I got quite a wake up call a short while ago when a very close friend was diagnosed with drug psychosis. The severity of the risk we take every time we pop a little pill or piece of paper into our mouths was demonstrated in no uncertain terms.

My friend was convinced that everyone hated him and was talking about him behind his back. He thought the neighbours were watching him and that people were going to come and murder us during the night. He couldn't speak and experienced auditory hallucinations for months before he told anyone about it. He didn't realize he was being paranoid. He says the fear and isolation he experienced was much more intense than any paranoia he's experienced when he's been stoned. He thought people were nice to him because he was controlling their minds and manipulating them.

My friend had to go and stay with his mother for five weeks and attend a day clinic. He's had intensive therapy, including art and movement therapy. He's also been prescribed anti-psychotics to reverse the damage drugs have done to his chemical balance. His psychiatrist says the imbalance is a direct result of taking too much ecstasy and smoking far too much grass. His doctor has encountered a number of people with the same problem. He can't touch weed or any other drugs for a minimum of six months and is restricted to two drinks.

The up side of all of this is that my friend is much better and is dealing with a lot of feelings and problems that he's been carrying around for many years. His doctor is not totally against drugs and says my friend can continue to take E, as long as he does it in moderation. Moderation being one pill a month.

I'm not sure why my friend had such a severe reaction to E. He's never taken speed, has only had half a trip before and has never taken coke or anything else. Ecstasy is his drug, the same as hundreds of people out there who think it's safe, just 'cause everyone's doing it.

Admittedly, his use of E was quite excessive - two to three pills a week, three weeks out of four, for a year. He smoked grass nearly everyday for over three years and on and off before that.

He could have had some underlying problem that was triggered and made worse by the drugs. The point is that we all take a risk many of us are not completely aware of.

 

ButterflyGyrl

March 1998

 

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