The Drug of Ecstasy
I'm here today to tell you something that you will probably all know
and have an opinion on already. Do any of you, like me, congregate
around Ivybridge Leisure Centre on a Friday night, or even enjoy
clubbing in Plymouth at the weekend? If you do, then it is hard to
ignore the fact that ecstasy is becoming the new alcohol.
Alcohol is commonly known for making people more relaxed and
confident, and although it is accepted in society, I'm sure we are all
aware of the side affects, which include sickness and alcohol
poisoning from over-consumption and misjudgement of situations. These
in themselves can be life threatening but the important thing is that
we are aware of the consequences of drinking.
For the majority, this is not the case with ecstasy. After speaking to
regular users, they all describe the feelings their experiences when
using the drug as "amazing" and they speak of being "loved up".
The feelings they are describing are normal effects of ecstasy, and
are caused by high does of the chemical MDMA. When asked of the
dangers, almost all had a strong opinion that while it "fucks some
people up, you have to be the kind of person to get fucked up". They
are aware of the risk of "a bad pill", as there are many tablets which
are impure and contain everything from bleach, arsenic and melted
plastic to heroin.
The sad reality is that some of our fellow pupils, our friends, our
classmates are willing to risk death for a giant head-rush. Not only
are they risking death, but possible mental illnesses and depression,
and know they are building a reputation for themselves, the
possibility of being expelled, thrown out of home, arrested, spending
money they don't have.
There are only a few facts and figures that are able to convey the
extent of our nation's ecstasy problem, it is more effective to look
at the lives and habits of those around us, in our year and in our
Happiness can mean many different things to many different people. A hard worker may define it as completing a difficult task. A hopeless romantic may define it as finding true love. A religious person may define it as achieving a specific level of spirituality. Webster’s definition of happiness is “good fortune; a state of well-being and contentment; a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” Some synonyms included for happiness are bliss, felicity, joy, and ecstasy. It is therefore obvious how the euphoria-inducing amphetamine relates to its name. People that are uneducated in the area of drugs may associate ecstasy only with the issue of substance abuse. However, to fully understand ecstasy and all its related topics, it is vital to identify the chemical structure and history of MDMA, the corresponding effects, and then the recreational abuse.
... day. Thus we shape the lives of others, and those we touch shape other lives, leaving a never-ending effect on the world.
Schwarz, Alan. “Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill.” New York Times. 10 Jun. 2012: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
LSD stands for Iysergic acid diethylamide. LSD is a hallucinate know to be the most powerful drug of this kind. LSD is commonly known as acid. This drug changes a person’s mental state by distorting the perception of reality to the point where at high doses hallucination occurs. Acid is derived from a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. It is semi-synthetic. It’s manufactured chemically in illicit laboratories, except for a small percent, which is produced legally for research.
Most women are unaware of the risks associated with taking prescription medications while pregnant. Usually the fear is that of alcohol or drug use, but there is rarely any mention of prescription medications. Prescription medicine can actually be quite harmful to a fetus during pregnancy. Over the counter and pharmacy products, as well as medications prescribed by a physician previous to the pregnancy, may not always indicate potential hazards. It is important to check with a physician whether the products are safe for the baby, as well as the mother. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration rates both over-the-counter drugs as well as medications your health care provider may prescribe. The FDA system ranks drugs as follows: Categories A through D give specific instructions on whether a specific medication is safe during pregnancy or not. The medications are distinguished by whether the benefits outweigh the risks. Category X is drugs researched and proven to cause birth defects and should never be taken during pregnancy.” (Berger, n.d.). Taking vitamins, drinking caffeine and taking other herbal supplements may...
MDMA, or Ecstasy, was first made in a lab in Germany in 1912. The German pharmaceutical company E. Merck patented it in 1914, not as a medicine, but as a chemical for making more useful drugs later on. MDMA was forgotten until 1953, when the United States Army funded a secret University of Michigan study to develop chemical weapons. After learning that MDMA was non-toxic, the government put it back on the shelf. Rumor says that the drug was tested for mind control purposes, or as a “truth drug”, but there is not actual evidence of that.
Ecstasy is Methylene Dioxymethamphetamine, often abbreviated as MDMA. This drug is a member of the same family of drugs that include amphetamine and LSD. I once believed that ecstasy was a mixture of methamphetamine and LSD, but as I researched, I found out that it has its own chemical structure. Ecstasy is not a mixture of other drugs; it is something all its own.
Methylenedioxymethamhetamine, the compound used in the drug Ecstasy, was developed in Germany in 1914 as an intermediary substance to pave the way to alternative therapeutic medicines. Presently, MDMA is used for a subculture in America and all over the world of "ravers" who spend their weekends taking this unique drug because of its seemingly mind- expanding properties. The truth about this drug is that it fools the body's senses by releasing too much serotonin and possibly permanently damaging important nerve cells in the process.
Hallucinogens or psychedelics are mind-altering drugs, which affect the mind’s perceptions, causing bizarre, unpredictable behavior, and severe, sensory disturbances that may place users at risk of serious injuries or death. Hallucinogens powerfully affect the brain, distorting the way our five senses work and changes our impressions of time and space. People who use these drugs a lot may have a hard time concentrating, communicating, or telling the difference between reality and illusion. Hallucinogens cause people to experience - you guessed it - hallucinations, imagined experiences that seem real. The word "hallucinate" comes from Latin words meaning, "to wander in the mind."
In the light of the day certain objects seem different, we don’t take notice of the simple things and rush to accomplish are every day tasks.
the left of a pair of crystals that are a mirror image of each other.
Many people in the world get into an almost unbreakable routine, shielding themselves from the real world. We wake up, brush our teeth, go to school with the same people, go home, and do it all over again. Once there is a roadblock in the way, it forces us to step outside our shell and look at others views for a change. American mythologist, writer, and lecturer,Joseph Campbell once said,”We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” It is the act of noticing others words and actions that will reshape our lives for the better. In “Secret Samantha” and “Sol Painting, Inc.” the authors suggest that observing someone else’s perspective and taking the time to understand others can be mankind's greatest
Ecstasy is one of the street names for MDMA (the chemical name is N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine). MDMA is an amphetaminelike drug with hallucinogenic properties. People taking the drug get a sense of increased energy, euphoria and a curious feeling of empathy. While we know something about the short-term effects of ecstasy use, we do not have a very good understanding of the long-term effects. The short-term effects of the drug are related to the amount taken. If the dose used is relatively high, there is a danger in the short-term of seizures and heart-rhythm abnormalities. Ecstasy also can cause an increase in body temperature (called hyperthermia). This can cause difficulties if the drug is taken during strenuous exercise (such as dancing). The common practice of drinking large amounts of bottled water can lead to a reduced amount of sodium in the blood. This is called hyponatremia and, if severe, can cause neurological problems. There have been a number of deaths reported in people taking the drug.
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the dangers of prescription drugs when not taken as prescribed by your physician or pharmacist.
Some patients may have problems following directions, for instance; it may be difficult for a patient to wake up in the middle of the night and take a pill, or if they are taking several pills at the same time, they may get confused about which pill to take at a specific time. The unpleasant outcomes or side-effects of the treatment. Any side effects of the medication, unpleasant taste of the medication, and the pain of physical therapy can cause patients to not follow through. Some patients also may be afraid of needles which may make them adherence to non-compliance. Lack of trust in the adage.