Ecstasy Addiction

Ecstasy gained notoriety in the nineteen nineties for its association with the growing club scene in the United Kingdom where people would take the drug at all night raves. It is still a cheap and widely available drug that mainly young people use in order to have prolonged periods of energy and increase their sociability, usually when they are out at a party. Loss of libido and appetite will be experienced during the high too. It is commonly known in slang as simply E, pills, disco biscuits or XTC. It is most commonly available in the form of pills but increasingly is to be found in crystals, in which case it is usually known as MDMA.

Users feel alert, confident and more sensitive to their surroundings when they have taken ecstasy. The high might last for as long as six hours, during which time sleep will be difficult and the user will often become intensely chatty and friendly to everyone who is around them. The downside is what happens in the period when the effects have worn off, known as the 'come down', an experience which can be extremely intense for the inexperienced. Users will often feel mild depression, anxiety and experience a loss of appetite and libido as well as insomnia. In order to increase the profit, dealers sometimes 'cut' ecstasy with other substances so you never really know what you are taking. The effects can be unpredictable and users have got into trouble before when they have though that the first pill they've taken hasn't worked so they've taken another one.

Ecstasy has contributed to a number of deaths in the United Kingdom over the years. The problem is that ecstasy contributes to dehydration and particularly users who are in clubs and dancing, find that they can become dangerously low on the water in the body that keeps us alive. Liver and kidney problems can result. Ironically though, over-consumption of water in these situations can be just as damaging as ecstasy inhibits the body's ability to produce urine. The speeding of the heart rate can bring on heart attacks strokes and hypertension.

There is some debate about the long term psychological effects of ecstasy but it has been associated with depression and other mental health issues. Because consuming ecstasy alters the levels of serotonin in the body (a chemical which contributes to feelings of happiness), long term use has been linked to depression. What is not in debate is that those found by the police with ecstasy, either for personal use or with intent to supply, can be fined or sent to prison.

Ecstasy is not addictive as such but users can often fall into the habit of taking it regularly because it is something that their peers indulge in and it is readily available and cheap in certain circumstances. If you think you are getting into the habit of taking ecstasy regularly and don't like the effect it is having on your life, talk to your local doctor or phone one of the drugs helplines that will be operating in your area.