What is an acceptable age to start raving?

[ChunkyLover53]

I would like to know, from people who have no bias, what you think an acceptable age is to start raving?

Keeping in mind that the age you start raving, will probably be the age you start to take hardcore drugs.

What do promoters mean when they say "all responsible ages welcome?" I know that all people are different, and there are some teenagers that can be mature, however I want to know what you believe a good age is for the majority of the kids.

For the purpose of this conversation, I don't want to hear from anyone under 18, or a promoter/dj or anyone that can make money off of these kids, please don't respond.

I only want to hear from people of responsible ages, who don't stand to gain something from skewing this topic.

My vote, is 18...or to be fair, after you have graduated high school (whether that be 17 or 18) since I was 17 when I graduated.

Go.

[AdamAnt4201]

I'm up in yur thrad.....

steelin yur 1st posterz....

[lilnunes1469]

I think thats a tough question for the fact that not all people grow up the same. A lot of kids in my opinion grow up too shelterd, without a sense of being street smart. Those are the ones who should not be let near a rave at a young age. But you also have those who grow up in a way so as to become more indipendant at an early age. I figure any age younger than 16 maybe even 17, just seems to young to be exposed to some of the types of people that are in the scene. You've always got those guys that will sit there and feed a girl pills all night long so that they can get what they want. I just know that the younger someone is the harder it is to say no when somone's trying to get you to take something. Regardless though, when your in high school anyway isnt there typically like a party to go to every weekend? I was exposed to more drugs going to house parties than I have been while raving. So really, I think that if someone that young is going to get into the drug scene, they will regardless of if they can go to a rave or not.

[Idi0tb0x]

Two things.

First, I don't think that attending raves is immediately the equivalent of doing hardcore drugs. I went to my first rave at 16, yes I did LSD that same night...but it was not until much later that I did drugs like LSD or MDMA with any frequency. I think it was actually another 2-3 years after that until I did MDMA for the first time at all. Not everyone goes to a rave and takes that as free license to pop whatever they want in their bodies. I also think that perhaps raves attract people who are likely to do drugs in the first place. It's not like people go into a rave totally naive and randomly start doing hardcore drugs. There is no denying that it is a process of unfolding and attending an event where drug use is cosmopolitan and accepted can accelerate this process, but it is not 0-60 in one rave.

Second, speaking from my own experiences and what I've seen others go through, I think that a 14 or 15 year old has no place at a rave. I know it is only a year or two, but I think 17 or 18 is like the minimum. Not because of the law or anything like that, but simply because I feel like people are going to tend to be more or less out of the woods of adolescent/pubescent confusion and will likely have a slightly more robust sense of self than a 14 or 15 year old. I think you should at least be done with high school and those challenges before you start taking on new and potentially more serious issues that come with the territory. Sex, drugs, and pounding techno sounds like an argument for an R rating...but certainly not an X rating...at least not at 17-18. But for a 14 year old?

Lemme just say this, If I hear about my kid hitting up an underground party before 17-18 I'm gonna bust their ass. Kids don't get beat nearly enough these days anyway

[ChunkyLover53]

First...

In the sme way that parents need to be on top of their kids about going to raves, they need to be on top of them about their curfews during shcool nights and at school events or parties.

When I was in high school my parents were ON MY ASS about where I was, who I was with, and what we were going to do. I had a very strict curfew, and if I didn't stick to it there was hell to pay.

I didn't consider this tough, or I sheltered, it was expected that I had to answer to my parents about my plans. I knew, and still know, that 14/15/16 year olds have no business out past 10:00 on a weekend. Anything that will be transpiring past that point is something that kids shouldn't be involved in. Of course there are exceptions with movies that run late, and supervised parties etc, but generally kids shouldn't be allowed to be out until 2:00am every night when they should be concentrating on school and growing up.

So no, I don't think that kids are going to be exposed to drugs and alchohol at house parties if parents are doing their jobs. When did it become acceptable to let your child go to a raging unsupervised party before they are even able to drive? I think parents and kids alike have been watching way too many movies.

