Are Rave Drugs a New Threat to Our Young Adults?

Rave drugs are not necessarily a new type of drug but, rather, common party-type drugs teens and young adults are tempted to take, especially during rave festivals.  They include:

  • Ecstasy (Molly/MDMA)
  • GHB
  • LSD
  • Methamphetamines
  • Ketamine

Rave festivals are meant to be fun and enjoyable events. Event-goers often have a carefree and relaxed mood. They are willing to share illegal drugs with others, and, when others are asked if they want to join in, are hesitant to decline since everyone else is experimenting with various drugs.

Most raves provide access to onsite medical responders, so part of the mentality young people have, behind experimenting with drugs, is if something does go wrong there is help onsite and the risks of trying something are reduced. Unfortunately, even with onsite medical responders, fatalities still occur and have claimed the lives of many rave-goers.

According to many emergency room doctors in the Los Angeles area, which has several big rave events each year, teenagers and young adults really have no idea what they are taking or experimenting with, let alone how the drugs are going to affect their body and what reactions they might experience.

For instance, Ecstasy is easily accessible at rave events, yet there is no way to tell what is actually in the Ecstasy. It could be mixed with cocaine, methamphetamines, or other drugs, which alters its effects on the body.

Complicating matters, some young adults have the misconception and belief that if they take “pure” Ecstasy it is safer than Ecstasy which has been diluted with other drugs. This is not the case, and “pure” Ecstasy is just as dangerous.

One of the common side effects of taking Ecstasy is an increase in body temperature, reaching a fever-like state for a prolonged period of time. Increased temperatures from Ecstasy can cause comas, brain damage, seizures, and death. Many people who experience seizures and/or comas rarely recover, and most end up dying within a short period of time.

Another problem with increased body temperatures is they will cause the body’s organs to fail. Basically, prolonged temperatures of 107 to 109 degrees Fahrenheit, typical with Ecstasy use, cause the organs to shut down. Young adults who have died from Ecstasy had body temperatures in this range.

Ecstasy use also causes the user to feel thirsty, so they will consume large amounts of water, often provided for free at rave festivals. As water intake increases, the body’s sodium levels drop greatly and can trigger seizures where the brain is not getting oxygen, and it leads to a coma.

Aside from Ecstasy usage, rave-goers tend to experiment with other drugs simultaneously, further increasing the risks of dangerous side effects, which are compounded for each type of drug taken.

Drug and Alcohol Treatment

With the rave festival season just right around the corner, it is important for teens and young adults to increase their awareness about the risks of rave drugs to avoid becoming another statistic. If you or someone you care about is struggling with drugs or alcohol, help is available through our drug and alcohol treatment programs, here at Florida Coast Recovery. Call us at 1-954-990-7101 for more information today.

Source

  1. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-why-some-er-doctors-want-to-end-raves-in-los-angeles-county-20150810-story.html