Forums > Social Chat > Fire and Alchohol.. not a good mix!

Posted: 16th Dec 2000
haha sorry for laughing it's just that i posted a similar message on the old board - the good think about me is that i didn't have any fire equipment around just glowsticks, but still i got them and went back to the party room where i made a fool out of myself (lack of coordination) let alone hitting a few people (including myself) on the head...so i said that's it, i was worried more about losing my credibility as a capable Poi swinger and hurting others rather than hurting myself i must admit; if you think it's not a big deal if you lose credibility think again if you want to perform in front of others apart from swinging yourself - it's amazing how quickly the word spreads around that there was a crap Poi swinger (or amazing depending) and then the next time you approach someone to perform in a party they organise i can tell you from experience that they won't be too keen to include you in the performers . my opinion is that giving really unprofessional 'performances' in front of anyone is NOT a good thing at all; it might come back and haunt you when you don't expect it... well i guess that your case is a 'safety first' case though!!! well my advise would be not to be so silly... of course getting someone to put them in their rooms might be a good idea for the time being or maybe if you have a drawer that locks, lock them in before you go out and give the keys to someone you trust - i honestly believe though (and i am being dead serious) that you really have to take it seriously and convince yourself that you shouldn't do it...it's a bit hard (i know that it's exciting believe me) but you can always take your energy out on other things when drunk - make love not war ... let me just say that i had something similar with drinking and driving a few years back, it wasn't that i was driving drunk for the excitement but like you are doing now, deep inside i didn't truly believe that anything really bad would happen - well, i ended destroying my car on a tree on a river bank (!), let alone the fact that my friend got injured... not nice huh???so i think it's just up to you to decide, locking the Poi away etc etc might be a good short run solution but i am sure that you can't go on forever doing it , it will happen at some point to forget to do it or something similar... this is even funnier Chloe; i quote from your reply (29/11) to my 'drinking' problem:'i can't and don't partic want to swing when drunk' - i think it's funny since i am the one replying now and probably the roles will switch in a month or so... ( hey that was a joke, i am not doing it again ).oh and another thing, i went easy on you since i know that most of the people on this site don't like the 'drink & swing' approach so prepare for a 'good' time with the replies... you can always email me the day after (if you do it again) and i start yelling at you sooooo loudly you will be able to hear me in Kent well good luck with trying, maybe we should add a new move on the site called 'Chloe's & Simos' deadly PoiBreath'os something - it's gonna involve getting reaaally hammered and then whilst swinging in front of your face, you breath out with all your strength, and this should create a nice 'fire-breathing' effect....what do you say??? take care and play safe,Simos

Posted: 16th Dec 2000
around a year ago now i was at a party and decided to fire breathe whilst drunk. i burnt my beard whilst swallowing the flame at the end of my little session fortunetly i wasn't hurt badly. more stupidly though i taught a friend who was also drunk how to fire breathe. he had seen me do it so he had a rough idea of what to do. i was in no state to teach and he was in no state to learn. i pretty much just handed him the bottle of kero and said to him "here put this in your mouth and spit it onto the flame". he did this and made a huge fire ball which went over the heads of 4 friends who were sitting neer by and nearly burned them. i knew that i was in no state to fire breathe that night but it is so hard to excert self contol when drunk (especially when you have over 50 people begging you to do it). so i know what your going through. i think that simos has the right idea find somewhere to lock them and give a trusted friend the key. otherwise you mitght not learn until you neerly have an accident, or worse you could actually have one. you don't want to learn the hard way. Rain. P.S. i am no longer fire breathing due to the horrible things that the kero does to your body.

