Drugs?

[Impulse]

I've personally never been into drugs at all - I've tried weed a couple of times and never cared for it, pretty much just got a headache and had no interest in trying it any more. I don't smoke, either.

However, I'm in a bit of an odd situation with a friend. He's tried several other drugs, including peyote, magic mushrooms and cocaine. He's not used anything in months, and the ones he has tried, he's used a handful of times and then never used again. Not an addictive personality, thankfully. My problem is that he's talking about trying Ecstasy and wants me to either try it with him or at least be his 'wingman' while he tries it, in case anything went wrong.

I'm personally not that interested in trying E myself, but don't want him to risk taking it while he's alone. At the same time, I don't want to 'enable' him to take stuff.

Thoughts? Suggestions? What are your own experiences on/with drugs - anything comparable that might be relevant in this situation? Just how dangerous IS E? Am I overly panicking?

[Howlett]

I did some work in an A&E (ER in the states) and I saw a girl brought in, dead, from taking an E. She had a bad reaction to it and spasmed so much she smashed her face into the floor until she was unrecognizable.

So, yeah, pretty dangerous.

Tell him no. Try to convince him not to take it. And if he decides, in this day and age where it's common knowledge how bad drugs are and what the dangers are, that he wants to try it, leave him. Walk away. Speaking as someone who has lost some friends to drugs, it's not worth the grief.

[Jason California]

During my early 20 I was a chemistry experiment. I have never had a bad experience on drugs. I grew up and out of it for the most part and have not done anything stronger than marijuana in the last 4 years.

[Teal_Lantern]

I agree with the guy above. Say no, try to talk him out of it. Ecstasy is one of the most dangerous drugs out there.

[leafinsectman]

You gotta ask yourself (and your friend too) if its really worth risking your well being. Is this the only thing one can to do get some happiness and excitement in their life? To be fair, it might not go wrong at all. But do you think that your friend should continue to experiment with drugs? If you care about him, maybe you should say something to him. And if he doesn't listen then he doesn't listen, we're all responsible for our lives. Good luck!

[dasNdanger]

This may help you decide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_39DMM7Rh0

Now, really...ask yourself - do you want to be responsible for that??

;)

In all seriousness, I've never done drugs of any kind - I decided quite young that I wanted to be my own person and not let others force me to do stuff I didn't want to do. I've never regretted one minute of it. That said, I have had friends who turned heavily to drugs, and I can't think of one good story to come out of it. A good pal who was once a 'chemical experiment', but is now clean, once helped a buddy take heroin, and the guy overdosed, and my friend was too high to even call 911...guy died right there in his living room, and he has to live with that for the rest of his life now.

So, if someone wants to experiment, tell them to do it on their own time - you don't need to be responsible for their irresponsibility.

das

[Darque_Angel]

methylenedioxymethamphetamine MDMA aka Ecstasy, Adam and XTC is like any mind altering drug potentially hazardous to use even once. It is a psychoactive drug with amphetamine and hallucinogenic effects and has a variety of side effects and possible ill effects.

Chief among them for a first time user would be the effects on the blood pressure, heart rate and circulatory system. Its possible that a person could have an issue in these areas that has gone undiagnosed and never bothered them but the effects of the drug in elevating these things combined with an undiagnosed defect could result in a lot of bad things, like instant death.

Beyond that there are a host of side effects from spasms, hallucinations, depression, muscle tension, teeth clenching, suicidal thoughts and psychotic break. I've had a first time user brought into the ER I work in who had experienced a complete psychotic break and taken a straight razor to themselves.

That is all assuming that you are getting pharmaceutical quality MDMA which might not be the case. You have no way of knowing the actual dosage of what you are taking in some cases. Its is not safe, period. Its not a question of abusing it even, its just not worth the risk.

I know a number of people engage in recreational drug use and never have a problem. I won't dispute that but I've lost count of the number of people I've seen that have a very different ending to their story and I am including drinking in this. I'd be out of a job tomorrow probably if people stopped abusing alcohol.

[WillieLee]

Just skip to the end where you're blowing guys for crack.

[shrike]

If you are worried about it, then DON'T DO IT.

You can't control his actions, but you can control yours.

