It all started, long ago in the Sixties. I remember parties that were called "happy parties." and as you walked in the host would greet you and point out the "main table," upon which sat this elegant punch bowl, and in the punch bowl would be this huge mix of colors and shapes.

Everyone would bring some pills and just dump 'em into the bowl, and as you got there you would do the same, and grab a handful like everyone else, and we would all walk around, talking and nibbling on the pills, washing them down with beer or wine or whatever was on hand. But never water. I never saw any water at these parties. I saw some really weird shit, sometimes, but I was assured that the really weird shit wasn't really there, which helped some.

Sometimes this would go on for hours, or even days. I've heard of days, and I can believe it. At any rate it would continue as the walk-around party until hardly anyone was still able to stand upright, let alone walk around much any more.

You've probably seen this worked into movies, or heard "rumors" of such parties, but believe me, it was not just casual talk or Hollywood. It was real, and sometimes people got really fucked up.

That's why the very best parties to go to were the ones hosted by a doctor - first, they had access to some great pills and second, the felt it their duty to not imbibe of the wrong pills too much, so the were more or less still with it and able to be there in the event someone had a bad experience or nearly died or something.

"Hey, try the orange ones!" "Why? What's it do?" "Who knows? But the color is really cool, ain't it?" And the orange ones would be tried.

That was the year that I volunteered for Vietnam.