January is a time for jumpstarting positive change for the upcoming year. Throughout the month, Resident Advisor explores the topic of wellness and self-improvement in dance music.

Over the course of my raving career, I've accrued many anecdotal tips about how to mitigate drug comedowns. It felt comforting to be told that drinking orange juice after a night taking MDMA or tripping on LSD would help my body recover with an extra boost of vitamin C. Friends often came to the dance floor armed with clementines as a result, and at one rave I attended years ago in a downtown Montréal loft, mixed fruit smoothies were served at the bar, the roar of a blender a mere hum amongst the subwoofer's relenting bass. Taking 5-HTP, a chemical compound that boosts the brain's serotonin levels, helped me feel safer in protecting my precious serotonin reserves after taking amphetamines. I learned the hard way, through personal experience, that alcohol and ketamine do not mix. Years later, I began a ritual of drinking dissolved magnesium in water after I got back from the club to support much-needed muscle relaxation and easier rest following a marathon dance session. I started buying dissolvable vitamins and minerals, which are sold at the Berghain coat check alongside gum and snacks.

Due to the fact that most of our drug education is based on abstinence, harm reduction often originates from within the community rather than from a government health authority. This guide aims to be a resource for safer drug consumption, to educate on the long-term effects of substance use on our bodies and brains and to offer solutions for reducing their potential risks. Harm reduction here is considered preventative and holistic, incorporating gut and overall health and wellness through food, sleep, exercise, and recovery time.

Go With Your Gut

The gut is one of the most remarkable bodily organs. It accounts for two-thirds of our immune system and produces more than 20 unique hormones, according to Giulia Enders' book Gut: The Inside Story of our Body's Most Underrated Organ. Problems with digestion often correlate with nervous system issues and therefore mood disorders. The gut is more connected with the brain than we may realize. "There are more neurons that connect the gut to the brain than the brain to the rest of the body," explains Flavia Deuchler, a holistic health coach based in Europe. Therefore anything impairing the gut or the digestion of food and substances in general will compromise this gut-brain connection—the messages travelling between the digestive system and the nervous system.

The neurotransmitter serotonin, often referred to as the "happiness hormone," is quite widely understood to be negatively affected by drugs like cocaine, mephedrone or speed, as well as MDMA and other amphetamines. More than 90 percent of it is not only found in the gut, but most of it is produced there. Similarly, up to 50 percent of dopamine— responsible for motivation, mood and pleasure—is stored in our gut.

MDMA specifically has binding affinity to serotonin receptors, which signals a huge release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine outside a normal range. This accounts for the increased feelings of euphoria it brings about. These neurotransmitters build up between the synapses—a junction between two nerve cells—as MDMA prolongs signalling there which prevents serotonin reuptake. This means that serotonin does not get reabsorbed into the presynaptic cell as usual. Presynaptic cells are responsible for releasing neurotransmitters to stimulate the postsynaptic cell. Therefore, when you're taking a substance that is overstimulating your body and your neurotransmitters, you are inevitably impairing the normal activity of the network responsible for regulating your mood and cognitive function. Substances like MDMA also cause increased oxidative stress in the brain, which can lead to the damage of neurons and changes to neurotransmitters.

The reality of the substances some of us take on a big night out—alcohol and other depressants, stimulants like MDMA or speed, hallucinogens such as ketamine, and even prescription drugs—is that the body sees them all as toxic. "Whatever you ingest that is not food or clear water is seen by your body as a toxin and your body will have to get rid of it somehow," says Deuchler. Accepting that toxins will be entering your body whenever you choose to consume alcohol or drugs is the first step. Then comes creating an environment where your body can effectively remove these toxins and replenish itself accordingly.

Eat

There are certain things we can consume to more effectively prepare ourselves not just hours, but weeks before raving. Genevieve Zena, a yoga teacher based in Berlin, says ensuring her "immunity is on top form" is a priority before a big night out. This means eating healthily all week by focusing on fruits and vegetables and taking supplements. "I love taking vitamin C for immunity, zinc to partner up with the vitamin C," she says. "Magnesium is great for a hangover, which I've now discovered. It's my saviour. It relaxes muscles and helps with blood flow. Vitamin B12 and vitamin D as well."

DJ Madam X, who stepped up her exercise and healthy eating game a few years ago after the demands of touring were negatively affecting her back, also endorses a supplement regimen. She cites magnesium, zinc and B12 as essential to maintaining good health.

