Reproduced from mixmag, February 2000
(permission pending)

 

Everyone thinks you can't get hooked on E. But the truth is more complicated.

Addiction used to be a simple thing. We all know heroin, crack, and nicotine are chemically
addictive, so addicts have to take the drug constantly or their bodies complain and they suffer the agonies of cold turkey.

Ecstasy isn't like that. Most doctors agree it isn't chemically addictive, but our survey shows that our relationship with the drug is more complicated than anyone had previously thought. "Addiction is a massively misused word," says Dr Adam Winstock from the National Addiction Centre, UK. But he has found that MixMag readers use E in a way that's hard to distinguish from the way addicts use other drugs. They not only take a lot of pills, they take them on a regular basis. A quarter of our survey admitted to problems controlling the number of pills they took and nearly 60 per cent thought that they had developed a tolerance to MDMA.

Most tellingly, although over half said they had problems with health, work and relationships as a result of taking E, it hadn't persuaded them to stop taking it. So we're not chemically addicted, but we behave like we are.

Though chemical addiction is very real, its not the end of the story. Addiction can be reinforced - or weakened - by the situation a person is in. in the 1960s, American soldiers who became addicted to heroin while serving in Vietnam often stopped taking the drug altogether after returning to the US. Could the emotional high of clubbing have a similar effect to the emotional depths of war?

Put simply, people could be hooked on the experiences they have while taking ecstasy, not on the drug itself. Mark Griffith, an addiction specialist at Nottingham Trent University, has identified what he calls "risky but rewarding behaviours" - activities which you know might be dangerous, but which offer a big enough buzz to keep you going back. it isn't just about drugs: Griffith has researched whether people can get hooked on gambling, and extreme sports like bungee jumping.

"There are anecdotal reports of people going into trance-like states just on the music," says Griffith. "As long as the reward is there, there is the potential for addiction." So it could be the clubs-and-drugs experience that's habit- forming rather than the drugs alone. In which case we'll probably see an entire generation of green-haired casualties booking into trance-detox clinics over the next few years.

Should you be worried ?

The doctor explains hot to tell if you are going to far.

Addiction is easy to diagnose, but it's hard to say what's causing it: drugs, music or just the experience of clubbing. But even if they're not drug addicts, Dr Winstock believes many clubbers are going too far. If you can tick any of these questions, he says you should look carefully at your drug use and ask yourself if you can cut down.

• Do you take more than one or two pills an evening?
  
• Do you take E more than once a week?
  
• Do you mix E with other drugs?
  
• Do you regularly get depressed after taking E?
  
• Have you ever had an anxiety or panic attack after taking E?

 

Disclaimer This Guide is provided for informational purposes ONLY. RaveSafe, it's volunteers and its sponsors do not condone or advocate the use of illegal substances. RaveSafe accepts NO responsibility for the way the information in this used, nor for any harm that might occur from the use of the information contained in this document. Although a concerted effort has been made to ensure the validity of the information contained in this document, no guarantees or assurances of accuracy are provided by anyone. Read and act at your own risk.