inside job

Spread the love...

Weekend’s InsideMan takes a closer look at the party drug scene.

You enter a dimly lit room, the muted throb of rave music pumping in the background. A couple of dancers are “glowsticking” or waving glowsticks in the air. Several people greet you; you don’t know any of them, but you experience gangsta-style handclasps coupled with bear hugs from the guys, and warm embraces, some with kisses from the girls. Welcome to the party.

But it’s a different kind of party. It’s all about spreading the love, the host says, but it’s love of another kind, the one that comes from the notorious “party drug,” the pill called ecstasy. Though called a “club drug,” ecstasy is being used more and more in private “rave” parties held in posh residences or condominium units, for privacy and “total enjoyment” of the ecstasy experience.

MDMA, or 3,4-methylenedioxy- N-methylamphetamine, more commonly known by its street name of ecstasy, E or X, has actually been around since the mid 1900s. It was developed by the Merck pharmaceutical company and was intended for use in psychotherapy. Its recreational use was soon discovered and soon became an integral part of the “rave” subculture. In the late 1970s it was declared illegal in the United Kingdom; in the United States, it was declared a controlled substance in 1985.

Though illegal, some “ravers” insist on taking it, under the misconception that it is not harmful to oneself. Though its long-term detrimental effects still have to be studied thoroughly, other effects are readily apparent.

Elevated temperature and increased heart rate are common when experiencing an ecstasy “trip.” Those with even mild heart problems are at risk because of this, as it is suspected that ecstasy sometimes causes cardiac arrest. Users may also experience an increase in physical energy, with those under the influence of ecstasy dancing for several hours at a time. However, ecstasy also causes dehydration: coupled with the frenetic dancing during a party or rave, it would be no surprise that people will collapse from exhaustion and extreme dehydration.

On the other hand, other users may feel very relaxed, known in local circles as being “gulay,” probably because they prefer just to lie down and not move at all, just like vegetables. Other users claim that they are able to breathe easier during a “trip.” Still others say that they experience visions or psychedelic hallucinations.

One of the most controversial effects of ecstasy is its tendency to give users an overwhelming sense of well-being and euphoria. Its proponents argue that this effect is what makes ecstasy an “ideal” drug, encouraging good relations among partygoers. Unlike “crystal meth” or methamphetamine hydrochloride (known locally as “shabu”), which causes a bad temperament or even paranoia, especially during the “crash” or waning period, ecstasy users are more friendly than usual. In fact, an almost total loss of inhibition occurs, resulting in excessive friendliness to the point of sexual intimacy among casual acquaintances or even total strangers: practically no fights occur during rave parties, they say, and everyone goes home having made a lot of new “friends.” This is another aspect of ecstasy that makes it more dangerous for females. At the very least, “party girls” gain the reputation of being promiscuous; sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies occupy the other end of the spectrum.

Ecstasy may be a “fashionable” drug, taken, or “dropped” by the “in” crowd, but this does not change the bottom line. Ecstasy is illegal, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Get caught with a few “tabs” and you’re definitely in for a jail sentence. Those who use ecstasy say that the drug promotes PLUR (Peace, love, unity and respect), but when you think of it, these things are also possible even without taking ecstasy. Health-wise, its beneficial effects, if any, are still unproven. Whatever its advocates say about it, the consequences of ecstasy use may be something you may not be prepared to face. Why risk it?

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