Raves are all night dance parties. We as parents thought they were safe because no alcohol was being served. How wrong we were. These parties as they are called originally started out in Europe in the mid 1980's.

They are held in warehouses, open fields and usually are set up on short notice. They are attended mostly by teens that like to dress in baggy clothes and costumes. Often wearing colorful candy or plastic necklaces.

Raves begin around 8:00PM and end around dawn and usually are attended by thousands.

Designer or "Club" Drugs such as GHB and Ecstasy are used at Raves by many teens for their reported ability to enhance the experience and enable them to "dance all night." Not all who go to these Raves use drugs.

Many teens suck on lollipops and/or pacifiers to stop their teeth from grinding with use of Ecstasy.

GHB is colorless and odorless and is put into water bottles to help conceal it. GHB has been called the "new date-rape" drug because it is easily slipped into the unsuspecting victims drink or soda.

Examination of tablets at Raves reveal that many do not contain Ecstasy, but other drugs such as Cocaine, LSD, Heroin, and Methamphetamine. They have also been known to contain other chemicals such as PMA. This chemical is very powerful and is suspect in several deaths.

Studies show that the use of Ecstasy may cause irreversible brain damage and extreme changes in behavior and mood. Ecstasy can cause hyperthermia (high body temperature) and dehydration and death.