Ecstasy or MDMA was first synthesized and patented in the 1930s in Germany by the pharmaceutical company called Merck. It was used as an appetite suppressant and a diet aid, but it was not tested on humans and not used for clinical purposes. The drug laid low for awhile, but it resurfaced in the 80s when a few psychotherapists decided it could help couples in therapy to open up to one another. Other psychotherapists in their field have spent the last decade regretting that decision.

While drug use seems more widely acceptable among teens and young adults, the fact is, most people do not know what they are taking. Pot can be laced with LSD or PCP, and Ecstasy is often cut with everything from animal tranquilizers to methamphetamine to a dangerous impostor called DXM.

Uninformed kids continue to play russian roulette with pot and pills, not knowing that just one use could be the last use. Before the next dope party, consider this: research on Ecstasy over the last decade has shown that it is much less pleasurable than we all thought. As Mr. Macky from South Park says, "Drugs are bad, mmm k?"

The love drug
To describe the feeling of the effects, people say they are rollin’ or exin’. In the movie Go, one high ravers says, “It’s like a wave. It’s like a zoom. It’s like floating. Like hey man, how’s the ground down there!?” Quite simply, it makes for a really intense high. “This enhances you,” said a user in the movie Groove. “Heightened awareness of your senses especially touch, feeling of connection, openness, honesty. It’s like being a kid.”

In the book, Generation Ecstasy, Simon Reynolds writes, “When it was used in the early 90s in experimental therapy sessions for traumatized Nicaraguan soldiers, 75 percent of the subjects expressed a desire for peace and an end to the war, with several talking of love, including the enemy.”

Strain on the brain
With reviews this good, one might conclude that such a drug could do no wrong. Think again. In technical terms, the E experience transforms the mind to drastically increase the levels of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. The amount of released neurotransmitters conduct elecrochemical impulses between brain cells. This increases moods and intensifies perceptions, causing everything to appear more vivid. In English, this means that the mind naturally releases a certain amount of a substance that makes the person feel good. MDMA causes the brain to release much more seratonin so that the person feels much better.

Long term effects
After repeated use, the neurotransmitters can get burnt out, and some scientific researchers agree that this could lead to clinical depression and neurotoxicity. While this has not yet been properly tested or proven, the threat still lingers.

Despite the negative long term effects, kids decide to eat pills in order to feel an immediate pay off. But short term effects are not so kind either.

Sort term effects
Ecstasy can cause the user to vomit and defecate immediately after ingestion. The user will clench their jaws and teeth, experience blurred vision, sweat immensely and then get chills and shakes. Before the effects wear off, it can cause confusion and insomnia. < br>

Days after use, reports show a high number of people who complain about a burnout which includes sleepiness, dullness of senses and loss of interest in regular activities. This happens because the drug causes amazing feelings, so everyday life begins to feel mundane.

The user can develop a tolerance to X. In the beginning, one pill can cause positive effects, but after long term use, a person might take four, six or even ten to feel the same euphoria.

This puts more strain on the brain and digs deeper holes in the pockets. Many users have reported that they started selling drugs such as pot and X in order to support their habits. And while neither pot nor pills causes physical or chemical dependence, a psychological habit can be just as tough to kick.

Kicking the habit
The best way to stop smoking pot and taking pills is to understand the problem. Drug use of any kind is a direct result of running from and avoiding existing problems. Sometimes, the user is not consciously aware that there is a problem, but continued drug use is the first sign.

Most problems occur when the individual is out of sync with any one or more of the eight dynamics. As long as a person stays in communication with each of these dynamics, they will not have many worries. The first dynamic is self. So, for instance, if a person does not know himself well or does not feel that he has a purpose in this world, he will have troubles that could cause him to turn towards drugs. The other seven dynamics include acceptance by family, group, species, life forms, physical universe, spiritual being and God, or urge towards existence of infinity.

Drug use does not solve or fix any of these problems. Drug use only prolongs having to deal with troubles and can cause them to get much worse. Facing problems sounds scary, at best, but know this: If you face those troubles, they go away. And the natural high that you can experience after conquering problems feels way better than any drug induced artificial high.

------------

About the author: Brooke Hadley currently writes freelance feature articles and has six years of professional writing experience. She currently lives in Austin with her new hubby and their son, Skylar Austin. They expect their next baby, Andrew Ashton, in November. Email Brooke Hadley: PersistentGerl@hotmail.com.

Comment on this column in the forum.

Tell a friend about this site!

------------