When I was a teen, I tried pretty much everything but the hard stuff (ie heroin, meth or crack). I'll admit... most of it came from peer pressure at the time. I didn't want to seem the odd one out. At the time, I thought I was doing it because I want to. Years later, I understand it was basically to fit in with my peers.

I'm not a fan of drugs, but the choice you make needs to be your own. I see big reservations, so please, I advise not to do it.

(As a side note, there was a man in my city last year who was on drugs and, during our big music festival, flipped out and stabbed himself to death in front of all his friends. He was only 19 and was in college. Sad.)

[Jason California]

Just skip to the end where you're blowing guys for crack.


WillieLee is a wise man. You the sooner you all realize this the better off you will be.

[Treacle]

I'm definitely not in the all drugs are bad camp, but if you or your friend tries E, here's what you should know--

1) If you don't feel comfortable doing E, don't do it. E amplifies whatever emotions you're currently experiencing so if you're happy, it'll make you wayyy happy (kind of blissed out, euphoric, and hippie-ish). If you're sad, it'll make you depressed as fuck. If you're anxious or panicky, it'll probably send you to the ER. That last one actually happened to a guy I know.

2) E pretty much empties out your serotonin stores, so while you won't crash and burn, you will be emotionally "down" for a few days...maybe longer if you have some underlying psych issues. It's really important to take care of yourself afterwards...sleep, eat, drink all that. Get some orange juice. Don't do anything other drugs (including alcohol) while you're rolling or for the next few days after.

3) At least one person in the group of people taking E needs to be stone-cold sober. The kind of sober where the only thing you're drinking is water. People on E aren't the best judges of their physical or emotional needs while they're rolling, and somebody needs to act as the "voice of reason." Case in point, someone I know was convinced she was freezing to death even though it was April, she was sitting in front of a fireplace, wearing a jacket, and sweating profusely. The sober person had to remind her of all these things.

It all boils down to this...if your friend is a stable, happy sort of fellow, he'll probably have a pleasant roll. He should NOT be alone while he's rolling, but there's no reason to think he'll go psychotic and start biting heads off of pigeons or whatnot. If you're worried, there's nothing wrong with saying, "Hey...I'm not into taking this stuff, but I'll sit with you while you're taking it." If nothing else, watch Speed Racer while he's rolling...he'll probably love it.

Also, E makes you very touchy-feely so if he tries to give you a massage or something, just roll with it. :scared:

[Jason California]

What that woman said.

[Ethan Van Sciver]

Our parent's generation took drugs the way we ate Cap'n Crunch, and they're running the country now, and doing fine. I recommend not drinking, smoking or taking drugs of any kind, especially if you know yourself, and know you develop addictions to things easily.

On the other hand, I've always thought there was something to be said for trying things once.

[Weeto]

I've never smoked, drunk alcohol or taken drugs.

I don't want to see things any differently than I do normally. I'm happy being able to walk in a straight line and not have squiggly lights appearing in front of my eyes.

[Ship]

After watching my younger brother self-destruct due to cocaine abuse I wouldn't advise anyone else to try it.

Fortunately he's gotten his shit together over the last few years and is finally holding down a steady job (with a defence contractor no less).

[Basque]

I think the important thing is to be well informed and aware of the risks. But then you have the decide for yourself.

Everything in life is a risk.

Drugs can ruin lives. Even end them.
Drugs can open minds and expand them.

I experimented with drugs throughout my late-teens and had some amazing experiences, and some not so great ones. I think it's had some long-term positive effects on me, as well as some long-term negative ones. By the time I reached 20, I had decided to quit all drugs and I think it was a good decision. But I don't regret experimenting with it before that. (I'm 32 now.)

Some of the people who started doing drugs around the same time I did never stopped, or stopped much later than I did, and they might have a different story to tell.

I'm not advising for or against. I think it's a personal choice.

PS: Cocaine is a shitty drug. The people who use it feel great, but they don't realize it basically turns them into assholes.

[Treacle]

I think the important thing is to be well informed and aware of the risks. But then you have the decide for yourself.

Everything in life is a risk.

Drugs can ruin lives. Even end them.
Drugs can open minds and expand them.

