When It’s Not All Fun & Games: Why Party Drugs May Be More Dangerous Than You Thought

Many people enjoy going to clubs or parties on the weekends to burn off some excess energy and have a good time. Drinks are usually flowing, and people enjoy dancing into the night as they toss their worries to the side.

 

However, another part of club life and party culture is party drugs. Party drugs are a group of psychoactive narcotics that can influence how a person feels. Party drugs are called party drugs because they provide the best sensation in a club or party atmosphere.

 

Many party drugs enhance sensations such as touch, taste, and sound, making Club environments or parties more exciting. However, they also act on the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. When a drug impacts the central nervous system, it can cause changes in the person’s awareness, behavior, sensory input, and mood.

 

More often than not, party drugs are taken by young adults in bars, clubs, concerts, parties, and other events where there are lots of music and dancing. Party drugs have different street names in different parts of the world, but their scientific names remain the same.

 

The most common party drugs are MDMA, GHB, Rohypnol, methamphetamine, ketamine, and LSD. While some of these drugs have been approved for extremely regulated medical purposes, most of them are not federally regulated and are illegal.

 

It is important to understand what party drugs can do to your body, including your risk for addiction and long-term chronic side effects of intense usage. In addition, many of these drugs can cause physical harm to people. Thus, it is important to understand how these drugs impact your body.

 

Keep reading to learn about party drugs, the dangers of using them, how to know if you are suffering an addiction to them, and what to do if you need help overcoming an addiction to these drugs.

Common Party Drugs & Dangers of Using Them

 

Knowing which party drugs are most common is one of the first steps to recognizing use, recognizing when someone is dealing with an overdose, and getting help with addiction – either your own or loved ones’.

 

Here are some of the most common party drugs right now:

 

• GHB
• Ketamine
• MDMA
• LSD
• Rohypnol
• Methamphetamine
• Alcohol
• Marijuana/Cannabis
• Cocaine
• Heroin
• And others!

 

There are many different party drugs, some of which are sold over the counter, using legal loopholes that allow retail sale.

 

Some drugs are more common than others, and others are more dangerous. Still, it’s important to learn about the most common substances if you want to deal with addictions or are worried about a loved one’s partying behavior and drug use.

 

These are the typical party drugs found in clubs, concerts, or places with lots of sensory input. These drugs, for the most part, are taken consensually by people who want to take them. However, certain party drugs can be extremely dangerous if taken non-consensually.

 

Here are some of the most common and dangerous party drugs people are using now.

Rohypnol, GHB, and Other ‘Date Rape’ Drugs

 

Date rape drugs are included in party drugs. Date rape drugs are drugs given to a person without their knowledge to make it easier for an individual to sexually assault the person drugged. However, they can also be used consensually and cause addiction in either case.

 

Some people may consent to take a date rape drug but still be assaulted afterward, especially if they didn’t realize how severely the drug would affect them or had little or no control over their dose.

Date rape drugs are often dropped into somebody’s drink without their knowledge and can result in the person feeling extremely intoxicated or paralyzed from the drug. In serious situations, the person may experience a fatal overdose and die due to the date-rape drug.

 

Date rape drugs include Rohypnol and GHB. Rohypnol is most frequently referred to as roofies and is the most popular drug used to assault people. GHB is also known as G or liquid ecstasy and is often used as a date-rape drug.

Ketamine

 

Ketamine can also be used dangerously because, in high amounts, it can cause paralysis. Ketamine is known as K or Special K and is frequently referred to as a horse tranquilizer.

 

Avoiding date rape drugs means avoiding party drugs. The effects of being drugged with a date rape drug are the same as the effects caused by taking too much of a party drug. Therefore, it is incredibly important to monitor your symptoms if you feel more intoxicated than you believe to be true and to protect your drink and food while in a party environment.

 

Other popular party drugs such as methamphetamines, MDMA, and LSD are less likely to be used as date rape drugs. However, that is not to say that nobody will use them as a method to assault someone.

MDMA/Ecstacy

 

MDMA is a very popular party drug. It is also known as Molly or ecstasy. MDMA is the acronym for the scientific name of the drug, which is methylenedioxymethamphetamine. MDMA is popular with people at concerts or raves because it increases sensory input, making everything feel more intense and exciting.