Deuchler approves of these supplements, adding that supporting digestive health is more important than taking an array of vitamins. "A lot of people, especially in the party scene, tell me they take their vitamins religiously. Except that if you keep having this lifestyle, you basically just have really expensive pee and are not actually absorbing and metabolising them." To improve digestive health, she suggests consuming prebiotic and probiotic foods in addition to taking a digestive enzyme for extra support.

Prebiotic foods are rich in fibre, which help feed the friendly bacteria in your gut. Deuchler names garlic and cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, brussels sprouts and broccoli as being the most effective. The latter two are known as sulforaphanes, which create sulphuric compounds in the body, which help combat unhealthy gut bacteria.

Probiotics are available in supplement form, and Deuchler recommends a good pharmacy-bought probiotic blend with as many strains as possible that really go and fill your bacteria portfolio. "Going out takes a big toll on your bacteria," she says. "A lot of them die and the bullies on the playground—the bad bacteria—come in and start thriving on this battlefield where all the good bacteria have died, and start overgrowing and then creating more downstream problems."

In food form, probiotics are most often fermented, making them very bioavailable to the gut, as Deuchler says, citing sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented cabbage and kombucha as excellent sources.

Deuchler also cautions against grabbing a quick bite on your way to the function. "If you really want to take care of your gut before you go out," she suggests, "you would want to have a very peaceful, rested meal where you can actually focus on what you're putting into your mouth, and let your digestive system really run its course." The stomach can be particularly sensitive to larger doses of psychedelic compounds like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms. Taking these substances can cause bloating, nausea and gas, as your body is digesting something it's not used to. Consider focusing on a quality meal 6 to 12 hours before, rather than a few hours prior.

As for what exactly to eat, incorporating some pre- and probiotic foods is ideal, with a good balance of protein and carbohydrates. According to Deuchler, "protein is the building block of all of the amino acids and contains all the things we need for energy production." As for carbohydrates, she specifies "healthy carbs," which are slowly released in the bloodstream to help you maintain blood sugar, ensure that you can maintain energy throughout the night. She recommends proteins like chicken, fish or other white meat, beans and lentils. For carbs, she suggests cruciferous vegetables and whole grains such as oats and brown rice.

Although it may be tempting to grab some comforting fast food on the way home, Deuchler implores ravers to wait to eat something more filling and nutrient-dense, like eggs. She also suggests drinking warm water which will "enable your mucosal linings to be rehydrated after all the alcohol (and other substances)." Anti-inflammatory herbs or roots like ginger are also supportive. "You could have a ginger tea to help calm down the digestive system, because by the time you get home, it'll probably be quite upset."

Sleep

While food and supplement intake are crucial, sleep "is the most restorative time we have and we should honour that," according to Deuchler. "Sleep is just really important to help me recover," agrees Zena. "I feel like that's one of the most important things to have, just a good night's sleep afterwards."

Few of us truly honour our natural circadian rhythm that nudges us to wake up as the sun rises and go to bed when the sun sets. This automatically puts stress on the nervous system. "When we are not digesting, usually at night, there is a whole system that is put in place (the migrating motor complex system) which is basically cleaning our entire organs, our entire digestive organs, and priming them for what's to come the next day. If we are not in a resting state, this system doesn't even switch on," Deuchler says. "As we put more strain on it, it becomes more difficult for the body to eliminate toxins, to work out of our systems anything that's not useful for us."

If our migrating motor complex system gets activated most frequently when we are sleeping normally at night, then it follows that raving all night will put the most strain on our bodies. Zena came to appreciate more diurnal rave opportunities when she moved to Berlin, rather than mostly nocturnal options in her native UK. "Day parties and parties that happen all weekend are more common in Berlin, so you can go and still be on your sleep schedule, which is so important."

Rave

There are a myriad of ways we can reduce harm to ourselves when we are actually raving. Those consulted for this piece who had experience taking substances emphasized the importance of mindset and environment when choosing to take drugs. New York musician Lauren Flax, who founded the harm reduction organization Last Night a DeeJay Saved My Life, explains her raving ethos. "I'm much more intentional with my drug intake. Meaning I have to be around people I trust in a trusting environment and I have to have an out if I need to go home and be alone."