Posted: 17th Dec 2000
uh, Rain, I think we got the message ;-)Chloe, I've had a similar problem. not with fire, but with throwing people around. I'm a second degree black belt in Aikido, and sometimes when I'm drinking, I just get an urge to do techniques. Fortunately, I'm often around other Aikido folks when this happens, but not always. And for some reason folks find it rude if I dump them on their behinds out of the blue. But just like with fire, someone could really get hurt, and it makes me a bad representative for Aikido. Coming to understand that has made it a lot easier not to toss around strangers. When you're drunk, you're still the same person, just with less impulse control. So truly understanding what a bad idea it is to spin drunk can give you a buffer where you're less likely to do it. I think so anyway.Keith[This message has been edited by Keith (edited 17 December 2000).]

Posted: 17th Dec 2000
The weird thing is, its funier when yer plastered as you try stuff that there's no way in hell you would have done when you were sober........i.e pick up the damm things (poi) in the first place! Having said that, alchol/whatever and fire is dangerous and you've really gotta be careful....burns are no fun (neither are burned friends!)PS. Having read the email below, I've got to say a big ARGHHHHH! how embarrasing + many thanks to AL for the rescues!! Psst. you make fire breathing sound like a lot of fun ! hahahahah [This message has been edited by sammie (edited 20 December 2000).]

Posted: 17th Dec 2000
funny that you should say that as i do remeber certain times when i have helped you away from a drinking establishment/poi performance with you swearing blind you were sober.i started learning poi in thailand and had partook in a certain mind altering drug when i first did fire but now dont go near the things when drunk.i have also had drunk peer pressure with the fire breathing thing and it is no fun when you swallow instead of spit(no jokes please)FIRE BREATHING--ONLY IF PAID. is now what i think.POI----should be mind altering in its own right if you are doing it for yourself and sholdnt need alcohol or anything else.still it always funny at the timehappy firey swishy noises and none of the vomiting. aliiii

a.cooke

Posted: 17th Dec 2000
For me, Poi are somewhere between:1. (no pun intended ) firearms - once they're made safe, cleaned and tucked away you can start drinking.2. drinking and driving - theres a legal and obligational limit to yourself and others3. getting as wasted as possible, and encouraged by your equally wasted 'mates', gleefully climb on board the fastest and most paraffin laden chariot to A&E !!Keep swingin'

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 18th Dec 2000
Wow, thanks, Chloe, for bringing the topic up. I'd like to address the drinking itself, if I may. I'm concerned when someone tells me they drink till they're blacked out. At that point, spinning fire seems the least of your worries. Anything can happen to you when you're debilitated by alcohol. **Anything** My brother died while he was drinking at age 28. Any number of bad things can happen at any given time and when drunk, you have a greatly limited capacity to take care of yourself. You're friends can't always look after you. Please, sister, take a close look at why you're drinking to excess. With love and respect,Diana

Posted: 19th Dec 2000
well i know what you mean - it's bloody fantastic twirling when you're flogged and i reckon why resist the urge... i reckon us peoples are too preoccupied with entertaining others when we should just be havin fun - that's why i started twirling in the first place - because it was a great feeling... u may have a few bruises the next morning but at least u had a good night------------------cheers and take it easy

cheers and take it easy

Posted: 20th Dec 2000
I actually happen to know that the above Sammie learnt the poi when out of her tree on hooch (or one of many other mind altering substances)and I was very impressed by the lack of burnage incurred.However, I do not recommend that nike air filled trainers are added to the source of flames (i.e. bonfire) as this can lead to some pretty scary shit worthy of running & hiding a fair distance away from the aforementioned bonfire. EXPLODING TRAINER

Posted: 20th Dec 2000
scleromorph i don't mind bruises either, swinging when drunk with a set of practice Poi is fine by me, even use glowsticks if you want (i know about that, it's not so bad just be careful of your eyes and don't swing if others are near is my advice)- but being drunk and swinging fire is another thing; i am not speaking from experience but burning your skin doesn't sound very entertaining at all,play safe and happy Swinging,Simos

Posted: 21st Dec 2000
Wow, everyone has been really helpful and replied in depth, thankyou for taking the time.. which is something i am in limited supply of at the mo. I'm not being rude by not responding and iwill post some longer replies v soon. Cheers again.

