Alison Eldridge - Investigate Club Drugs

Club drugsecstasy, ketamine, meth, and othersare abused in party atmospheres. They can lead to abuse and addiction. What are the physical and mental effects of club drugs? How does casual use lead to addiction? How do you resist peer pressure and help friends stay drug free? Real-life case histories are included.

Youre with your friends, or maybe youre making new friends. Theres music, theres dancing, or perhaps theres just a few people together having a good time. Eventually, someone who seems cool hands you a tab, or a powder, or even just a drink, and tells you itll make you feel awesome. Now, youre not stupidyou know enough not to stick a needle in your arm in an alley. Youve seen the movies, you know that doesnt end well. But this is a friend offering you a little fun. Its not the same thing, right?

Not so fast. Do you even know what youre being given? Does your friend? Do you know what its been cut withwhat other substances have been put in it? Do you know if its really what youve been told it is? Do you even know what methamphetamine, or MDMA, or Rohypnol are? Do you know whats been put in that drink?

Just because youre having fun doesnt mean youre not in danger. Its easy to feel safe when youre with your friends, but the fact is that there are always risks, and you need to be aware of them to stay safe.

In this book, youll learn about some of the most common drugs that are used at clubs and parties. Youll read stories about people who used and abused those drugs, sometimes with deadly consequences. And youll be given the information you need to make the right decisionsthe decisions that can keep a good time from becoming a disasterfor you, your friends, and your family.

This book will use real-life stories of people who abused club drugs to teach you about those drugs, their effects, and their risks. These stories arent a lot of funbut maybe they can help you or your friends avoid the mistakes that other people have made.

In Chapter Two, youll hear Joes story. Joe used a drug called MDMA, which is more commonly known as ecstasy. Ecstasy is a common party drug that looks cute on the outside but can be deadly on the inside. Your friends may tell you it will make you feel good, but that experience can come at a very high priceas Joe found out.

In Chapter Three, youll read about Louise, a young woman who made the mistake of abusing ketamine. Ketamine is a drug thats often used in medicine to numb people before they go into surgery, or as a tranquilizer for animals. Some people think that because ketamine can be used by doctors it cant be that bad. Unfortunately for Louise, that isnt true.

Statistics from a study in 2012 show the previous years drug use among twelfth graders.

Any pill, powder, or liquid has the potential to be dangerous.

In Chapter Four, youll be introduced to Carren, a young woman who tried to escape her troubles by using methamphetamine, or crystal meth. Crystal meth is one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs in the world. Instead of helping Carren escape her problems, it gave her a whole lot of new ones.

In Chapter Five, youll hear the story of Heather, a girl who was dosed with Rohypnol. Rohypnol and other drugs, such as GHB, are often given to people secretly in drinks. The victims are then abused or otherwise taken advantage of. Heather didnt suspect that someone might be trying to hurt her, but you dont have to be caught unawares for these drugs to be harmful.

In Chapter Six, youll find out about Timothy Castaneda, who got caught up abusing LSD, also called acid. LSD makes people have strange, vivid hallucinationsthey see visions or hear sounds that arent really there. As Timothy learned, just because those hallucinations arent real doesnt mean LSD cant hurt you.

Did You Know?
Peer Pressure

It can be tough to be the guy or girl who says no while your friends are doing something, even when that thing is as dangerous as drug use. When you feel pressure to do something you dont really want to do because friends or other people your age are doing it, thats called peer pressure. Almost everyone feels peer pressure at some point, even adults, and its important to understand how to deal with it. Remember, your decisions are your decisionsyour friends dont get to decide for you.

Be prepared to say no, even if it upsets people. Most of the time, it wont. You can even practice on your own with friends so you feel confident saying no. No, thanks, Im not into that is a simple and firm reply. People who offer you drugs will just shrug and move on if you turn them down. Give your friends a little credit. Theyll get over any annoyance or disappointment. Being afraid to upset your friends isnt a good reason to take a risk you dont want to take. Occasionally, people might be mean about it. But do you really want to be friends with people like that?

Remember, whenever drugs and alcohol are involved, theres risk. Youre going to have to make decisions that could be the difference between life and death. Being a little uncomfortable for a few minutes when you tell someone no is a small price to pay for being safe. And when you say no, you might be taking the pressure off someone elseif they see that its okay for you to be different, they might feel like its okay for them to be different, too. Resisting peer pressure isnt just standing up for yourself, it can be a way of standing up for your friends, too.

Image Credit: neolamprologus/iStock

The most important thing youll learn from this book is how to protect yourself from these harmful drugs. The most important thing to remember is that any pill, powder, or liquid youre given is potentially dangerous. Even if youre just trying it, the purpose of every drug mentioned in this book is to somehow make you act in ways you wouldnt normally act. Maybe youll be too high to behave normally and you will hurt yourself. Maybe the drug will mess with your heart or your brain and do damage to your body. Maybe youll feel so different that youll do something you shouldnt and become infected with a disease, or hurt in a car crash. Or maybe notmaybe youll be lucky the first time, or the second, or the third, and only later find out what kind of damage youve been doing to yourself. Either way, you need to know the risks to make the right decisions.

Sometimes its not as easy as just saying no. Unfortunately, any time you go to a club or party you could be a target for people who will try to take advantage of you. The best way to stay safe is to make sure that you dont accept drinks from people you dont know very wellor, better yet, only drink things youve gotten yourself. Its also important to stay around close friends. Make sure that you and your friends watch out for each other. If someone is acting strangely, it could be that theyve been drugged and need help.

Remember, theres nothing wrong with having funbut not if someone gets hurt.