Drug Addiction Treatment Blog

Certain drugs have become popular among teens and young adults at dance clubs and all-night dance parties called ‘raves’.
 
These drugs, collectively termed ‘club drugs’, include MDMA (Ecstasy), Rohypnol, GHB, ketamine, and LSD.
 
MDMA, methylenedioxymethamphetamine, called Ecstasy, X, XTC, Adam, Lover’s Speed, Clarity on the street, is a synthetic drug that can produce both stimulant and mild sensory-altering effects.  It is similar to the stimulant amphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline.
 
MDMA is usually taken orally, by tablet or capsule. Its effects last approximately 3 to 6 hours, though depression, sleep problems, and anxiety have been reported for days to weeks afterwards.
 
What are the health hazards of using Ecstasy?
 
Many of the risks are similar to those found with the use of amphetamines and cocaine.  Also, Ecstasy can interfere with its own metabolism (breakdown), so repeated use over a short interval of time can lead to especially harmful levels in the body.
 
Symptoms include:
Psychological difficulties, including confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, severe anxiety, and paranoia — during and sometimes weeks after taking Ecstasy (psychotic episodes have also been reported).
Physical symptoms such as muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, rapid eye movement, faintness, and chills or sweating. Marked increase in body temperature (hyperthermia), which may further be exacerbated by the hot and crowded conditions characteristic of the rave environment.  Hyperthermia can lead to liver, kidney, and cardiovascular system failure. Increases in heart rate and blood pressure, a special risk for people with circulatory or heart disease.  Other cardiac effects include arrhythmia, heart muscle damage, and reductions in heart rate and blood pressure. (Initially, Ecstasy increases heart rate and blood pressure, but following repeated use, this effect is reversed.) Ecstasy can affect the hormone that regulates the amount of sodium in the blood, which can also cause hyponatremia (water intoxication).
Chronic use of Ecstasy has been associated with memory impairment, which may indicate damage to the parts of the brain involved in memory processing. Sometimes a rash that looks like acne will appear on the skin which has been linked with liver damage.
 
What are other signs of use?

Staying out very late.  Most raves begin late and end at daybreak.  Raves are the primary distribution point for Ecstasy and other club drugs. Extreme or moderate irritability the day after consuming these drugs.  A depletion of serotonin in the brain causes irritability the day after use. Possessing a baby pacifier, a pacifier made of candy, lollipops, and candy necklaces.  Some club drugs cause the users to clench their teeth tightly which causes discomfort. The pacifier eliminates this discomfort. Inability to sleep. Possession of fluorescent light sticks.  Because drug users’ sensory preceptors are heightened, fluorescent light sticks are popular with club drug users. Hospital masks lined with menthol ointment.  Users use them to get a vapor rush. Use of Tiger Balm for cramps. Children’s vitamin containers are used to conceal Ecstasy tablets. Bags of small Tootsie Rolls.  These are warmed and unwrapped, Ecstasy pill pushed into the roll and re-wrapped). Ecstasy also is related in its structure and effects to methamphetamine, which has been shown to cause degeneration of neurons containing the neurotransmitter dopamine.   Damage to these neurons is the underlying cause of the motor disturbances seen in Parkinson’s disease.
 
Who uses Ecstasy?
 
Ecstasy is used most often by young adults and adolescents at clubs, raves (large, all-night dance parties), and rock concerts.  Its abuse is increasingly reported in metropolitan areas.
 
Other Club Drugs include:
 
MDA, the parent drug of Ecstasy (MDMA), is an amphetamine-like drug that has also been abused and is similar in chemical structure to MDMA.
 
Research shows that MDA destroys serotonin-producing neurons in the brain, which play a direct role in regulating aggression, mood, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain.  It is probably this action on the serotonin system that gives MDA its purported properties of heightened sexual experience, tranquility, and conviviality.
 
GHB, gamma-hydroxybutyrate, also known as Grievous Bodily Harm, G, Liquid Ecstasy, Georgia Home Boy, Jib, Blue Nitro, is mainly used by teens and young adults — often at raves and clubs — and is also prominent in many gay male communities.
 
GHB is usually abused either for its intoxicating/sedating/euphoria-inducing properties, or for its growth hormone-releasing effects.
 
