{"id":45830,"date":"2026-10-29T14:59:40","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T12:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/?p=45830"},"modified":"2026-10-29T14:59:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T12:59:41","slug":"talking-about-drugs-openly-without-myths-or-moralising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/pam-prevencija-ir-zalos-mazinimas-en-en\/talking-about-drugs-openly-without-myths-or-moralising\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking About Drugs \u2013 Openly, Without Myths or Moralising"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is important to know about psychoactive substances, their effects and the risks they pose? How can you recognise dangerous intoxication and help someone who needs assistance? These and many other questions were discussed on 28 October at gallery 1986 nightclub, where the community of signatories to the Vilnius Nightlife Safety Memorandum invited people to an open conversation, \u201cLet\u2019s Talk About Drugs\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Let\u2019s Talk About Drugs. 28 October 2026. Photo: Ugn\u0117 Urbonait\u0117 (@lieju_kadrus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the event, medical toxicologist Gabija Mikulevi\u010dien\u0117 introduced participants to different types of psychoactive substances, their effects on the body and the risks associated with their use. The discussion also focused on practical questions: how to recognise dangerous situations, what to do when someone appears severely intoxicated, and when it is necessary to seek emergency medical assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions We Don\u2019t Always Feel Comfortable Asking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahead of the event, members of the nightlife community were invited to submit questions for the toxicologist anonymously. The questions covered a wide range of topics, from the development of addiction and behavioural mechanisms to the properties of different substances and recovery after a night out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the conversation was not limited to questions submitted in advance. Participants actively joined the discussion, asked the toxicologist questions in person and raised topics that mattered to them. This created a lively conversation shaped above all by the community\u2019s own curiosity and desire to better understand the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Let\u2019s Talk About Drugs. 28 October 2026. Photo: Ugn\u0117 Urbonait\u0117 (@lieju_kadrus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why Is It Important to Talk About Psychoactive Substances in Nightlife Spaces?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The use of psychoactive substances is one of the realities of nightlife. It is therefore important not only to discuss the potential consequences, but also to provide people with reliable information that can help them make informed decisions and recognise risky situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cOver the past year, we have placed a strong emphasis on training nightlife workers \u2013 from harm reduction and sexual violence prevention to first aid. But it is equally important to talk directly with people who take part in nightlife. We want to create a space where people can ask the questions they have without fear of being judged or lectured. The option to submit questions anonymously was an important part of the event, allowing us to include people who might not have felt comfortable asking them publicly,\u201d says Emilija Gaidyt\u0117, Project Manager at the Vilnius Night Office.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Let\u2019s Talk About Drugs. 28 October 2026. Photo: Ugn\u0117 Urbonait\u0117 (@lieju_kadrus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Joint Initiative by Nightlife Venues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s Talk About Drugs\u201d was the first event of its kind organised by the community of venues that have signed the Vilnius Nightlife Safety Memorandum. Its aim was to bring together nightlife visitors, workers and others interested in the topic for an open conversation about health and safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event took place at gallery 1986 nightclub, with other nightlife venues that have signed the Memorandum contributing to its promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative complements the Vilnius Night Office\u2019s ongoing work to make nightlife safer and serves as a reminder that a safer nightlife environment is created not only through rules and staff training, but also by giving nightlife visitors access to reliable information.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is important to know about psychoactive substances, their effects and the risks they pose? How can you recognise dangerous intoxication and help someone who needs assistance? These and many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":45831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[167,173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pam-prevencija-ir-zalos-mazinimas-en-en","category-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45830"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45834,"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45830\/revisions\/45834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vnb.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}