A vacuum, like the Scene, can have a pretty exterior that masks its darker core.

WORDS BY: Anthony Gilét

In many ways the gay scene is like a vacuum. Similar to fame, it can look so glamorous from the outside; all the parties, after parties, after-after parties, and other social events, but once you buy your entry to this theme park of gay “dreams” you become addicted. Not just to the drugs, but to the lifestyle too; the sex, the strobe lights and house music.

The only problem is, once you’re inside this ‘theme park’ the membership fee increases every year. The currency you pay in, is not just money, but also sleep, health, and dignity. It’s only after a certain period of time that you realise what once seemed so glamorous isn’t so much, (kind of like Lindsay Lohan). The bags of Mephedrone aren’t as white, the boys look less and less like models and every song has the same beat. 
So why not just refuse to pay and leave the theme park of hedonism? Well, it’s not exactly that simple when you’re addicted to the rush of the rides. 

This is where the test comes in. Everybody knows somebody that was relatively normal at one point and now years down the line is a little bit jaded from their years of drug abuse. That beautiful smile is a permanent gurn, that fresh-looking skin is rougher than sand paper and their biggest achievement in life is how long they’ve been on the scene for.
So are you gonna let yourself get sucked up by the vacuum or are you gonna fight it? It’s undoubtedly a hard fight – especially for those with strongly addictive personalities – which is why some people just don’t even bother trying. It’s the ultimate test of self-control. You have to be strong and dedicated – although for some people (working on the scene, for example), it can be more complicated than others.

It’s a fact of life that there are those who fight the vacuum, manage to escape, and thus usually then have the self-control to return to the ‘theme park’ every once in a while without getting sucked up again.
But unfortunately, it’s also a sad fact of life that there are those who fight, or in some cases – not fight – but for whatever reason are sucked up by the vacuum and inevitably get left behind.

When you slip on the boxing gloves, do whatever you can to save yourself, and do all in your power to get your friends out too.

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