I experimented with drugs throughout my late-teens and had some amazing experiences, and some not so great ones. I think it's had some long-term positive effects on me, as well as some long-term negative ones. By the time I reached 20, I had decided to quit all drugs and I think it was a good decision. But I don't regret experimenting with it before that. (I'm 32 now.)

Some of the people who started doing drugs around the same time I did never stopped, or stopped much later than I did, and they might have a different story to tell.

I'm not advising for or against. I think it's a personal choice.

PS: Cocaine is a shitty drug. The people who use it feel great, but they don't realize it basically turns them into assholes.

Pretty much this.

We should be beyond iron skillets and broken eggs by now.

[WillieLee]

After watching my younger brother self-destruct due to cocaine abuse I wouldn't advise anyone else to try it.

Fortunately he's gotten his shit together over the last few years and is finally holding down a steady job (with a defence contractor no less).

He's probably really boring to talk to now though, isn't he?

[Ship]

He's probably really boring to talk to now though, isn't he?

Considering that one of his methods of communicating was to nearly cut off a finger, then scrawl on the walls with his blood, that's not such a bad thing.

[Impulse]

I'm definitely not in the all drugs are bad camp, but if you or your friend tries E, here's what you should know--

1) If you don't feel comfortable doing E, don't do it. E amplifies whatever emotions you're currently experiencing so if you're happy, it'll make you wayyy happy (kind of blissed out, euphoric, and hippie-ish). If you're sad, it'll make you depressed as fuck. If you're anxious or panicky, it'll probably send you to the ER. That last one actually happened to a guy I know.

2) E pretty much empties out your serotonin stores, so while you won't crash and burn, you will be emotionally "down" for a few days...maybe longer if you have some underlying psych issues. It's really important to take care of yourself afterwards...sleep, eat, drink all that. Get some orange juice. Don't do anything other drugs (including alcohol) while you're rolling or for the next few days after.

3) At least one person in the group of people taking E needs to be stone-cold sober. The kind of sober where the only thing you're drinking is water. People on E aren't the best judges of their physical or emotional needs while they're rolling, and somebody needs to act as the "voice of reason." Case in point, someone I know was convinced she was freezing to death even though it was April, she was sitting in front of a fireplace, wearing a jacket, and sweating profusely. The sober person had to remind her of all these things.

It all boils down to this...if your friend is a stable, happy sort of fellow, he'll probably have a pleasant roll. He should NOT be alone while he's rolling, but there's no reason to think he'll go psychotic and start biting heads off of pigeons or whatnot. If you're worried, there's nothing wrong with saying, "Hey...I'm not into taking this stuff, but I'll sit with you while you're taking it." If nothing else, watch Speed Racer while he's rolling...he'll probably love it.

Also, E makes you very touchy-feely so if he tries to give you a massage or something, just roll with it. :scared:

Thanks for this - it gives me an idea of what to expect if he does try it. I've not spoken to him since he first mentioned it, or since I started this thread, but I think we'll have a fair bit to discuss when next we do.

Those who've given warnings too, thank you also. I knew most of the stuff you've mentioned, albeit only in broad strokes of the effects. I'll definitely be warning him of the dangers, and almost certainly won't be trying it myself. I'm still torn on supporting him through it though - I have a feeling he's so interested in trying it, he'll do it regardless, but my conscience is playing on me and I don't want him to risk taking it alone in case anything terrible did happen.


I've never smoked, drunk alcohol or taken drugs.

I don't want to see things any differently than I do normally. I'm happy being able to walk in a straight line and not have squiggly lights appearing in front of my eyes.

Yeah, this is generally my stance, although I do drink. Alcohol is the worst foreign substance I put into my body, and even then I don't like getting too drunk, too often.

[AlienKeyes]

Impulse, you don't seem very impulsive!

[CougarTrace]

I've never done an illegal drug. Never have. Never will.

So, myself, don't touch the stuff. Life is pretty okay just as it is.

[pseudicide]

Ditto to what Treacle said. I have a lot of experience with drugs due to a misspent youth/20-somethings. There are some scaryscary stories I could tell you. I have some great stories too, but I'd never go back there to get them to happen again. It's not worth it, overall.