Chloe.
-I'm dancing through the fire just to catch a flame-
Paul Weller

Posted: 22nd Dec 2000
Hia,Thanks for all the constructive and helpful replies. After hearing what everyone has to say, i am alot closer in my mind to not wanting to swing whilst drunk, and i think that was what i needed, it's good to not become completely incapacitated with any drug, esp when i am so wrecked i can't stand up, let alone remember it.It is lucky coz i don't often get that mushed/drunk, so the danger is not as great as it could be However, Diana, thanks for the comments, i understand about your fear for safety and alchohol, i do not often drink to excess, it was my birthday, whilst being no reason, i think i should be excused I know that you are right Simos, you never expect bad things to happen until they do. The way i seem to work is that i throw myself in at the deep end and learn to swim while im there (if i can't already) altho i am altering my methods slightly for poi Make love not war, hmm, heheh, i think i can manage to find the bed instead of the fire. Or maybe, find the fire in the bed..hehe.I know that most people on the site don't partic think 'drink and swing' is a good method, so i'm grateful for all the helpful replies, and no flames. .. (woo, no pun intended). But i am happy to make an example of myself in this way, if other people are helped out aswell.It is difficult to exert self control when drunk, and yeah, the impulse control is lessened to a large extent, but i am seeing why it is so important (not that i couldn't see that playing with fire was dangerous when drunk before) to be in control, and my mind seems to understand it now, so i think the possiblity of me frying any of my friends unknowingly is getting slimmer (even if they ask me to ) and in future i'm gonna pick up the beaming poi (or the glowsticks, juggling balls, etc) before i pick up the fire.If you don't respect nature, you will eventually see how powerful it really is, and how utterly powerless you really are, i think if i remember this i can't really go wrong. hmm, i also kinda like my friends round and fleshy as opposed to thin and crispy (hmm slightly tasteless, i think so)Thankyou everone! SillyButNotDrunkFireSwingerChloe

Chloe.
-I'm dancing through the fire just to catch a flame-
Paul Weller

Posted: 1st Jan 2001
I dont swing fire when Ive been drinking - although I have been known to bruise myself with my practice poi after a few wines .. and would agree that the whole co-ordination thing is a bit of a problem ... what does work for me though is umm errr .. some other stuff that keeps arriving in my hands ... just being that bit more relaxed and self concious seems to lift my swinging into another level, I find I can learn new moves a lot easier and forget myself in the dance a lot more ..I was a bit stonned the other night when there was a storm on and went outside and lit up for a swing .. it was the most amazing experience just swinging fire around on the top of a hill with the wind screaming around and thunder rolling away - kinda felt like there was nothing in the world cept me with my fire and the storm - afterwards I just sat there and went wow!!!

I wish I could jump like that, he thought. Some can and some can't. That's how it is.
Winne-the-Pooh.

Posted: 1st Jan 2001
hey Dean - sounds like you are having a hell of a time in NZ - i thought it was summer now in NZ, do you often get summer storms???happy new year,Simos

Posted: 2nd Jan 2001
Yeah it is .. it was kinda unseasonal - droughty weather down south a bit - with hell winds coming up each night with the occasiaonal thunder and lightening ... with little rain which made for great scarey manic poiing

I wish I could jump like that, he thought. Some can and some can't. That's how it is.
Winne-the-Pooh.

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 3rd Jan 2001
alcohol totally messes up your ability to do anything, which is why its very dangerous for you to spin fire.personally i would never spin fire poi on anything that messes with your motor skillshowever spinning with glowsticks or tennis balls is big barrel of fun!a small side note:I have seen my friends (no matter how many times i tell them to quit) spin poi with glowsticks high on crystal meth at raves. This has the oppisite effect of alcohol, by masivly improving your speed/strength and all other motor skills. They could do all kinds of tricks (that they can't do normally) at speeds so fast that the glow sticks would leave incredibly huge blured tails behind them (about 2 feet long) ta ta for now!

