Club Drugs: Myths and Risks
“All days work and no play make Tom a dull boy” is a wise saying that emphasizes on the importance of having fun and recreation in our busy life. Who would not love to enjoy and party their leisure time with friends and family. Now-a-days recreation has become a very important part of our life, it helps us to lead life more interestingly, and it also provides many social, health, and educational benefits. And the word RECREATION itself is so interesting that it says we need to re-create our self periodically after days of hard work. But these days recreation has taken a new form. People and youngsters love to spend their time dancing and drinking in night clubs and parties. There is nothing wrong in partying and spending time nightclub. But taking club drugs during partying can be a bit serious issue.
Club drugs as the name indicate they are popular in night clubs, parties, and raves (all-night dance party). They make the user less shy and feel more open and intimate. There are many club drugs available in the market, few very common club drugs are – Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy); Gamma-hydroxybutyrate GHB (liquid ecstasy), flunitrazepam, ketamine, and many more.
Safety of club drugs
The words safe, advantage, benefits doesn’t suit club drugs. Neither they are safe, nor they are advantageous, and nor they are beneficial to the user in any way. Most of the club drugs available look like a prescribed tablet, which are harmful and illegally made. The mixture of many club drugs is still unknown. As club drugs are tasteless, odorless, and colorless they can be mixed in beverage of other people without their knowledge. Many use it to commit sexual assaults or seduce other people. People using club drugs face many health and mental problems like
- Blurred vision
- Loss of muscle control
- Seizures
- Loss of memory
- Hypothermia
- Brain damage by damaging nerve cells
- Depression
- Anti-social behavior
- Suicide and homicide
- Change in physical appearance
- Increased unprotected sex
Club drugs like MDMA are actually stimulants that increase heartbeat and blood pressure, similarly GHB leads to breathing problem and loss of consciousness. Club drugs used in combination with alcohol can be even more dangerous.
Club drugs are addictives; user can become addicted if club drugs are used frequently and repeatedly. The use of these drugs can cause severe adverse long-lasting symptoms.
Many people are in the misconception that taking a small amount of club drug once in a while will not cause any harm, but unfortunately, it is not true. Even a single pill can result in serious complications and even death. And the dosage of each pill vary batch to batch as they are made illegally.
Tips to identify a friend who is on club drug
People who take club drugs usually exhibit change in mood, increase in body temperature, muscle tension, teeth clenching, problem with speaking and moving, anxiety, loss of co-ordination, weak, sick, rapid eye movement, chills, sweating, sleepy-drunk like behavior, dizziness, and confusion. If someone is in such situation, it is better to take them from the loud music into a calm quite place. The person can be given some sport juice, avoid giving plain water. If this doesn’t seem to calm him/her, it is better to get medical aid.
Tips to avoid being drugged unknowingly
As the incidence of date rape are in rapid increase and club drug play major role in helping the culprits, there are some things that will help to prevent someone adding club drug unknowingly in beverages.
- Make sure to keep drink or water in hand
- Do not accept a drink or water from an unknown person
- Look out for other friends drinks also
Conclusion
Last but not least, people do not need club drugs to open up or to enjoy to the core. All that these drugs are capable of is giving the user some energy, but energy can be got by other activities also like dance and sports. Just go have fun, light up the dance floor and jump to your excitement but not by taking drugs.