While there was no real need for harm reduction in Flax's early rave days in Detroit, the rise in fentanyl found in common club drugs, primarily in North America, necessitates it to prevent accidental overdoses. Speaking of her organization, she shares, "We started in 2019. I'm glad that we did that because 2020 saw, with the pandemic, an uptick of something like 41 percent of accidental overdoses. People are always asking why drug dealers are putting fentanyl in drugs. It's because fentanyl is very cheap and easy to make, it makes the actual drug it's in more potent and it makes you come down faster, so it makes the person come back quicker. The problem is, if they put three salt-grain-sized pieces of fentanyl in there, that can kill anyone."

Last Night a DeeJay Saved My Life provides narcan or naloxone training to anyone, and a blue card that allows them to obtain as much of the fentanyl overdose-preventing substance as they might need to administer to friends or partygoers in case of an emergency. She also encourages more venues to not only provide fentanyl test strips, but ensure there are also small cups available to properly conduct testing. Determining the safety of your drugs and being prepared for possible contamination is the first step to safer raving.

Next, you'll want to ensure you're sufficiently hydrated throughout the night. If you're on your feet or dancing, approximately one to two glasses of water an hour is best. Ideally, you'd throw in a sodium-containing beverage such as a sports drink to ensure that your electrolytes are balanced to avoid hyponatremia (a low concentration of sodium in the blood).

Alcohol should also be avoided if you're taking substances like MDMA and ketamine not only to sidestep further dehydration, but also to prevent interactions between substances. If you do decide to drink, Deuchler suggests sticking to shots without any sugary mixers, like cola or maté, which mess with your gut bacteria. One advantage of avoiding alcohol on a big night out is a smoother come down, especially when sticking to only one substance at a time, Flax says. Since abstaining from alcohol nearly five years ago, she's noticed a much shorter recovery time after raving.

Repeat

One of the best things you can do for your body and brain is to allow ample time for their recovery in between big sessions. It has been suggested to take a break of at least two or three months in between ingesting substances such as MDMA and other amphetamines such as speed, as your brain needs at least a month to rebuild its serotonin levels. Other drugs affect your body differently. Ketamine also causes surges in serotonin and dopamine, and its chronic use can severely damage the kidney and liver and cause urinary tract and bladder problems. GHB also deeply affects different neurotransmitter systems in the body. It increases acetylcholine and serotonin levels, and reduces dopamine, although some studies have shown that it first inhibits its release and then causes it. It is extremely easy to overdose on, and this risk increases when taken with alcohol or other depressant drugs. Whether it's combined with another substance or not, taking too much GHB can lead to nausea, unconsciousness, respiratory and central nervous system depression, vomiting and involuntary muscle contractions.

Although substances such as psilocybin, LSD, ketamine and even MDMA have been shown to have certain therapeutic effects in clinical settings, they are still inevitably disrupting the body's habitual rebalancing of neurotransmitters. The longer the break the better, since your dopamine and serotonin reserves drop after a night of substance use, and it takes time for them to be restored to their previous level.

Regular exercise can also aid in the production and proper circulation of neurotransmitters throughout the body. We're all familiar with the "feel good" effects we experience from the release of endorphins during physical activity, but serotonin and dopamine are also in the mix, along with norepinephrine.

Madam X has seen significant improvements in her overall health and resilience thanks to physical activity and decided to share this with others at the start of the pandemic. After sharing snippets of her exercise regimen, her Instagram followers were keen to know more. "I kept getting people asking "what's your workout routine? How are you staying so healthy in lockdown? What are you doing?" she recalls. "I realized maybe we could help people and teach them how to work out from home. And maybe we could combine the fact that we love music with it. Get some DJs on board and try to get some mixes from people in the scene and just offer people something a little bit different." Under the banner of Mdmxercise, six months of consistent Sunday workouts turned into demand for an additional Wednesday class, all soundtracked by DJs like OK Williams, Ikonika, Saoirse, Jubilee and Hodge.

The class has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response from participants, most of whom remarked on improvements to their emotional wellbeing, rather than just their bodies. "It really helped their mental health and it was something they looked forward to every week," recounts Madam X.

There's no way around it: in order for your mental and physical health to be properly restored, you need to allow for ample recovery time between raves or nights out. For so many of us, raving can be a form of caring for ourselves and others—feeling euphoric in the presence of other people and good music while physically and mentally releasing tension through dance. However, without harm reduction, this act can easily become self-destructive and leave us feeling worse when our intention is to feel better. In partying smarter through paying attention to what's going on outside the rave—our eating, sleeping, physical activity and recovery time—along with sharing practical tips with others, we and our gut bacteria can thrive in a state of resilience and happiness.