Posted: 3rd Jan 2001
This may be mean, but your stupid. I apologize if any feelings are hurt, but use your brains, either stop drinking so much, or stop doing poi, simple as that. If you are that irresponsible about it, then you should do it, but by yourself. That way you will decrease the population of stupid people in this world.

Posted: 4th Jan 2001
Fire and booze...ooo scary! I was twirling fire at a free party a few months ago and you know how it is after a few drinks, you feel sooo confident, you come up with moves which you never dreamt of, add to this other 'chemicals' into your system and you can twirl your self silly. Round and round, faster and faster went the burning poi, the crowds looked on amazed and then...where the hell did that poi go? I had no idea, one minute it was in my hand and the next? I had no idea, it just flew off into orbit...friends tell me it flew about 30 feet into the air before landing some way off - luckily away from the crowd but God it was so close, I could have really hurt someone. I will never do fire when drunk ever again, ever, ever ever. Now, fire on other substances is a totally different matter...but I don't know if this is the place to discuss THAT sort of thing!? If it is that sort of place, let me know 'cos I bet there are some great stories out there (I certainly have a few to tell!) Yours in sobriety...Jamesxxx

Posted: 4th Jan 2001
well i am no drugs expert myself but to me moving from alcohol to drugs is not the answer to this; i have difficulty deciding if 'fire POI + alcohol' sounds more scary than 'drugs' but after having seen a few people and how they ended up i am quite sure i want to keep away from both! sorry for being boring and i know that not all drugs are the same thing but my opinion is that generally you don't realize until it's too late with drugs (and i am of course particularly referring to harder stuff) so i guess good luck and a lot of strength is what you need in order to be able to say that you really have it under control; on the other side i am amazed that there are substances out there that can improve your strength, speed and other motor skills as Greg says - being used to alcohol which in reality fucks you up as far as motor skills are concerned and at the same time makes you really confident, i am damn curious to find out how it feels to be truly better at swinging etc rather just thinking that you are which is the case with alcohol...well plz don't get me wrong i think that anyone is entitled to make his/her choices and have his opinion and what i wrote above is just my personal opinion - lastly i have to say that i'll be damn tempted to get some crystal meths help myself if i don't manage to do that behind the back weave soon (in case you are wondering i am joking) - grrrrrr that move is pissing me off... oh and a question - maybe Greg can answer from he knows from his friends; you said that they can do moves that they couldn't before etc etc when they are on crystal meths, what on earth happens the next day, are they still able to do the new moves they were doing the previous night or does it all just magically goes away until the next time you are high?happy swinging,Simos

Posted: 5th Jan 2001
i can answer this one for ya simos, being that i sometimes (1/3 of the time) do some ecstacy at raves when i spin. (ecstacy has some crystal in it to give you more energy to dance) while i spin on ecstacy i become much faster and skilled at poi. however the moves that you become more skilled at are in some way similar to moves you can already do.(eg. if you do chase the sun normally you can probably now do it horizontaly absolutly perfect) mainly you become alot faster and more fluent in your move transitions and will be tempted to turn and dance alot more. if you cant do behind the back 2 beat figure 8 weave you wont be able to do the 3 beat weave (however you will learn moves much quicker if you practice on crystal meth and you will be able to do those in the morning)however the next day your skill goes right back to where it was the day before but now you have many new moves to practice.i strongly beleive if you do anykind of drugs make sure you never use fire and are somewhere safe like a rave (99% of the time has an ambulance) or where there is some way to help if you o.d.this is just my $.02

Posted: 5th Jan 2001
Oh ya another thingstreight crystal meth is stupid to do because it is addictive and very hard on your body, (have fun staying up for 3 days streight and not eating anything) Also it isnt even a very good high.

