Club Drugs Came to Be Identiﬁed with Young, Partying People Who Use Them to Increase Euphoria Or Enhance Performance

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by younger people. Ecstasy and the other club drugs came to be identiﬁed with young, partying people who use them to increase euphoria or enhance performance.

I Recovery Issues Club Drugs Although they have widely varying properties, addictive WHEN THE PARTY IS OVER behaviors (e.g., compulsive use, loss of control, and continued use despite harmful consequences) can result FACILITATO R’ S GUIDE from the use of any of these club drugs. The following points should be kept in mind by people recovering from addiction to club drugs: Richard Seymour, M.A. • Avoid raves and any other milieu in which club drugs are used. I • Find rewarding and stimulating alternative activities, Objec tives such as sober parties, hobbies, school, relationships, After viewing this video, clients should be able to and meaningful work. • list and describe the physical effects of six club • Shop around for different Twelve Step or other drugs recovery support meetings to ﬁnd those in which • deﬁne the commonalities that make these sub - you feel comfortable and attend consistently. stances club drugs • Once you’ve found a support group, get a sponsor • discuss the physical and emotional effects of or mentor and work a structured program. club drugs on their users • Learn to cope with stress, anxiety, and other nega - • list several positive outcomes that result from tive feelings without using drugs; this may include abstinence and ongoing recovery from addiction seeking professional help if you need it—especially to club drugs if you’re diagnosed with a co-occurring psychiatric or other disorder. Note: • If you do relapse, count it as a learning experience Before showing the video, take a few minutes to and get right back into sobriety and recovery. review this guide, which provides general infor- mation about addiction to club drugs and recovery I Richard Seymour, M.A., is the editor in chief of The Journal of from that addiction. Feel free to copy and distrib - Psychoactive Drugs and director of education and training for the ute the reproducible worksheets to clients to help Haight Ashbury Free Clinics in San Francisco. them better process the video content.

© 2003 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible. I What Are Club Drugs? GHB (Liquid Ecstasy, Georgia home boy, etc. ), or The substances discussed in the video represent every gamma hydroxybutyrate, is a rapid-acting and strong major group of psychoactive or mind-altering drugs and central nervous system depressant and a metabolite of produce a wide range of effects. What unites them under the brain neurotransmitter GABA. It is popular with body - the name club drugs is that all of them have been associ - builders for changing the ratio of muscle to fat, but it has ated with use by teens and young adults in social settings, also become widely used for its sedative and euphoria- where they are often used in combination with one producing effects that are greatly enhanced by mixing it another to enhance sensual stimulation. Following are with alcohol. descriptions of the six most common club drugs. Ketamine (Special K, Vitamin K, etc. ) is a dissociative Ecstasy (E, Adam, etc. ), or 3,4-methylenedioxymeth- anesthetic similar to phencyclidine (PCP ) that produces amphetamine (MDMA), is a stimulant and a close cousin catatonia and deep analgesia. Side effects include dys - of the hallucinogen MDA, which is used experimentally pho ria and hallucinations. Users experience a dissociative in psychotherapy as a means of relaxing suppression. effect that separates the mind from the body senses, Ecstasy first became popular with college students and creating a dreamlike state that can last six hours or longer. young professionals in the mid-1980s as a means of Rohypnol (rooﬁes, the date rape drug, etc.), or fluni - rela xing inhibitions and enhancing emotional empathy. trazepam, is a member of the benzodiazepine family of It functions mainly through the serotonergic messenger depressants that produces relaxation and sedation. Short system in the brain and is thought to deplete serotonin acting and ten times as potent as Valium, it is not legally an d damage brain receptor sites. sold in the United States but is smuggled into the country Methamphetamine (meth, speed, etc.) is a powerful, illegally. highly addictive, and long-acting stimulant that can at first I History of Club Drugs produce intense euphoria and feelings of well-being but In the early 1960s, LSD began to appear at “acid tests.” with prolonged use induces irritability, paranoia, anxiety, These were dances at the Longshoreman’s Hall in San mental confusion, poor judgment, and hallucinations. It is Francisco where punch bowls of Kool-Aid were laced one of the most common addictive substances of abuse with the drug and people danced to rock music. These across all populations but is included as a club drug evolved into rock concerts featuring psychedelic music because of its continuing popularity among young adults that reflected the mind-set and experiences of the growing as a social stimulant. dru g culture. In the early 1980s, “acid houses” began to LSD (acid, blotter, etc. ), or lysergic acid diethylamide, appear in England and western Europe where young is a hallucinogen that saw extensive use in the hippie people danced and took LSD and Ecstasy to enhance culture of the 1960s and is considered the quintes sential their experience of the music and milieu. In America, psychedelic drug. While use has declined since then, it has these later became large “raves” held in improvised enjoyed a resurgence on the rave scene in recent years. venues and attended by increasingly large numbers and

List the club drugs mentioned in the video that you used and describe how they may have affected your brain and body.

What were some of the consequences from your use of club drugs that you now see as evidence that you had begun to lose control?

Describe both the helpful and challenging ways you’ve begun to experience your emotions now that you’re in recovery.

© 2003 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible. What are some of the people, places, and things that reinforced your using behaviors? What are you going to do to address them in recovery?

Why is total abstinence from all mood-altering substances essential for your successful ongoing recovery?

Describe how recovery groups and sponsorship helped the people in the video stay sober. How can they help you in your recovery program?

List the positive experiences the people in the video attributed to remaining abstinent from club drugs. As you design your recovery plan, think about how you can create opportunities to have these and other positive experiences in your life.