Use common sense. Go with your gut. Never, ever do anything that you're uncomfortable with. Be careful if you do decide, and be wise.

~Dee

[Shisho]

I'm going to say Treacle has the right of it on all counts.

If you're not comfortable doing it, don't do it. Simple. You're friend will probably do it with or without you, so I say just hang out and keep an eye open. Educate yourself as best you can. Also, make sure he's hydrated.

I had a lot of friends who did a little bit of everything when we were in college, but mostly stuck with alcohol and weed. What I felt comfortable trying, I did, but no one ever forced me to do anything I didn't want to. I'm a lightweight and it's not really for me, but I had no problem watching out for anyone who just wanted to try something and they did the same for me. Just stay safe and don't do anything stupid.

[RebootedCorpse]

Don't do anything you don't want to do. Tell the guy you'll hang with him while he does it to keep him safe, but that's it.

[Gail Simone]

I think I'm immune to the whole altered states thing.

Seriously, I feel like there's something wrong with me. I have never had any illegal drugs, I avoid all prescription drugs as much as possible, I have never had coffee, beer, or wine, in my life. I've had perhaps an ounce of alcohol, maybe. I have never been drunk.

And it's not puritan self-denial. I just have never had any interest at all.

[dasNdanger]

I think I'm immune to the whole altered states thing.

Seriously, I feel like there's something wrong with me. I have never had any illegal drugs, I avoid all prescription drugs as much as possible, I have never had coffee, beer, or wine, in my life. I've had perhaps an ounce of alcohol, maybe. I have never been drunk.

And it's not puritan self-denial. I just have never had any interest at all.

I've never taken an illegal drug, and also avoid prescription drugs if at all possible (right now I'm on blood pressure meds, and even that I hate). I went a couple years without taking an aspirin or Tylenol - and only finally took an aspirin to break a week-long fever. I've also never smoked a cigarette - of any kind. I really don't like medicating. However, I do love coffee - the taste of coffee - but I can only drink decaf, otherwise it shorts out my nervous system. And I do like wine, and I also drink beer and mixed drinks and on special occasions single-malt whisky...but I only drink them in moderation. I don't like the feeling of being drunk, but I do enjoy the 'relaxed' feeling a glass of wine gives me, especially after a hectic day.

das

[bert]

I've never taken an illegal drug, and also avoid prescription drugs if at all possible (right now I'm on blood pressure meds, and even that I hate). I went a couple years without taking an aspirin or Tylenol - and only finally took an aspirin to break a week-long fever. I've also never smoked a cigarette - of any kind. I really don't like medicating. However, I do love coffee - the taste of coffee - but I can only drink decaf, otherwise it shorts out my nervous system. And I do like wine, and I also drink beer and mixed drinks and on special occasions single-malt whisky...but I only drink them in moderation. I don't like the feeling of being drunk, but I do enjoy the 'relaxed' feeling a glass of wine gives me, especially after a hectic day.

das

wow. . . ditto.

cept for the blood pressure meds, I could have written the above.

(although I do cut loose w/ hard liquor once a year at Dragon*con :)).

I'm like this naturally. . if I did drugs, I'd likely just sit quietly in the corner.

[Lester C.]

I am a total drug addict. I work graveyard shift use caffeine to get through the night and day the way other people use other drugs. Nothing recreational about my use.

[Treacle]

I am a total drug addict. I work graveyard shift use caffeine to get through the night and day the way other people use other drugs. Nothing recreational about my use.

When I worked nights, this was me too. I bought Diet Coke, coffee, and Red Bull by the frickin' case.

[stealthwise]

Huh. That reminds me, as of last week, I haven't touched marijuana in over a year.

Never had a problem with drugs though. Tried mushrooms something like 4 or 5 times (the fact I can't remember how many should be telling), but it was fun at the time. Used to go on week-long binges with weed or booze, but outgrew those too.

I have kids now, don't want to bother with the stuff.

As for your scenario, I would steer clear of E and anything made in someone's bath tub/home chemistry set. That stuff can fuck you up if they cut it wrong or mixed it incorrectly.

[Cam63]

So far beer, cigars and coffee do enough for me.