Club drugs are a variety of dangerous drugs used by teens and young adults in all-night parties, raves, clubs, and bars. These drugs fall into three classes: stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens. Because they are often combined with alcohol, club drugs can cause serious health problems and can even lead to death.

If you or someone you love is abusing club drugs, search Recoverycorps.org's database for a treatment center in your area.

Club Drugs Primer
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there are generally six kinds of club drugs on the scene, though there are variations.

MDMA or ECSTASY is a synthetic hallucinogenic that produces feelings of euphoria, increases energy and stimulates arousal. The drug was first synthesized in 1912, but it didn't become popularly abused until 1980s. In 1985 MDMA was classified as a Schedule I controlled substance.

Ecstasy provides the user with two main effects: amphetamine stimulation and mild hallucinations. It taps into the same pleasure zones as cocaine. These effects are felt within 30 minutes, peak at 90 minutes and last for 4 to 6 hours.

Ecstasy is usually sold by street dealers in tablet doses ranging from 50mg to 500mg. The tablets are often different colors and have images on them. Common street names are XTC, X, Adam, clarity, lover's speed, and love drug.

GHB (Gamma-hydroxybutyrate) is a depressant usually taken orally in liquid or powder form. It affects the central nervous system causing drowsiness, dizziness and hallucinations. GHB is often taken with alcohol and other drugs to heighten its effects and making it particularly dangerous.

Because of its drowsiness effects, GHB is used as a date rape drug. A victim's drink is spiked with the odorless and colorless drug making it difficult to detect. GHB when combined with alcohol renders victims powerless.

Common street names include Georgia Home Boy, Liquid Ecstasy, Scoop, Liquid X and Goop. It's often sold as a liquid in plastic bottles in 1 to 5 gram doses.

ROHYPNOL (“roofies”) is a powerful central nervous system (CNS) depressant in the same Benzodiazepine drug family as Xanax and Valium. The primary effect is heavy sedation. Rohypnol's effects are typically felt in 15 to 20 minutes with the high lasting 4 to 6 hours.

Rohypnol comes in small white tablets that are odorless, tasteless and colorless when dissolved in drinks. It's sometimes used as a date rape drug because of its incapacitating effects when combined with alcohol.
Other physical effects include the following:

  • Decreased blood pressure
  • Drowsiness
  • Memory impairment
  • Dizziness
  • Headaches
  • Confusion
  • Tremors
  • Disinhibition
  • Amnesia

KETAMINE or “Special K” is an anesthetic that is abused for its hallucinogenic effects. It is used legitimately as a veterinary anesthetic and as an anesthetic for children during surgery.  Ketamine's effects are similar to PCP—distorting perception and producing feelings of detachment from the body.

Ketamine comes in a clear liquid and white powder form and can be injected, snorted (powder), smoked or consumed in drinks.

The hallucinogenic effects last from one to two hours, but impairment of senses, judgment, and coordination can last for up to 24 hours. The drug can also cause amnesia, depression, and potentially fatal respiratory problems. Ketamine is a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act.

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) or “ACID” is a powerful hallucinogenic that distorts perceptions of reality, often causing panic in the user. The psychological effects are unpredictable with “trips” lasting for about 12 hours. LSD was used in mental health research in the 1960s and was made infamous by Timothy Leary who encouraged students to “turn on, tune in, and drop out.”

An LSD user's experiences vary but altering of time and sense of self are common effects. Other experiences include feeling of losing one's mind, fear of death and feelings of despair. Flashback effects—experiencing certain parts of the trip—can occur long after the user takes LSD.

Physical reactions may include lowered body temperature, nausea, perspiration, and rapid heart rate.
LSD is sold in tablets, capsules, and, sometimes, in liquid form and is almost always taken orally. It is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act.

METH (methamphetamine),“Crystal Meth”, “ICE”, or “GLASS” is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that produces euphoric feelings similar to cocaine. A meth rush lasts from 5 to 30 minutes, while its other effects—increased activity, decreased appetite, and sense of well-being—can last 6 to 12 hours.

Meth is usually a white, odorless powder that can be smoked, snorted, injected or taken orally. The “crystal ice” form of meth is a hard, crystal that is smoked. The materials used to make meth—pseudoephedrine, acetone, lithium batteries and anhydrous ammonia—are found in hardware and drug stores. This makes it easy to produce, inexpensive and widely distributed—and as a result, widely abused.

In addition to meth's highly addictive physical and psychological qualities, the drug can produce other serious potential effects. They include brain damage, high blood pressure, anxiety, paranoia, violent behavior, memory loss, hallucinations, weakened immune system, strokes, lung, kidney, liver disease, skin infections, and acne.

Summary
Club drugs are popular but dangerous recreational drugs for teenagers and young adults. If your child or someone you love is abusing club drugs, find a treatment center by searching Recoverycorps.org's database.

Sources:
http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/abuse/doa-p.pdf
http://www.k-state.edu/media/webzine/Didyouhearyes/GHBfacts.html
http://www.drugabuse.gov/pdf/infofacts/ClubDrugs10.pdf
http://www.nida.nih.gov/drugpages/clubdrugs.html
http://www.justice.gov/dea/concern/ketamine_factsheet.html
http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/hallucinogens.html