All About Ecstasy and Ecstasy Abuse

Ecstasy gets its name from the feeling of euphoria that most users report feeling after immediately ingesting the drug. Its real name is MDMA or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and it officially hit "the scene" sometime in the late 1970s/early 1980s. By the 1990s the ecstasy was very popular among high school and college students with some reported instances of abuse among junior high school students as well. Over the last decade and a half, ecstasy abuse and ecstasy addiction has become more widespread.

Ecstasy itself is a man-made drug, one of the few "bad" drugs that is not derived from a natural substance. Ecstasy is made up of a combination of methamphetamine or amphetamine and hallucinogen (usually mescaline). It's possible that it was first produced as an appetite suppressant but no one knows for sure. One of the things that make ecstasy unique is that, unlike other drugs which are usually taken in tandem with alcohol, ecstasy users rarely pair alcohol with their ecstasy in-take as alcohol is said to diminish the effects of the drugs.

Drugs Rehabsdrugs Rehabs

The effects of ecstasy can last as long as six hours and people who use the drug report an initial rush of very positive feelings. They say that they enter into an almost euphoric state and an increased sensitivity in the rest of their senses. Ecstasy users report that the drug increases their empathy for other people, a decrease in their anxiety levels and an intense feeling of relaxation. Ecstasy is also reported to suppress the abuser's need to drink, eat or sleep and can give users the ability to stay awake for days at a time. The first rush is always the best and an ecstasy addict will spend quite a lot of time trying to recreate it.

Ecstasy addiction is thought by some to be a misnomer. According to scientists, ecstasy does not have any physically addicting properties. It works its way through the system like most other over the counter drugs. What gets people addicted to ecstasy is the psychological effects of the drug. The first use is usually the best and an ecstasy addict will spend quite a bit of money trying to re-create the same rush with consequent uses of the drug. Ecstasy's effects lessen each time a person ingests it, so creating the same effect usually involves the ecstasy addict experimenting with other drugs like cocaine or heroin in order to find the rush they used to feel while on the drug.

It is this "gateway effect" that makes ecstasy abuse and addiction dangerous because the drugs that an ecstasy addict pairs with ecstasy are highly addictive and have extreme withdrawal symptoms that are very dangerous. The good news is that there is drug addiction treatment for ecstasy addicts. Finding it is only a matter of doing some research and exploring some of the drug rehabilitation clinics in your local area. Ecstasy addiction treatment can be done as an in-patient or out-patient experience and should always be accompanied with psychotherapy to combat the psychological addiction that a person has to the drug.

All About Ecstasy and Ecstasy Abuse

medical and biling