Posted: 5th Jan 2001
On the drug thing...poi on E can feel wonderful and I have never 'lost it' while twirling on this stuff, as I do a lot of stuff in clubs it is kinda second nature now. But the most wonderful poi sessions I have had have been on Acid or Mushrooms - talk about being in the 'zone'! If you've ever used halucinogenics for trance or mediation, then you know what I mean. You become one with your poi (sorry to sound like a hippy), you learn new moves and you remember them - do not underestimate your body's physical memory, once its done something, it can do it again (well mine does anyway). : )xjames

Posted: 5th Jan 2001
Full agreement with James. Whenever I spin on mushrooms (which is occassinally), I feel like I take a quantum leap to another level of spinning. It either makes mind and body one, or eliminates mind altogether. All I know is that my body knows what to do without any help from me. I fully entrance myself when I'm spinning. I find that the skill and speed with which I spin lessens the next day, but my overall skill remains improved and I get a glimpse as to what I'll be able to do in the future. Also...the tracers from fire or glow or whatever leave lovely mandalas in your field of view.------------------Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire my spirit

Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire my spirit

Posted: 7th Jan 2001
oh hell ya!!!!mush and poi is a very good mix!!!even better is hippy flipping!!!(mushrooms and ecstacy)if you have never done that, you are gunna be in a different world!!!and your poi go everywhere without you even thinking of it. (without tangleing)however high levels of crystal in ecstacy or streight crystal gives you the best poi spinning abilities. (by far)

Posted: 8th Jan 2001
Mushroom Trails of Fire...God yeah! To be surrounded in a cage of flames as they spin round your body is a wonderful experience, the noise is awesome, the growling woosh of the wicks is a 'grounding' noise connecting direct to my base chakra. Cosmic. Sexy. MMMM! xxxdisko

*burn-baby-burn-disko-inferno*

Posted: 8th Jan 2001
Mmm, i have to agree that the little mushrooms that grow from the ground appear to have highly sacred properties. I spent one amazing night at an outdoor free party in the summer poiing my heart out, never felt anything like it, the poi simply became the ends of my fingers, and i didn't want to do anything else ever! They also increased my ability alot and i managed to continue the moves i learnt the night before, the next day. I only had a small cup of brew that the soundsystem had made as well.Chloe

Chloe.
-I'm dancing through the fire just to catch a flame-
Paul Weller

Posted: 16th Jul 2001
I suppose Ill have to add my 2 Cents.A study conducted by a leading motorcycle magazine testing driving ability while drinking worked out like this.At 1-2 Drinks all of the test subjects showed improved reaction times and were able to drive the obstacle course at higher speeds than sober. More drinks than it takes to sustain (roughly 1 Per hour) and everyone became markedly worse as drivers and did not believe it when you told them.All that being said have fun, dont worry we'll make more. ' People. [This message has been edited by Code128 (edited 17 July 2001).]

------------------
A.N.T.H.E.L.I.O.N

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 17th Jul 2001
Just one more tale of mishap to induce extreme caution in fellow fire twirlers:On Saturday I was at a party, partaking in party enebriants of various kinds. The pois came out and I was eager to have a go. Needless to say I had more confidnece than ability at the time and I proved the theory that if you play with fire you're going to get burned. Although I'm blonde my new nick name is red head cos I head flaming locks! No serious damage done (apart from wounded ego) but I have learnt my lesson! May I suggest lighting up early on before you or anyone else is too smashed to be responsible then stashing the poi in a safe spot out of harm's way.

Posted: 17th Jul 2001
Dam! I always get into the discussions late But just my two cents.I was at a wedding this last Saturday and had my pratice poi with me. Had far too much to drink and dragged out my poi. I Was Ready to Swing For The Whole World!My dance choreagrapher was there and I was dying to show her, so off I went.The bruise on my right cheekbone looks awful and that's not the only thing that's bruised. My legs, back and most of all my pride. That's the last time. I hate looking like an idiot, especially since I spend so much time perfecting moves!On the same note however, I found that a little bit of a something is fabulous to swing on, but I would never attempt it with fire. Too many things could go wrong.

*HEDONISM*

Posted: 17th Jul 2001
Oh, I dunno about that. ;-) I was on at least six different substances when I decided to spin fire blindfolded and with headphones. The experience was *completely* beyond comparison...-p.