http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7676404/real_vampires_sanguine_or_blood_drinking.html?cat=7Real Vampires: Sanguine, or Blood Drinking, Vampires
The Lifestyle and the Culture
Neal Litherland - February 10, 2011The word vampire calls to mind all sorts of modern interpretations and old vampire myths. Whether you view vampires as sexy and tortured immortals, or as heinous blood drinking beasts though, most people relegate the vampire strictly into the realms of fiction. However there are people who consider themselves vampires today (as opposed to those throughout history like Vlad Dracula or Elizabeth Bathory who have earned the monniker). These people may not be able to turn into bats, fly, display superhuman strength or live forever... but they do claim to have a real and genuine need to drink human blood.
Now, before we go further a line needs to be drawn between "real" vampires and other, similar lifestyles. There are goths for instance, who are usually seen as men and women dressed in black with pale faces and dark hair who embrace the "darkness and mystery" inherent in many parts of life and death. There are also vampire enthusiasts, who enjoy the fantasy of vampires through movies, television, historical reading and even vampire role playing games such as Vampire: the Requiem by White Wolf. Enthusiasts, by and large, realize that vampires are fantasy but they enjoy that fantasy and spend time day dreaming or actively pretending to be a part of it. These are oversimplifications of course, but these two groups are not a part of the real blood drinkers who are usually referred to as sanguine vampires, or sang vampires for short.
Sanguine vampires are men and women who share only this compulsion to drink blood with the vampires of myth and legend. The human body of course cannot digest blood, and the substance is excreted in the urine, feces and
sweat of the person who ingests it; so there is no physical reason that a person must drink blood. If you were to ask a sanguine vampire he or she would say that the need to consume blood is not psychosomatic, but it is a real craving that must be satisfied. These vampires as a rule prefer human blood, and many donors (people who willingly cut or pierce themselves) will provide blood for vampires in this community. With blood born viruses a major concern for the sanguines, tests and checks are typically performed on donors to make sure there isn't a deadly exchange of fluids.
Of course the sanguine community is made up of a variety of different types of people, and stereotyping them all would be irresponsible. There are sanguine vampires who satisfy their needs while living a normal life with a steady job and otherwise mundane habits and desires. There are also sanguine vampires who believe they are supernatural, with strength and healing abilities beyond mortals. Long black coats and coffins may be the decorum of choice, or you might find there are sanguines who prefer jeans and a tee shirt. The tastes vary, though many sanguine vampires will form groups with their own rules. Some will sound silly or like imitations of fiction, while others will be as serious as any support group or religious organization. The point is that, regardless of what outsiders may believe, sanguine vampires believe in their needs and that they are, in fact, real vampires who must drink blood in order to maintain themselves spiritually, emotionally, physically or some combination thereof.
"Are Vampires Real?" by Stephen Wagner at About
"Sanguinarians," by Anonymous at Monstrous
"Vampire Types," by Anonymous at Vampire Scene
"Frequently Asked Questions," by Anonymous at Sanguinarius.org
"What Type of Vampire are You?" by Anonymous at Darkness Embraced
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