Pubdate: Wed, 01 Dec 2004
Source: Technician, The (NC State U, NC Edu)
Copyright: 2004 The Technician
Contact:  http://technicianonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2268
Author: Jeff Gaither
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

ECSTASY SHOULD BE STEERED CLEAR OF

The author of this piece does a great deal of joking in most of his
articles, but in this one he wishes to speak about a very serious
matter: the use of MDMA, or ecstasy, among college students.

Ecstasy is a psychoactive stimulant and probably one of the five most
popular drugs in America today. It produces euphoria, decreases
inhibitions, gives the user a sense of oneness with the universe and
(or so the author has been told) greatly increases the pleasure the
user may gain from dancing, kissing and/or having sex.

Ecstasy is commonly associated with "raves," or all-night dance
parties. Ravers take a "roll" (the street-term for a dose of ecstasy,
like a "hit" of LSD), then spend the night dancing to techno music, on
a plateau of peace, platonic and romantic love and general goodwill.

However, like most drugs, and to a greater extent than almost any
other drug, in fact, ecstasy has undesirable side effects on the
user's mind and body. The exact nature and extent of the long-term
side-effects of ecstasy are not completely understood; however, there
is an "across-the-board agreement that brain damage does occur,"
according to Dr. Alan Leshner, chairman of the National Institute on
Drug Abuse.

The article which quotes Leshner also adds that "ecstasy is a recipe
for lasting, possibly permanent, damage to the serotonin neurons in
the brain." (The above article comes from partyvibe.com, a pro-rave
site which may be trusted not to exaggerate the dangers of ecstasy.)

The chemical process by which MDMA (the active ingredient in ecstasy)
affects the brain is simple enough: it "tricks" certain neurons into
releasing serotonin, a neurological compound which produces happiness.
After the user takes the ecstasy, a great deal of serotonin is
released into his or her body, and he or she feels profound joy
towards the world.

However, after the "roll" is over, the brain's serotonin supply is
dramatically (and, most scientists agree, permanently) reduced. This
serotonin supply will replenish itself in time, but, in all
likelihood, will never again rise to its pre-roll level.

A brain on ecstasy is like a banker who gets drunk and lends money
indiscriminately, only to find, when he sobers up, that in his
generosity he has done permanent damage to the financial security and
well-being of his institution.

Numerous studies have confirmed the fact that ecstasy use causes brain
damage. In 2000, a group of researchers from University College London
examined 96 volunteers and found that ecstasy users, as compared to a
control group, showed less capacity for memory, smaller vocabulary and
an impaired level of overall neurocognitive functioning. Furthermore,
when the ecstasy users were given small doses of serotonin, their
test-performances improved dramatically -- the implication being that
a shortage of serotonin, caused by the use of ecstasy, was responsible
for their original lack of cognitive ability.

Anecdotal evidence abounds. Perhaps you are acquainted with an
individual who has partied so hard, for so long, that he or she seems
to be missing something, some vital spark of humanity. Such persons
are characterized by fragmented speech, silly laughter at almost
anything and eyes which resemble those of a sleepwalker.

In the author's experience, such a depleted individual has used a
great deal of ecstasy during the course of his or her life. Such an
"E-tard" is a sobering example of the permanent, irreversible effects
that long-term ecstasy use can have upon a human being and, also, an
illustration of what ecstasy actually does to one's brain and life,
pill by pill.

Now, there can be little debate that using ecstasy is fun. Ecstasy
makes one more comfortable and open in social situations, improves
one's ability to enjoy dancing and can lead to the best sex in the
world. (Or so the author of this article has been told; he has never
used ecstasy, and would admit it if he had.)

However, ecstasy also does irreparable harm to one's brain, far beyond
the damage done by alcohol or almost any other drug, and one's brain
must last, and think, for one's entire life. It is generally not
moral, in any context, for anyone to advise college students to get
drunk; however, the author of this article would like to advise that,
if anyone ever offers you a roll of ecstasy and you find yourself
tempted to say yes, you get drunk instead. Getting drunk may kill
brain cells, but for severity and permanence of damage it is not in
the same ballpark, not the same league, even, as ecstasy.

Indeed, the author of this piece would like to express the wish that
if you get one thing from his articles, so far, it should be that you
should never take ecstasy.

Oh, and one more point: ladies -- lovely, wonderful ladies, do please
watch it if some guy you do not know very well offers you a roll of
ecstasy. Alcohol might make you horny, yes, but ecstasy will render
you helpless, a sitting duck, a fish in a barrel, for every
unscrupulous jerk who wishes to enjoy the fine amenities which you
possess.

This alone is reason enough for a woman not to take ecstasy. It is
also the considered belief of the author of this piece that men who
use ecstasy for this purpose should be thrown into prison and raped
mercilessly.
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MAP posted-by: Derek