Club Drugs

If you've heard people talking about ecstasy or GHB or Special K, then you've heard people talking about "club drugs." And, just like cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, and inhalants, club drugs will hurt your body if you use them.

When people talk about club drugs, they are usually referring to ecstasy, GHB, Rohypnol (which is pronounced "ro-HIP-nall"), or Ketamine (which is pronounced "KET-a-mean"). Sometimes people will be talking about club drugs and you won't know what they are talking about because each of them has a bunch of slang names.

Here are some of the slang names we learned in school. I have put them in this chart for you so it is easier to read.

But, no matter what clever little names people come up with for each of the club drugs, the bottom line is, they can all harm your body. Here is how each of the drugs can hurt you, and when I say hurt you, I mean hurt your body and also your social life. Really!

Body

Ecstasy dehydrates your body. This means there isn't as much water in your blood, so it gets thicker and slows down. When your blood can't travel to all of parts of the body it needs to, you begin to slow down, feel sick or weak, or you might get a headache. Being dehydrated is trouble for your body because usually when people take ecstasy, they forget to drink water, and it's when ecstasy is in your body that you really need to drink water—it helps to flush it out. Also, when you use ecstasy, your body can't control its temperature. This means that if you are in a cold room or outside and it is chilly, your body won't be able to respond to your body's need for warmth and you could suffer from hypothermia.

Brain

Ecstasy can damage the nerve cells in your brain. Scientists say the parts of the brain that are affected are the cerebral cortex (pronounced "sa-REE-brill core-tex") and the hippocampus. The cerebral cortex is the part of your brain that is responsible for thinking. And, the hippocampus is the part of the brain that helps with memory. There is so much going on in our worlds today, it's hard enough to remember all the things we have to. So why would anyone want to make it harder to think and remember?

Heart and Muscles

Ecstasy is a stimulant, and that means it makes your body speed up. Your heart beats faster, your blood rushes through your veins faster, and you can't concentrate because your brain activity speeds up. My teacher said it is kind of like that nervous and jittery feeling you get right before you have to go to the dentist. All of this activity hurts your heart, and it puts stress on your muscles. In fact, your muscles get so stressed out that they ache for days after ecstasy is taken.