Are you or a loved one struggling with ecstasy and its effects?
Ecstasy is one of the drugs that people tend to underestimate. This is due to other drugs causing much more of a ruckus than this ecstasy does. While it’s true that pure cocaine and heroin causes worse effects, ecstasy addiction and abuse are dangerous in its own right.
Failing to realize that someone you know is falling victim to ecstasy, regardless of whether it’s the designer pill version or its powdered, street alternative, may end up with them crashing and falling in an endless cycle to chase the high ecstasy gives.
Ecstasy Addiction Statistics
According to a study of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there has been a 75% increase in ecstasy-related emergencies in a span of 4 years. This totaled in around 7,600 more people to getting treated because of using ecstasy.
Of these patients, around 69% of them were within the ages of 18 to 29. A smaller percentage of these patients were even younger. All resulting from the dangerous side effects of Ecstasy.
Ecstasy is a drug that causes hallucinations. It gives its users stimulant and psychedelic side effects that last for a short time. This makes it a useful tool for young artists, which makes up over 90% of ecstasy’s user base.
Because of its recreational nature, most people look at its users and think little of their substance abuse. This is the main reason that most people continue to abuse ecstasy with little to no resistance from family members or peers.
General Statistics on Addiction to Ecstasy
In 2011, there were millions of hospital emergencies caused by drug abuse, 1.25 million to give a rough estimate. Most of these cases, around 33% of them, were due to ecstasy. While it has declined by a considerable amount in recent years, it remains a popular drug among younger people.
Speaking of its young users, the youngest average age for first-time users were 5 years of age. This is because molly, a street version of ecstasy, is easy to get a hold of. This is also because MDMA (Molly) pills look a lot like candy, making it easy to get young people to take them.
More than three-fourths of a million children aged 5 or younger are introduced to ecstasy at such an early stage. Starting so young in a person’s life leads to an increased chance of them getting addicted in the future.
Signs of Ecstasy Abuse
There are many telltale signs that someone is abusing ecstasy. An obvious sign, for example, is when someone becomes friendlier than usual. Ecstasy leaves their users in a state of euphoria for the entirety of its effects.
It also heightens the user’s senses. This means that their surroundings will become magnified to extreme extents. Depending on the user, this may either be an enjoyable experience or a terrifying one.
Those who enjoy that sensation often use it in a setting where they can take full advantage of its effect. Events like dance parties or raves are popular for people to try ecstasy for the first time.
Other signs of abuse are not as positive as that. Abusers may start to feel things like muscle tension and an increase in their heart rate. These discomforting effects are not the only ones abusers may experience.
Their blood pressure may also increase, which leads to them feeling dizzy and faint. Other than that, abusers may also feel that their jaws feel tight. This often complicates things because people begin to become unsure whether it’s a side effect or it’s a sign that they have other medical issues.
Am I Addicted?
Telling whether you’re addicted or not depends on your reasons for taking ecstasy. Most of the time, people take ecstasy because it gives them brief comfort. Despite its briefness, many people stop after one dose because the crash takes over.
Their crash is often brief because their dose was small. Other people like artists take ecstasy because it gives them inspiration. Like how steroids help bodybuilders push their limits, ecstasy may offer artists a different perspective to help with creativity.
If your reasoning for taking ecstasy is to experience euphoria once again, you may consider yourself addicted. Addiction tends to happen because people take excessive amounts of ecstasy or take it regularly.
This happens because the body becomes resistant to its effects after a couple of uses. If this is the case for you, trying to stop yourself will be very difficult. Reaching out for help from a detoxification and rehabilitation facility is your best option. If a loved one si abusing ecstasy, the best option may be to stage an intervention.
Dangers of Abusing Ecstasy
What makes ecstasy dangerous is that it’s frequently coupled with other drugs. Cocaine, heroin, LSD, and even rat poison make up different strains of ecstasy. Abusing ecstasy not only exposes you to its dangers but the danger of its combinations as well.
Other dangers of abusing ecstasy are changes to a person’s brain functions. Ecstasy affects the brain by reducing its serotonin production which can have long term effects to brain function.
Ecstasy lowers its production because it introduces its own form of happiness. The brain detects that there is no need to produce serotonin at the moment, so it cuts it off. Being too happy may have dangerous effects on a person’s brain.
Over time, glands that produce serotonin become unused and don’t function well. This happens because of continuous use of ecstasy. As a result, the body becomes dependent on using ecstasy to feel normal.
This may also become a danger for people experiencing clinical depression. People often report they feel worse than they did before they took a dose of ecstasy. People with clinical depression are prone to suicide as is, and this may push them over the edge.
Other dangers are often tied with the user’s health. Ecstasy may also influence the person’s well-being. If this happens, users may start experiencing hyponatremia and seizures.
Know More About Ecstasy Addiction and Abuse Today
You should never treat ecstasy use as a light matter. Many people fall victim to ecstasy addiction and abuse. This puts their physical and mental at serious risk.
If you or a loved one are abusing the drug, you should consider getting professional help. Contact us here and we’ll be there every step of the way.