GHB is a central nervous system depressant and its intoxicating effects begin 10 to 20 minutes after the drug is taken. The effects typically last up to 4 hours, depending on the dosage.  At higher doses, GHB’s sedative effects may result in sleep, coma, or death.
GHB is taken in tablets and capsules, as well as in powder and liquid (clear) forms.  It has been increasingly involved in poisonings, overdoses, date rapes, and deaths.
 
GHB is cleared from the body relatively quickly (in approximately 2 hours). There are no GHB detection tests for use in emergency rooms and many clinicians are unfamiliar with it, so many GHB incidents go undetected.
 
Ketamine, also known as Special K, K, Vitamin K, Psychedelic Heroin, and Cat Valium, is an anesthetic that can be injected, snorted, or smoked — often with marijuana or tobacco products.
 
It has been approved for both human and animal use in medical settings since 1970. About 90 percent of the ketamine sold legally today is intended for veterinary use.
 
Large doses cause reactions similar to those associated with use of phencyclidine (PCP), such as dream-like states and altered perceptions or hallucinations.  At higher doses, ketamine can cause delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure, depression, and potentially fatal respiratory problems.
 
Low-dose intoxication from ketamine results in impaired attention, learning ability, and memory.
  
Rohypnol, also known as Roofies, Rophies, Roche, and Forget-me Pill, belongs to the class of drugs known as benzodiazepines (which include Valium, Halcion, Xanax, and Versed).  Rohypnol is not approved for prescription use in the United States, although it is used in many countries as a treatment for insomnia, as a sedative, and as a pre-surgery anesthetic.
 
Rohypnol is tasteless and odorless, and it dissolves easily in carbonated beverages.  The sedative and toxic effects of Rohypnol become more pronounced if taken with alcohol.  Even without alcohol, a dose of Rohypnol as small as 1 mg can impair a user for 8 to 12 hours.
 
Although Rohypnol is usually taken orally, there are reports that it can be ground up and snorted.
 
The drug can cause profound “anterograde amnesia” — that is, individuals may not remember events they experienced while under the effects of the drug.  It has been used in sexual assaults and date rapes, as well as robberies.
 
Other adverse effects associated with Rohypnol include decreased blood pressure, drowsiness, visual disturbances, dizziness, confusion, gastrointestinal disturbances, and urinary retention.
 
LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), also known as Acid, Boomers, and Yellow Sunshines, is a hallucinogen, inducing abnormal sensory perceptions.
 
The effects of LSD are unpredictable depending on the amount taken, the surroundings in which the drug is used, and the user’s personality, mood, and expectations.
 
LSD is sold on blotter paper with cartoon characters and other pictures, in gelatin squares known as windowpane, on sugar cubes, or microdots (tablets). The term “candy-flipping” has been associated with mixing LSD and Ecstasy at the same time.
 
Typically, a user feels the effects of LSD 30 to 90 minutes after taking it. The physical effects include dilated pupils, elevated body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors.
LSD users also report numbness, weakness, trembling, and nausea.
 
There are two long-term disorders associated with LSD — persistent psychosis and ‘flashbacks’ (hallucinogen persisting perception disorder).
If you suspect someone you care about might be using Ecstasy or club drugs, please give us a call to assess your situation and get you or your loved one professional help. Remember that club drugs, especially ecstasy, are very dangerous drugs that have been present in drug related deaths. Act quickly and consult with a drug rehab regarding this issue or call 1-800-993-3869. For more information visit www.recoveryconnection.org.

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Drug Addiction in the GLBT Community
 

GLBT sexual orientation doesn’t cause drug addiction, but it’s a major life issue that’s tough to ignore by either therapist or client in the addiction recovery process.  Although sexual orientation isn’t a factor in all cases of drug addiction among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals, it’s often an underlying factor in drug addiction, alcoholism, or tobacco dependency, as well as in process addictions such as compulsive spending or gambling. Sexual orientation clearly doesn’t cause drug addiction; however, experts suggest it may increase the vulnerability of individuals who are already predisposed to drug addiction. 

