An In-Depth Qualitative Examination of the Ecstasy Experience: Results of a Focus Group with Ecstasy-Using College Students

Abstract

This study examined ecstasy use in 30 college students who participated in one of four 60-minute focus groups with other participants who also had a history of ecstasy use. Ten topics emerged in the sessions: 1) pill ingredients, 2) mechanism of MDMA effects, 3) reasons for initiating ecstasy use, 4) risky behaviors and ecstasy use, 5) sexual activity and ecstasy, 6) positive effects from ecstasy use, 7) negative effects related to ecstasy use, 8) ecstasy and polysubstance use, 9) perceived risks of ecstasy use, and 10) motivational factors related to quitting ecstasy use. Most participants had a basic understanding of the contents of ecstasy pills, and the effects that ecstasy has on the brain and bodily functions. Participants reported positive effects on mood, social pressure, curiosity, availability, boredom, desire for an altered state of mind, desire to escape, self-medication, desire to have fun, and the ease of use of ecstasy in comparison to other drugs as reasons for initiating ecstasy use. They were divided regarding whether ecstasy increased the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors, including risky sexual behavior. Participants described their experiences of both the positive and negative effects (physical and psychological) that they attributed to their use of ecstasy. All participants were polysubstance users, consuming a number of other substances simultaneously and concurrently with ecstasy. The majority was unaware of specific types of problems ecstasy could potentially cause and discounted its potential harm. Participants varied in their motivation for quitting ecstasy use, including negative personal experiences while using ecstasy, health concerns, and addiction/tolerance. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed. Keywordsecstasy; X; club drugs; raves; college students Substance abuse a among young adults continues to be an area of concern for public health research, as well as among medical and mental health professionals. During the past 10 years, the use of club drugs-a class of synthetic compounds that have various stimulant and hallucinogenic properties-has become more prominent among the spectrum of drugs used by youth and young adults in the United States (Rivas-Vazquez and Delgado, 2002 Club drugs, such as ketamine hydrochloride (a derivative of phencyclidine hydrochloride or PCP), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy"), are the major club drugs used by young adults to enhance social experiences. The aim of the present study was to conduct an in-depth examination of six important and inadequately understood topic areas relating to ecstasy use in college students, a group that appears to be at high risk for club drug use. In addition to providing useful information in regard to these six topic areas, it was anticipated that data gathered from the focus groups would provide guidance in generating specific hypotheses that could be tested in larger samples using quantitative meth...

Oral administration of (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and (+)methamphetamine alters temperature and activity in rhesus macaques

“…It is now well established that MDMA (considered the authentic compound in street "Ecstasy" tablets) can elevate temperature in humans (Freedman et al, 2005) and many other species (Brown and Kiyatkin, 2004;Carvalho et al, 2002;Dafters, 1994;Fantegrossi et al, 2003;Fiege et al, 2003;Pedersen and Blessing, 2001;Rosa-Neto et al, 2004;Saadat et al, 2004;Taffe et al, 2006). Methamphetamine (METH), which is often substituted for MDMA intentionally (Kelly et al, 2006;Levy et al, 2005;Wu et al, 2006) or otherwise (Baggott et al, 2000;Tanner-Smith, 2006) in the nightclub setting, likewise produces hyperthermia (Bowyer et al, 1994;Bowyer et al, 1992;Crean et al, 2006), in some cases to an unregulated and fatal degree (Madden et al, 2005;Ricaurte et al, 2003Ricaurte et al, ,2002Yuan et al, 2006). Animal models have been highly useful in identifying possible neurochemical and physiological mechanisms which may contribute to unregulated hyperthermia (see Green et al, 2004;Rusyniak and Sprague, 2005, for review).…”

O ‘problema da droga’: Sua construção, desconstrução e reconstrução

“…Portugal é o país europeu que mantém as mais baixas prevalências de consumo, excepto de heroína (IDT, 2010) e, à semelhança do que se verifica internacionalmente, são amplamente documentados padrões de policonsumo (Galhardo et al, 2006;Levy, O'Grady, Wish, & Arria, 2005;OEDT, 2009;Parker, Williams, & Aldridge, 2002).…”

“…Nestes padrões são comuns policonsumos, que tendem a envolver um uso regular de cannabis esporadicamente acompanhado pelo de outras substâncias, sobretudo cocaína inalada (Galhardo et al, 2006;Levy et al, 2005).…”

Variaciones en el uso de substancias entre clubbers de acuerdo con factores individuales y de nivel de escena

“…Pero éstos han prestado poca atención tanto al por qué la gente se involucra en dichas escenas como al significado que dicha implicación añade a sus vidas. En su lugar, los expertos de la salud pública se han centrado en riesgos específicos como la conducción en estado de embriaguez [41][42][43] , el policonsumo de abuso 44,45 , la promiscuidad sexual y el riesgo de adquisición de VIH u otras enfermedades de transmisión sexual [46][47][48][49] , la gestión de la vida y los problemas interpersonales 38,[50][51] , las dependencias y adicciones 52 , y los problemas físicos y emocionales [53][54][55][56] . Los expertos de la salud pública también han examinado la escena hip hop.…”

“…40 Raves and modern electronic dance music clubbing have been especially targeted by public health researchers. Paying little attention to why people get involved with either or the meaning such involvement adds to their lives, public health scholars have focused, instead, on specific risks, such as driving while intoxicated [41][42][43] , poly-substance abuse [44][45] , sexual promiscuity and the risk of acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases [46][47][48][49] , life management and interpersonal problems 38,[50][51] , dependence and addiction 52 , and physical and emotional problems. [53][54][55][56] Public health scholars have also scrutinized hip hop scenes.…”