Question: Some friends invited me to a rave party. One of the boys had a pill. The drug, called “ecstasy,” was supposed to make me enjoy the fun. I trusted them. I had a great time. My friends do not seem to have any bad effects. Is it harmful?
Answer: Ecstasy damages your brain!
Repeated use of this substance harms those nerves (neurons) in the brain that release serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates memory and other thinking and emotional functions. PET scan images show markedly different and abnormal brains of people who have used ecstasy.
It enjoys a popularity at all-night raves because it has the property of providing an enduring physical stimulation.
Studies from Johns Hopkins Medical Center/National Institute of Mental Health indicate that not only is visual and verbal memory diminished but the ability to reason verbally and sustain attention is impaired.
Further, ecstasy research continues on other functions in which serotonin has been implicated, such as mood, impulse control and sleep cycles.
Animal studies, which first documented the toxic-brain effect of the drug, suggest that the loss of serotonin neurons may last for years. Brain damage is still present in monkeys seven years after ecstasy drug testing on these animals was discontinued.
Raves may sound like great fun, but if ecstasy is part of it, the cost is unthinkable.
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