ECSTASY

= = = = =ECSTASY=

During an assembly recently Dr. Dearn spoke to us about the responsibilties and problems of doing the right thing, and protecting our school's and community's reputation. During his talk he read out a letter from a citizen who wrote to highlight one of their own concerns about the school. The letter was about the way some students are abusing drugs and drinking irresponsibly. The letter quoted a student from IGS and that quote was an element in our Collaboratice Learning Project that influenced our drama performance. Below is the quote:

"Ecstasy is the easiest thing to OD on, so i'll only have a quarter and get high."

=**ECSTASY**= Ecstasy is the name commonly given to MethyleneDioxyMethAmphetamine (MDMA). Tablets sold as ecstasy can contain a range of amphetamine-related substances, including ParaMethoxyAmphetamine (PMA) and other substances such as caffeine and ketamine. PMA is a particularly dangerous amphetamine-derivative that has been detected in pills sold as ecstasy. The use of this drug is associated with a greater risk of serious adverse effects. Ecstasy is often made in backyard labs, leading to wide variations in drug quality. It is commonly sold as small tablets which vary in size and colour, and are often imprinted with a symbol or logo. These logos provide no indication of the contents of a tablet. Ecstasy can also come in powder form which can be inhaled through the nose (snorted) or injected.

Short-term effects
Ecstasy also produces a hangover effect (known as a 'come-down') which may include:
 * feeling of well-being (euphoria)
 * feelings of closeness with other people
 * increased feeling of confidence and lack of inhibitions
 * increased blood pressure and heart rate
 * nausea
 * jaw clenching, grinding teeth
 * increase in body temperature
 * loss of appetite
 * insomnia
 * depression
 * muscle aches
 * difficulty concentrating

Long-term effects
The long-term effects of using ecstasy may include depression, anxiety disorders, memory and cognitive impairment.

**Overdose**
Ecstasy-related overdose is not only caused by the drug itself, but may also be due to other risk factors. Most often the cause of acute adverse reactions with ecstasy is a result of overheating and dehydration. These are most likely to occur if ecstasy use is combined with other drug use; when ecstasy use takes place in a hot environment (such as a club) and is combined with physical activity (such as dancing); and by not drinking enough or drinking too much water.

**Tolerance and Dependence**
Regular ecstasy users may develop tolerance. This means they need more of the drug to achieve the same effects as before. Tolerance can occur if ecstasy is used regularly over a period of time. When tolerance does occur, increasing the dose also results in the unpleasant effects increasing. Dependence means that ecstasy has become central to a person's life, they may spend much of their time thinking about ecstasy and obtaining it, they may have trouble controlling their use, or continue to use ecstasy despite experiencing problems.

**Ecstasy and Driving**
It is unsafe to drive after using ecstasy, as it affects coordination and the ability to judge speed and distance. Ecstasy also increases a person's confidence so they are more likely to take dangerous risks. It is illegal to use, possess, sell or give away ecstasy.
 * Ecstasy and the Law**

Quoted from 'Ecstasy'

CAST: 1 friend: Carolyn. 2 evil friends: Mimi & Leona**
 * DRAFT for drama:

3 friends go to a party and two of them spike Carolyn's drink with ecstasy. During the night, Carolyn takes a drink of the spiked water and convulses on the floor. Her friends only watch and laugh. Later, she stops and dies. Her friends didn't mean to kill her, but they wanted to see her high for the first time and show the whole school the video taken.


 * Consequences:**
 * An allergic reaction to the drugs causes the friend to convulse and eventually leads to her death
 * The 'evil' friend who spiked the drinks is charged by the police
 * Both girls are expelled/suspended from school
 * Both girls are traumatised and become emo's
 * All the girls' families are affected

Using our quote our group searched on the Internet about real life stories of ecstasy overdoses. A story that we found that interested us and was relevant was a story called 'Sara's Story'. It is about how her best friend put ecstasy in her drink and watched her convulse and pull out her hair for hours on the ground without calling an ambulance. She later died.
 * Our Influences:**


 * Relevance to People Our Age**

We think that this is an important issue in society because of the potential hazards and because we know that not only ecstasy, but other harmful drugs are taken. The story this play is based on proves that....