Hi, Ivy Astrix here. I saw some of my work referenced here so figured I’d pop in and do an AMA. I did harm reduction at Vibecamp 1/2, and Vibegala 1/2. Happy to answer what I can as long as it doesn’t violate confidences or isn’t in service of personal grievances.
it shares some of bits of appeal with alcohol and benzos. some people also use it to ride out stimulant comedown, or at least to catch some sleep after stimulant use, and this goes for regular stimulants of amphetamine type but also for ketamine (and psychedelics. not sure how much crossover is out there, but it might be a different type of user). i heard that it also has some anabolic effect, but using it for pre-workout would be unwise
i don’t know what kind of approach to workplace drug testing is/was out there, but ghb/gbl is a combination of being rather polar and having no chromophore which all else equal, means that its detection is harder/different compared to other drugs, and being metabolized quickly and also being formed naturally at low levels, which means that detection window is short. ghb lacks groups that typically react with reagent-type tests and instead custom-made strip tests are needed, or lab testing
there also might be general mindset that they’re so rational, that it’s impossible for them to use drugs in harmful ways (famous last words). some people just think of it as an another tool in their toolbox, and figure out that something is wrong only when they wake up strapped to a bed, with half of their face burned and iv line attached, in a psych ward two countries over, if ever