Sanguinarians are people who describe themselves as human beings with a compulsion, or need, to consume blood for reasons that are not primarily related to eroticism or emotional satisfaction. In most cases, Sanguinarians define their condition as an objective, if unrecognized, medical syndrome, entirely biological in nature. As a general rule, they do not propose "spiritual" explanations for their blood craving or believe that it has anything to do with "energy." Most Sanguinarians report a physical craving for human blood preferentially (or exclusively), and many of them have arranged for human "donors" who voluntarily supply them with fresh blood. Some Sanguinarians describe a life-long fascination with blood and blood-drinking, while others experienced an abrupt awakening of blood-craving which they may or may not be able to trace to a certain event.

In the past five years, I have found that the Sanguinarian community has become much more dogmatic in their self-definition. Many define themselves as the only "real vampires," and further insist that a person is a "real" Sanguinarian (and by extension, a "real" vampire) only if he or she suffers actual physical illness without regular blood intake. Many Sanguinarians now report a family history of Sanguinarian symptoms, which five years ago was reported only rarely, and infer a genetic basis for the condition. Symptoms of blood deprivation, according to Sanguinarians, include extreme fatigue, autoimmune deficiencies, headaches, frequent illness, muscle and joint pain, emotional distress, uncontrollable rages, and other problems that cannot be traced to any known disease. Some Sanguinarians report that they suffered for years with such symptoms and achieved almost instant relief when they began drinking blood.

The amount of blood consumed, and the frequency of consumption, varies highly among Sanguinarians, but few consume more than tiny amounts at a time, usually obtained through slight cuts or punctures made by lancets or razor blades on their willing human "donors." Often, the "donors" themselves undertake the making of all cuts or wounds. Many Sanguinarians insist that "donors" undergo testing for blood-borne diseases, including HIV and hepatitis. Some Sanguinarians consume animal blood, but most consider this an inferior substitute for human blood.

Because of the obvious difficulties in finding trustworthy or consistent "donors," or other sources of fresh blood, many Sanguinarians are highly concerned with the problem of "blood famine" or blood deprivation. Online Vampiric Community discussion fora often address the issue of blood deprivation and ways of alleviating symptoms. Some substitutes for blood that are reported to be effective include "blood" drained from raw meat, rare meat itself, milk and dairy products, and even chocolate.

Sanguinarians differ in the intensity of their need for regular blood consumption.

Severe or "bloodlusting" Sanguinarians experience the most critical and physically debilitating blood cravings. They report a need for larger amounts of blood than most Sanguinarians consume at one time, and require it more often. They also report the strongest feelings of physical "withdrawal" when prevented from consuming blood, sometimes so extreme as to resemble narcotics withdrawal. Some severe Sanguinarians believe that blood consumption may in itself be addictive, with higher amounts consumed resulting in an irreversible higher degree of need.

Some severe Sanguinarians talk about the strength of their inner compulsion to obtain blood by any means possible, and the difficulty of keeping such antisocial impulses in check. The phrase "The Beast" has been used to describe this almost overwhelming "shadow self" that threatens to take over when a severe Sanguinarian is suffering from blood deprivation, or when he or she has a source and that source is threatened. While I have not yet heard any of these Sanguinarians describe giving into "The Beast," they seem to agree that it requires their constant vigilance to keep under control. The word "twoofing" has also been used to refer to the state of being overwhelmed by blood deprivation to the point of losing control.

Moderate or "blood-craving" Sanguinarians are satisfied with smaller amounts of blood from "donors" and do not report the same intensity of withdrawal symptoms, or inner compulsion as severe Sanguinarians. They may be satisfied for far longer periods of time with various substitutes, and their need for blood may be more intertwined with complex emotional and sexual feelings. However, they are not merely blood fetishists, because they do report a physical need to drink blood.

Five or six years ago, some individuals circulated among the online vampiric community claiming to be "extreme sanguinarians" who required--and got--a pint or more of human blood per day in order to survive. I have not encountered this category of Sanguinarian, or references to them, recently.

A primary characteristic of Sanguinarians is their presentation of their condition as a liability. Sanguinarians rarely, if ever, admit that their vampiric state confers any advantages. Their websites and fora are devoted to articles about managing and coping with such stressful symptoms as blood deprivation, extreme photosensitivity, nocturnal biological schedules, migraine headaches, "blood rages," "awakening" (coming to terms with being a Sanguinarian) and numerous associated social and psychological issues. Sanguinarian fora are similar to support fora for other severe chronic syndromes and illnesses--being a Sanguinarian, it often seems, is an unenviable misfortune that requires constant vigilance, effort and stamina to endure. Occasionally someone in the fora will state that they enjoy some advantages that they ascribe to their vampiric condition, such as keener than average senses, enhanced physical strength, or faster healing. Such claims are usually rationalized by other members of the forum as "probably within normal limits" (and it's impossible to prove that they aren't, after all) or, on a bad day, as evidence that the claimant is a "poseur."

There are a few Sanguinarians who discuss what they see as vampiric advantages (such as charisma), or who say that they don't believe they're human beings (but in all other ways agree with the Sanguinarians' self-definition). These individuals are the minority, however. Most Sanguinarians are downright aggressive in their insistance that they're human beings, and many will further assert that "we're all human" and no non-humans really exist.

Some of these attitudes may be reactions to the explosive growth of the "psi-vamp" and Otherkin communities. The Sanguinarians often complain bitterly that they have felt shunted aside and invalidated by these two sectors, who have rapidly grown to outnumber the Sanguinarians. Considerable tension resulted when self-defined "psi-vamps" who didn't want to drink blood themselves began to universalize their own prejudices and insist that no one really needed to drink blood, and Sanguinarians "just need to learn how to psi-feed." (See Communing With Vampires for more about this.) The message, both implicit and articulated, that Sanguinarians are "less evolved" than "psi-vamps" has continued to upset the Sanguinarian community, most recently with the release of Version 4.0 of The Black Veil that calls blood drinkers by the extremely derogatory term "wannabe" (the number one "N-word" of the Vampiric Community). In my own opinion, only blood drinkers qualify to be considered, in any sense, "real vampires"--but as I explain elsewhere, I have recused myself from personally assigning the word "vampire" to any of these groups.

In general, Sanguinarians claim no unusual psychic or energy-working abilities that are directly related to their vampiric condition. Some Sanguinarians are Pagans or Witches, and many fora include topics on magick, Wicca, spell-casting, and so on. But again, only a small minority of Sanguinarians have interests that overlap into these areas, and these topics are found mostly on the "psi-vamp" or community-inclusive fora.

For more information about Sanguinarians, see the following websites:

Blood and Coffee

Blood Drinker's Resource Page

Drink Deeply and Dream: The Reality of the Modern-Day Vampire

Echoes of Night

Sanguinarius.org for Real Vampires

SphynxCatVP's Real Vampires Support Page

Smoke & Mirrors Messageboard

Sanguinarius.org Vampiric Community Messageboard

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