them,’ he said.
GHB-related ambulance callouts are on the rise across Australia
Victoria has the highest rate of GHB-related ambulance callouts in Australia
‘I think that’s probably a considerably more important element than the cost.’
Uncover Mental Health Counselling founder and psychotherapist Kristie Tse said financial pressures were engendering a ‘need for relief’.
‘One of the biggest drivers is the desire to escape or cope with stress, which has been exacerbated by rising financial pressures and uncertainty about the future,’ she told NewsWire.
‘The cost of living plays into this, as financial strain can lead to heightened anxiety and a need for relief, which some may seek through substance use.’
One Touch finance founder Maria Rosey told NewsWire cost-of-living pressures can create circumstances where substance use is seen as more acceptable.
‘As money stress becomes more common, so does the acceptance of substances as coping mechanisms,’ she said.
‘The increase in GHB use during the money crisis shows us that substance use problems can’t be solved by focusing only on the substances themselves.
‘We need to address the conditions that make people turn to substances in the first place.’
