Alert is proud to
have a new writer contributing to our magazine.
Nick Varriano, author, has spent 19 years working as a counselor. For the
past 14 years he has served as the school counselor for the May-Port CG
School District in Mayville, ND. He possesses a MS in Counseling and
Human Development from Minnesota State University, Moorhead.
Articles written by him that we are including in this issue are :
Ecstacy, Alcohol Abuse in Adolescents, The Road to Alcoholism,
Alcohol Poisoning and Hamlet: Insights For Mental Health .
We encourage readers to watch for more articles from Nick in future issues.
ECSTASY
By Nick Varriano
Ecstasy has become
the drug of choice for a new generation. This brain-altering, feel-good stimulant
also known as Adam, XTC, Clarity, Lovers Speed, and X, is no longer confined
to the rave-club scene where it became popular in the 1980’s. Today, the
drug has gained popularity with the mainstream population.
Merck, the German pharmaceutical company, created ecstasy, a neurotoxin whose
chemical name is methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in 1912 as a potential
appetite suppressant. MDMA has a chemical structure similar to the stimulant
methamphetamine. During the 1970’s there was interest by some psychiatrists
in using ecstasy as a therapeutic tool to reduce the inhibition of their patients
to speak openly during sessions. Therapists claimed that the drug heightened
self-awareness and enhanced patient’s trust and empathy toward one another.
The United States government placed a ban on ecstasy in 1985 after discovering
that it was being used as a recreational drug and was harmful if misused.
Today, the use of ecstasy is growing faster than any other illegal drug in the
United States. According to Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) statistics, almost
12 percent of 12-to-18 year olds have tried the drug, more than double what
was estimated in 1995. According to DEA sources, more than 90 percent of the
ecstasy in the US comes from the Netherlands and Belgium, where the drug is
illegal, but the production chemicals are easily obtained. Ecstasy seizures
by the DEA have grown from 400,000 pills in 1997 to 9.3 million in 2000.
Ecstasy, which cost pennies to make, is popular for its relatively low price,
$20 to $30 a tablet, and its euphoric, stimulant and hallucinogenic qualities.
Taken orally, ecstasy lasts approximately four to six hours and produces positive
feelings, empathy for others, elimination of anxiety, heightened sensual awareness,
and extreme relaxation. The drug also suppresses the need to eat, drink or sleep,
enabling users to endure two-to three-day parties. Consequently, ecstasy can
result in severe dehydration or exhaustion. Additional adverse effects of ecstasy
use include nausea, hallucinations, chills, sweating, increase in body temperature,
tremors, involuntary teeth clenching, muscle cramping and blurred vision.
Controversy surrounds the risks of using of ecstasy. Many young users view the
ecstasy as a safe alternative to other drugs; though long-term effects are largely
unknown. Unlike heroin and crack cocaine, there is no evidence that ecstasy
is addictive. Though research indicates that ecstasy may cause long-term harm,
including heart and kidney problems or memory loss, it is rarely fatal. Short-term
problems of depression, memory loss and insomnia develop because ecstasy drains
serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a part in regulating emotion, memory,
sleep, pain and high-order cognitive processes, out of brain cells. People that
had used ecstasy at least 25 times had lower serotonin levels for as long as
a year after quitting. The problem with tracking ecstasy’s effect on the
brain is that regular users almost never limit themselves to ecstasy alone.
An ecstasy user is typically a pot smoker and may also be into harder drugs.
Dehydration resulting from ecstasy use can lead to seizures or convulsions.
An ecstasy overdose is characterized by high blood pressure, panic attacks,
and in severe cases, loss of consciousness, seizures, and a dramatic rise in
body temperature. Ecstasy overdoses can be fatal, as a result of heart failure
or extreme heat stroke. Other long-term effects of ecstasy include heart and
kidney problems, memory loss, sleeplessness, anxiety and depression. Nationwide,
emergency room visits linked to ecstasy use have climbed from 253 in 1994 to
4,511 in 2000, according to the Drug Abuse Warning Network.
Users of ecstasy rave about the positive effect of the drug. One person compared
an ecstasy high to eating ice cream; “It’s only a little bit bad
for you, and it makes you feel good. Why not enjoy it?” Another user described
ecstasy as “feeling peaceful, empathetic and energetic – not edgy,
just clear. Pot relaxes but sometimes confuses; LSD stupefies; cocaine wires.
Ecstasy has none of those immediate downsides. Ecstasy allows the mind to wander,
but not in hallucinations, Users retain control.”
Opponents of ecstasy use paint a different picture. Philip McCarthy and Dayna
Moore are patients at the Phoenix House drug treatment program. McCarty initially
had positive experiences on ecstasy, “I felt like the world was glowing
with love and my body felt unreal. It was a high I definitely wanted again.”
McCarty and Moore were not prepared for the anger and depression they would
experience after their ecstasy high wore off. That quickly led them into cycles
of addiction as they took more and more ecstasy. “It was a depression
that I couldn’t stand,” said Moore.
Law enforcement officials are concerned that ecstasy is becoming a “gateway
drug”, leading to harder drugs. Miami police detective Eladio Paiz says
that users often take heroin, Valium, and other “downers” to lose
their ecstasy high.
Let the buyer beware when purchasing ecstasy. A hit of ecstasy is basically
a mystery. The pills could contain various amounts of MDMA, other drugs, baking
soda or a lethal combination of “filler” ingredients meant to give
the desired color, texture and sensation. There is no way to tell whether or
not the pill was pressed in a laboratory setting or in some teenager’s
basement. Police involved in buy-and-bust stings have netted pills that contained
cough medicines and caffeine.
Many users view ecstasy as a safe alternative to harder drug use. Any drug that
dramatically raises a person’s blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature
should not be considered safe. The seemingly positive feelings produced by ecstasy
cannot help but distort the reality that users must inevitably return.
Back
To Sample Articles
Next
Sample Article