Ecstasy Addiction

Ecstasy is a drug that is a crystalline white powder in its purest form. Being seen on the streets in tablets, sometimes white but usually treated as a designer drug, in multiple colors and with other decorations to make it interesting to look at, with pictures on the tablets.

The users of he drug typically are partying at the clubs because the level of energy obtained from taking the pill makes them want to dance the night away. It’s a social experience enhancer as well, making the users chatty to strangers and overall more talkative. Hugging strangers as if they were long lost friends and striking up other socially creative actions is the norm on the pills. While the social aspects enhance the clubbing experience, often given to people you don’t know just to bring them into the scene with you, little is often realized by these users about the long-term effects they are likely to see.

Not realizing the potential dangers, some actually pop two pills instead of just one as they get impatient for the high after they have experienced it the first time. Heart rates increase and panic attacks are common. Coming down after the high causes a confused mental state. Body temperatures are elevated when taking the drug, often seen as an increased need to dance and burn it off so to speak. Because they get so ht, they often drink lots of water; almost enough sometimes to essentially drown themselves, as their bodies cannot handle the water they take in.

Those who take ecstasy for longer periods of time have been found to experience liver, kidney and heart problems. The significant amount of research available from both the US and UK indicates that other areas of the lives of people who abuse the drug such as: adverse impact of this drug on the heart, on mood, on brain activity and on sleep pattern. Ecstasy is often seen used in combination with other drugs, sometimes making it more difficult to isolate certain behaviors that are experienced with ecstasy alone. However, increased risk of death is inherent, even though there has been no concrete accurate report of the number of deaths caused by ecstasy abuse.

While there are discussions in the UK for normalizing the use of ecstasy to a class B drug is causing concern. It is currently the countries third highest used illegal drug. While those who take the drug are not aware of its side effects, long-term addictive possibilities and not even the chemicals that it is made from, concern that it will be considered less dangerous if its classification is downgraded should give rise to much discussion in the UK. The more harmful nature of the drug may in fact be escalating with its normalization.

While this has caused much debate in the UK, not much is presented in the debate about the addiction and psychological effects of the drug, which include: confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and paranoia during use and sometimes lasting weeks after taking the drug. There is a set of physical effects as well including: muscle tension, involuntary teeth-clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating. Not to mention there is a risk of heart attacks because of increases in heart rate and blood pressure for people with circulatory or heart disease.