Effects Of Ecstasy

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine is a drug that gives its user an intense feeling of euphoria. Ecstasy has many different forms and variations, including the most well-known names, MDMA and Molly. Typically, a person administers ecstasy to their body through the mouth but there are other ways that users take in the drug, such as through the nose, for example (NIDA, 2016). In the most recent few decades, mainly since the 1980’s, the popularity of ecstasy has exploded among young people, particularly those involved with illegal night raves and a lifestyle of hard partying. Though, just like with any drug, there are exceptions to this generalization. While ecstasy certainly has its dominant group of users in partying youths, it is still used

by people of varying age groups and in equally diverse settings, such as legal clubs and bars (Galvin, Schlenger, Wu, 2005).
Numerous negative physical and mental effects exist for a person that uses ecstasy.

Like with every drug, there is the underlying risk of addiction. Though ecstasy does not pose as high of a risk for addiction as most other drugs, there is still always going to be a slight risk in place for its users (NIDA, 2016). Another serious and potentially life threatening side effect of ecstasy is the threat of dehydration (NIDA, 2016). Unlike addiction to ecstasy, this side effect does not need several uses to start taking effect. Since t is very short term, meaning it does not take several weeks or months for the effect to set in, dehydration can happen within a handful of hours even if it is the user’s first interaction with the drug. When a person takes ecstasy, the temperature of their body increases, which in turn causes excessive sweating. If the body does not have enough water in it to make up for the extra sweating, the user could be in immediate danger of dehydration. Severe dehydration can lead to a multitude of health problems, with the most alarming and critical one being

death.
There are other effects that ecstasy can physically have on the body, but its effects on the brain’s mental operations are just as serious as its more outwardly visible effects. A study shows that prolonged use of ecstasy can harm the 5-HT transporters in the brain, which can result in low serotonin levels (Dannals et al, 1998). Low serotonin levels can cause, or worsen pre-existing mental conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. If a person suffers from low mood due to the drug, this could encourage them to continue using ecstasy because they believe it will make them feel better. Continued usage takes down the serotonin levels even further, which brings the user right back to the drug once more. This vicious cycle can be the gate opener to addiction, and is difficult to break.
In addition to the bodily harm ecstasy can cause, the effects on non-users are also important to consider.

When a person becomes addicted to ecstasy, their families and friends also suffer with them as they see someone they love go through an addiction. There is even the possibility that the family members themselves have to take a financial security hit in the case of a parent or caretaker spending all of their money on the drugs. For the rest of society outside of a person’s immediate circle, most of the damage done is financial. Investigations, arrests, imprisonment, and other parts of the criminal justice aspect of ecstasy use often use taxpayer money to fund operations. Because of this, every person in America is somehow affected by ecstasy, even if they themselves are not directly using the drug. However, before the many problems that ecstasy causes can be fully understood, we must take a look back at the drug’s history and how our society reached the point of ecstasy becoming an issue in the first