Also idi0tb0x, while that may have been your experience with drugs, the vast majority of my friends started doing drugs regularly when they began attending raves. There were very few people I knew that partied sober, and every single person I knew at least had a casual relationship with illegal drugs.

I think parents really need to take control of their kids again. There are ways to let your kids earn independance without letting them attend events where they will be consuming or tempted with illegal drugs and alcohol.

The fact is that kids DON'T have the right to party at 14-16, and they really don't have a need to. Not only is it frowned upon for a parent to allow it, but the parents can get in HUGE amounts of trouble and even lose their child if they are allowing them to be reckless at that age.

[Lowball]

I honestly think that the "all responsible ages" thing is very grey. When you talk about age, your simply talking about legal age. I know several 18 year olds that think and act like 12 year olds.

Responsible to me means. If your going to go out and go raving be prepared for unexpected occurences(shut down party, etc.) If your not responsible enough to at least be prepared to deal with these circumstanses I dont think your responsible enough to rave.

When you talk about substances, I took my first hard drug about a month before I turned 18. It was fun, but now I feel like I should have waited, because I was not psychologicaly prepared. I think if your going to take drugs, have a real reason to do it. Taking drugs because you can is NOT a good reason. I also feel that if you cannot say the chemical name of the drug right off the bat and you know nothing about it, you shouldn't be taking them.

theres my .02

[ChunkyLover53]

Agreed...I wish I would have waited too. I am just stating 18 as a minimum.

[RaveRRabbiT]

i think 17 is a fair age, im sure there are people that can be responsible for themselves at 16 just as im sure there are people who aren't able to be responsible at like 20. With all of the thizz shit in popular rap culture there are 14 and 15 year olds running around popping pills not thinking twice about what its doing to their brain, a prerequisite to doing drugs should be UNDERSTANDING them, but its not, and it couldn't be enforced anyway. I had done drugs before i started raving, however i feel i have always been very responsible about it, and more responsible than everyone i know (unfortunately, but i look out for all my friends as well and its not like they are stupid about it ) As im getting older i've started to want to drink at raves far more than anything else except for maybe everyonce in a while on a special occasion.

To sum it up, i'd say 17 is a reasonable age but it really comes down to responsibility, and you just can't KNOW by someones age. Respect is another thing though, which by going to a rave you can see a LOT of the younger crowd(as well as some older ones) doesnt have =| respect for the venue, respect for eachother, respect for yourself.


.02

(edit: i went to my first rave at 17)

[ChunkyLover53]

Of course...there are a few people that are younger and have enough wherewithal to appreciate the gravity of the situation they are putting themselves in. Just like there are older people that do not.

However I think that the majority of the kids out there mature around 17/18, and that's what we are looking for, the majority.

[RaveRRabbiT]

i've been pretty bummed out now that im 20 lol theres a lot of 21+ drum n bass stuff i have to miss out on due to a year and since so much of the crowd at raves seems to be younger (probably due to me being older, or the average age at raves getting lower maybe) i'd like to kick it with an older crowd as well where i might have a bit more common ground. I'm not even worried about drinking at such events, I JUST WANNA LISTEN TO JUNGLE LOUDLY!

[purplekhanabooze]

17 is when I started and I think 17 is the perfect age.

and the fact that a lot of jungle clubs and events are 21+ and such makes me sad but i know once im 21 i wont want young'nz up in there.

actually i probably wouldnt care, but i can see how someone can have that perspective.

[RaveRRabbiT]

Originally Posted by purplekhanabooze

17 is when I started and I think 17 is the perfect age.

and the fact that a lot of jungle clubs and events are 21+ and such makes me sad but i know once im 21 i wont want young'nz up in there.

actually i probably wouldnt care, but i can see how someone can have that perspective.

I totally understand the age thing it just sucks when you would be going there for all the right reasons =D