According to Joe Amico, MDiv, CSAS, CAS, president of the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Addiction Professionals and community educator for a gay and lesbian addiction treatment program, research points to a rate of addiction to drugs and alcohol three times higher in the GLBT community than in the general population (Amico and Nelson, 1997; Hellman, 1989). Addiction, explains Philip T. McCabe, CSW, CAS, mental health consultant in the Tobacco Dependence Program of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) School of Public Health, is usually an acquired state by a predisposed person over a period of time. “If you have a person who’s biologically predisposed to an addiction, it doesn’t matter if they’re straight or gay,” he says. The increased risk, McCabe says, may be attributed to environmental and situational triggers, as well as to the social and emotional stressors linked to being homosexual in a heterosexist society. Similarly, while treatment and recovery issues may be the same for GLBT individuals as their straight counterparts, sexual orientation may influence therapeutic needs and outcomes. Stress and Shame
Drug addiction, alcohol dependency, and tobacco dependency are more common among those attempting to avoid painful situations, says McCabe. “We do know from a mental health perspective that people who are not ‘out’ are more prone to depression, and people who are more prone to depression use substances to alleviate or self-medicate.” On the other hand, he notes, the coming-out process itself can be stressful, and individuals at various stages in that process may self-medicate as a coping strategy to deal with isolation or shame. “Nothing drives drug addiction and alcohol addiction like shame,” says Amico, who notes that in a heterosexist society, people grow up with the shame of not being what’s expected of them by their parents, family, and friends. As evidence, he points to statistics indicating that the highest percentage of teenagers who actually attempt or commit suicide are those struggling with sexual orientation issues. 

 Internalized homophobia, says Annmarie Agosta, MSW, LCSW, a private practitioner in Somerset, NJ, is so pervasive and difficult to work through that many individuals choose to self-medicate and numb their feelings so they don’t have to think about it. She says that those who are aware of their sexual identity at a very early age tend to have a great deal more internalized homophobia than those who come to this understanding later in life. “As they’re growing up, they’re more susceptible when they hear negative comments or hate words from people around them that they care about,” says Agosta. As their identities are being formed, she says, they may feel that because people around them are saying horrible things about them, there’s something intrinsically wrong with them. Adults who come out later in life, says Agosta, “already have an idea about who they are and where they stand in the world.” A therapist who works primarily with the GLBT community, acknowledges that shame may play some role, but he questions the emphasis that’s frequently placed on it. “It’s dangerous when we go down that route because not everyone has shame,” he says. “People are quick to jump on the internalized heterosexism bandwagon, but a lot of GLBT people who have problems with addictions are perfectly fine with their sexuality. I don’t want to say it’s not a problem for people, but I think it’s dangerous when we automatically assume that it’s a problem. There may be issues with sexuality that create struggles, but it’s not necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship.”

If you are looking for a gay friendly addiction treatment program you can try either www.gay-rehab.com or www.lakeviewhealth.com. Addictional information on gay drug rehab programs can be found by calling 1-800-511-9225, a national addiction treatment helpline. 

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When we talk about anything with a pop culture aspect we use coded language. And when we do that there are always regional differences, cultural differences and subcultural differences to contend with. Crystal methamphetamine goes by lots of different street names: Crystal Meth, Crystal, Crissy, Tina, Crank, Speed, Shards, Glass, Ice, Go, Whizz, Dope… you get the picture.

Whatever name it goes by, crystal is a stimulant - an ‘upper.’

Just like when you use other uppers -caffeine, chocolate, cocaine - using crystal induces a chemical “fight-or-flight” response and changes a whole host of bodily functions: your heart rate goes up and thus your blood pressure increases, the pupils in your eyes open up wide, you feel more alert and as though you have more stamina, you get a sense of physical motivation and you definitely have increased verbal activity even though some of what you’re saying might not make sense to other people. Meanwhile, other functions decrease, like the sense of hunger and thirst or the need for sleep, you know, things that will get in the way of this “fight-or-flight” action.

The color of meth can vary a lot, depending on its purity. In its cheapest and less processed form called crank, the drug takes on varying shades of greasy-brown, sometimes with black flecks. Meth gets its nickname crystal because of the appearance of its most sought after form. Usually it’s found, seen or acquired as a clear-to-white crystalline substance that can look like long, thin shards of broken glass. The crystals can be swallowed or smoked as is, crushed into a powder for snorting or dissolved in a liquid before swallowing, injecting or booty bumping.

Crystal meth addiction treatment can be found at www.lakeviewhealth.com or call the national addiction treatment helpline at 1-800-99-DETOX.

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