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June 30, 2003 Send us your questions and comments * Cycle I cannot end I'm a 28 year old Iranian girl and I have been bartending for the past several years at some of my city's trendiest nightspots. Although the alcohol and cigarettes are always flowing, I do not drink or smoke. However, for the past several months, I have been doing the drug ecstasy. I don't know why, the good feeling it gives me makes me think it could not possibly harm me, at least not in the way of nicotine or alcohol which bring cancer. But I am also afraid of what the long term effects may be and whether I have already "passed" my limit. I find that I am caught in a cycle that I cannot end. Am I a drug addict or a harmless party girl? Please advise. DV
Abjee Fotti and Abjee Pari write: Dear DV, We don't know what makes a drug addict: 1 pill, 5 pills, 500 pills? It all depends on the person. If you yourself feel that you are "caught in a cycle that you cannot end", it is definitely time to quit. You have already accomplished the first step which is to recognize that you have a problem. What worries us the most is that you think Ecstasy is safe or somewhat safer than other drugs such as alcohol or cigarettes. This simply is not the case. The more scientists learn about this drug, the more dangerous it appears. For example, in laboratory animals, there is a well-documented disruption of important brain function and anatomy. Humans have a wide array of strange reactions to the drug including something called "locked-in syndrome" where people cannot move any muscle in their body including their eyes, for days. The effects of the drug can also become as serious as developing acute psychotic reactions. Ecstasy is in the hallucinogenic class and is therefore a potential neurotoxin (toxic to the brain and nerves). Your brain pathways are activated in an abnormal way, becoming overexcited, which explains why they are so popular with all-night ravers. Then, the same brain pathways die or at least withdraw any interconnection with other cells. That's why you may feel depressed and tired when the effects of the drug wear off. Ecstasy also has an addictive effect. Please get yourself into some counseling to be able to figure out what's the best way for you to stop your drug use. Of course, taking yourself out of a tempting environment i.e. the trendy and hard-partying nightclubs you work at, should be the first step in your recovery. Although a regular 9 to 5 job may not have the big tips that you are making now, think of the nefarious consequences of losing all your hard-earned money into a costly and unhealthy addiction. We wish you the best and a speedy recovery, * Send this page to your friends
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