Eccy – X – Ecstacy | Party drugs

What is Ecstasy?

Commonly known as ‘Ecstasy’, MDMA is a stimulant drug that’s also a hallucinogen which speeds up messages to and from your brain, and alters you perception of reality.

What does ecstasy do?

When taken, ecstasy might make someone:

• Confident, relaxed and close to other people
• Have faster breathing and heartbeat
• Clench their jaw and grind their teeth
• Feel sick, anxious or paranoid
• Dehydrated, which can be dangerous
• Less sleepy or hungry
• Hallucinate

However, it is important to remember that everyone has a different reaction when taking drugs, so some people may experience different reactions to other people.

High doses of ecstasy can:

• Make you take risks or do dangerous things
• Make your vomit and convulse (shake vigorously)
• Increase the likelihood you’ll experience long term health problems
• When taken regularly, lead to irrational behaviour or anxiety, which means they are acting out of character for that person.

Ecstasy can be particularly dangerous if:

• You’ve got high blood pressure or a heart condition
• You’ve got diabetes, asthma, epilepsy or hypertension
• You’re dealing with a condition like depression, anxiety or another mental health issue
• You’ve got kidney problems

STAYING SAFE

If you or some you are with does take ecstasy, here are some tips to keep it as safe as possible:

• Sip water regularly rather than sculling it.
• Wear light, loose clothing so you don’t overheat
• Take rests from dancing every 45 minutes or so allowing you breathing and temperature to get back to normal before you get back up.

Watch out for warning signs of dehydration which include:

• Feeling hot, unwell and confused
• Trouble talking
• Having headaches and vomiting
• Having trouble peeing, or having thick, dark urine
• Heart rate not going back to normal when resting
• Fainting, falling over, having fits

If you do happen to notice someone with these symptoms, escort the person to a quiet, cool area to rest making sure someone is with them at all times. Get some cool water, and tell them to sip it slowly. Splash some water on their skin, and fan them. Call and ambulance, and make sure you let the ambulance officers know what the person has taken – this will help them treat your friend.

For further information and sites to keep you safe when using ecstasy head to the following websites:

Ravesafe

Australian Drug Foundation

Erowid

Though this type of drug is taken to ‘have a good time’, taking ecstasy does not always have positive outcomes so it is important to be aware of the effects associated with this particular drug and to stay safe if you decide to use it. Anyway, do you really need drugs to have fun?!?! I know I don’t …

Classifying Drugs

What are drugs?

A drug is any substance which, when taken, affects the way the mind and/or the body works.

The term ‘drug’ covers a large number of substances. It includes legal substances such as caffeine and alcohol, over the counter and prescribed medications and substances such as cannabis and heroin.

There are three main types of drugs, classified according to the effect the drug has on the Central Nervous System (CNS).

• Depressants: Slows down your Central Nervous System meaning that messages to and from the brain are slow.
• Hallucinogens: Cause hallucinations when in use
• Stimulants: Increase your Central Nervous System meaning that messages to and from the brain are fast.

If ever taking drugs in your lifetime, it is important to know what drug you are taking and the affects that it can have on your natural body functions. These affects can be both short term and long term, and even life threatening.