place.
The origins of ecstasy can be traced back to the early twentieth century, specifically in Germany (Benzenhöfer, Passie, 2006). ecstasy is synthetic, which means it has to be made in a lab because it is not found anywhere in nature. Dr. Anton Köllisch was the first person to synthesize ecstasy (Benzenhöfer, Passie, 2006). Years later, when the United States got of the drug, the American government tried to use it as a truth serum tool during the Cold War (Benzenhöfer, Passie, 2006). At the time, they believed ecstasy would compel the user to tell the truth, which the government likely believed would be beneficial in winning the Cold War. When it eventually became apparent that this method was not working, the government gave up on using ecstasy as a war weapon. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. Once the drug was in America, it was here to stay. Soon enough, ecstasy found its way onto the streets of America.
This drug migration started the end of ecstasy being used for nefarious reasons, and marked the beginning of its recreational, personal use among primarily young people (Blickman 2004). Since the late twentieth century, ecstasy has been one of the most prominent drugs for raves and parties (Boeri, Sterk, Elifson, 2004). In more recent years, it has even started to be featured in popular music among young people, taking its place next to alcohol and marijuana as a drug that symbolizes youth and having a fun time. The trend goes beyond music, by the drug being featured in numerous movies and television shows, in the same positive spins. Often times in these instances, ecstasy is referred to by one of its street names, Molly, to give it a less sinister sounding tone. Despite the seemingly sudden glamorization of ecstasy, by any name, through pop culture, ecstasy’s side effects and consequences are hardly ever shown beside these positive representations of the drug, which is what appears to be causing the problem.
Ecstasy is a Schedule I substance, and is illegal in all fifty states in America. Sentencing varies from state to state but after a conviction, the user’s life will never be the same again. The biggest reason, of course, is that a drug conviction will go on the person’s criminal record, which creates problems for many years to come. From external conflicts such as being declined a job to being turned away when trying to adopt a child, to internal conflicts like mental health issues and physical sickness, the long term consequences of using ecstasy are far heavier than the brief feelings of happiness that the drug brings.
Realistically, people know that it is illegal and they are aware that drugs in general will always have some sort of side effects. Unfortunately, this does not stop people from using ecstasy because they either a) have only a basic idea of what ecstasy is and what the consequences of its use are, or b) know about the consequences but do not care because they want the high so much. With these two negative reasons for ecstasy use gaining more prominence, it may feel as though our society is doomed to have yet another drug be normalized into becoming part of the mainstream.
Luckily, there is still a lot of hope. Although ecstasy has existed for over a century, it has yet to become fully ingrained of our society in the way that alcohol, tobacco, and even marijuana have. This suggests that there is a higher chance for it to remain a less common drug if swift actions are taken. As previously mentioned, it has become somewhat trendy to positively discuss ecstasy or Molly in popular culture but if the right moves are made, our society can prevent the drug’s appeal from spreading any further, and possibly completely remove it from the parts of the mainstream American culture that it has already started becoming part of.
In an ideal society, people would not want to get high on anything and would want to remain sober at all times. However, society is not ideal, so it must either provide a way for people to find their highs legally, such as with alcohol, or illegally, such as with drugs like ecstasy. Clearly the former is the better option for the individual and for society. In regards to ecstasy, lowering the rate of its usage would require the drug to either be legal or for a legal alternative to exist and be readily available for anyone searching for a high. Since ecstasy is too dangerous to the individual to be legalized, an alternative would be a good starting point towards getting people away from ecstasy as their drug of choice.
Alcohol is too addictive and harmful to be a suitable alternative but there are legal, natural herbs that can be used in place of ecstasy. The primary one is marijuana, though its recreational use is not legal in all states. In the states where the drug is legal, however, this is the best available option because not only will people be able to avoid using ecstasy to get their euphoric highs, taxpayer money is saved by not having ecstasy users in prison and by having a taxable good that is in high demand. The problem of ecstasy being literally costly for society can be fixed in small areas by following this path, and marijuana is a much safer drug for people who want to get high.
For the states where recreational marijuana is not legal, there are still other methods of reducing the sale and use of ecstasy, primarily by educating teenagers and young adults about the consequences and effects that ecstasy has. If these young people are starting to be exposed to the positive sides of ecstasy, the only thing that will lower their willingness to eventually try the drug is to expose them to the negatives even more than they are already being exposed to the positives. Many anti-drug programs exist across that country that are aimed at educating America’s youth, and increasing the prominence of information about ecstasy in these programs could go a long way in keeping young people away from the drug.
As of now, though, ecstasy remains a steadily growing drug that is worming its way into our culture. Through education and other alternatives to using the drug, there is a good chance that the usage of ecstasy will be more limited than it currently is. Recreational use of ecstasy is still a fairly new phenomenon, and more research must be done on the drug before our society can fully comprehend what it is that is going on in our clubs, parties, and even our own homes. With the massive amount of information and findings that researchers have been able to uncover in just the past few decades, it seems as though the United States will be able to get ahead on stomping out the ecstasy problem before this becomes too large to handle.