As the sun rose over Alexandria, attendees of the DJ Tiesto concert continued to feel the charge from the party. Although Tareq, 21, had been dancing all night, he was ready for another concert.
“You can’t have a concert like Tiesto without rolling, he said. “It’s part of the concert-going culture.
Tareq and his friends had taken a pill each before the concert, and one during. The drug is commonly known as ecstasy, X, Adam, the hug drug, and sweeties. It makes users feel an increase in positive emotion and a decrease in negative emotion.
“You feel like you want to be close to people, said Tareq. “All your walls come down, and you want to talk to them. You don’t worry about being hurt or anything, because the X won’t let you do that. It just ends up being a good time no matter what.
According to Dr Soad Fahmy, general physicist, the euphoric feeling may come from the release of large quantities of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, believed to regulate mood and pleasure. But when users wind down, they often experience a period of depression as a result.
“The primary risk in taking ecstasy is the possibility of experiencing serotonin syndrome, which is too much serotonin released in the brain, said Dr Fahmy. “The user can start to become confused, red-faced, hot and dry to the touch. This can lead to lethal malignant hyperthermia if it becomes too severe.
Hyperthermia is when the core body temperature rises to the point where core organs shut down – at 42 degrees Celsius. This risk is often high in closed dance areas, where ecstasy is most popular. Ideally, temperature should be 24 – 27 C.
“Ecstasy affects the body’s ability to regulate temperature and it is easy to become either too hot or too cold if the temperature is outside of this range [24-27], she said.
If a user complains of overheating, or dehydration, they should immediately rest in a cool corner and drink water. According to Tareq, water is vital for ecstasy users.
“Everyone who uses ecstasy knows you have to drink a lot of water, he said. “You’ll notice in most of these parties people are holding bottles of water instead of alcoholic drinks.
What Tareq and other users might not know is that too much water could be fatal. According to a study released by the American Journal of Medical Sciences, the number one cause of death for ecstasy users is Hyponatremia, or low sodium levels in the blood. When too much water is injested the body the blood becomes diluted, and eventually swells the brain.
However, some doctors argue that ecstasy has a potential significance in treating severe cases of post traumatic stress disorder. Dr Leo Zeff, a researcher with particular interest in this topic, held “trip sessions in his home, illegally, because he believed in the healing power of drugs such as ecstasy. The book “The Secret Chief Revealed, documents such sessions.
After being qualified for “a guided trip clients would be invited to Dr Zeff’s home. In a period of two days patients would be administered psychedelic drugs, including ecstasy. Food and water were readily available, as were group and individual therapy sessions. The trips were controlled, and according to the book were extremely successful.
“The people change from a very disturbed, mixed-up state to a clear place where they function much more creatively, in terms of relations to themselves and outside, Dr Zeff wrote in the book.
Even with such experiments, many young users report the negative impact of ecstasy even after they have quit using heavily. Imad, 20, says he had mild problems with social anxiety before using the drug. In general he was a happy 16-year-old, full of life and enjoyed meeting new people.
“I took it almost every weekend for a year and have rolled almost 100 times, he says. “It got to the point where I was taking over 10 pills in a few hours just to feel as good as I did the first 20 times I rolled.
When he was coming off of his last trip, Imad panicked and refused to talk to anyone. Since then, he says, things have not been the same.
“I can be with my family or a group of friends and still feel completely alone and uncomfortable. I’ve walked out of new jobs because of panic attacks. I hide it well, but it’s destroying my life.
Even with all the danger signs surrounding the drug Tareq and his friend will continue to use it to spice up the night, he says. As they stock up for the upcoming Bob Sinclair concert this weekend on the North Coast, Tareq has no fears.
“You are only young once, he says. “I want to enjoy myself and good music and a good pill is a guaranteed good time.