 

It is called ecstasy because it frequently enhances the feelings of sexual pleasure, causing an increase in libido and desire. MDMA is an illegal drug and can have both stimulant effects or cause hallucinations.

 

MDMA can cause issues with the body’s ability to regulate its temperature, increasing the person’s heart rate to a fatal or dangerous degree. In addition, many MDMA tablets have toxic additives or other drugs cut with the MDMA, which make it more potent and dangerous.

 

MDMA can cause short-term side effects like restlessness, sweating, nausea, thirst, impulsive behavior, and increased heart rate. Anxiety and irritability are also frequent symptoms. MDMA can increase a person’s heart rate to an incredibly dangerous level and increase their blood pressure, which can cause cardiovascular failure.

LSD and Other Hallucinogens

 

LSD can cause lasting hallucinations called tripping for months or years after consuming the drug. In general, the effects of LSD are incredibly unpredictable. In addition, the person taking LSD’s own chemistry can impact how the LSD reacts with their body.

 

Changes in body temperature, pupil dilation, and low or incredibly high blood pressure and heart rate can occur after taking LSD. In addition, many people experience chills or excessive sweating after taking this drug.

 

LSD is a powerful hallucinogenic and causes sensations of sleeplessness, shakiness, and frequently a loss of appetite. As a result, many people experience shifts in their moods. Many of these can be permanent or chronic, resulting in an extreme behavioral change.

 

Another aspect of taking LSD is an inability to differentiate between reality and the hallucinations caused by the drug. Frequently, LSD users will experience a flashback to their LSD hallucinations long after the drug has been processed and expelled by their bodies. It can happen years or months after taking the drug.

 

Other hallucinogens, like Mushrooms, can have similar effects to LSD but may be less potent and have less risk of flashbacks from use.

How To Know If You’re Addicted To Using Party Drugs

 

It can be difficult to understand the addictive properties of party drugs. Many party drugs are hallucinogens or stimulants, or some combination of the two. These kinds of drugs have different effects on different people. LSD, for example, has different effects on people because of their brain chemistry. This can result in different levels of potential addiction risk.

 

The same goes for other party drugs. It can be incredibly difficult to pinpoint when somebody is addicted to a party drug because of recreational use.

 

Most people will only use party drugs in a party or club setting. However, this makes it a bit easier to differentiate between someone using drugs recreationally and someone suffering from an addiction.

Someone suffering from an addiction to party drugs will not be able to go without the drug. Their body will create dependence on that drug, resulting in them craving it when they are not in the party setting. They may begin taking party drugs outside of clubs or concerts, which is a huge red flag. Consuming party drugs outside of a party environment indicates that the individual suffers from an addiction.

 

Another way to tell if you are suffering from an addiction to party drugs is to try and go without taking the drugs. You might be okay if you can go more than a day or a week without consuming any drug. However, you may be fighting an addiction if you begin to experience withdrawal symptoms.

How To Get The Help You Need If Addicted To Party Drugs

 

When it comes to drugs, no addiction is an easy addiction. Many people think that addiction to opioids or stimulants is the most difficult addiction to overcome, but any addiction has the potential to be extremely damaging and difficult to endure.

 

Many people associate party drugs with fun and do not realize that these drugs pose a serious risk of addiction or abuse. You must be able to recognize the symptoms of addiction so you can get the help that you need.

 

Party drugs are thought to be fun and exciting, but they can quickly become a dangerous vice. Taking care of yourself is incredibly important, and battling addiction is a scary yet important part of taking care of yourself.

 

If you believe you are fighting an addiction to party drugs, you must get help. It does not matter what type of drug you may find yourself addicted to. What matters is that you take the initiative to get better.

 

Reaching out to a treatment facility is a great place to start. Treatment centers have access to resources that other places do not have. Treatment centers have psychologists, counselors, medical professionals, and people able to guide you through withdrawal in detox.

 

If you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction to party drugs or another type of drug, please get in touch with Epiphany today to get started on a treatment plan.

 

Sources:

Epiphany has sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations for our references. We avoid using tertiary references as our sources. You can learn more about how we source our references by reading our Editorial Policy.

1. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Commonly Used Drugs Charts. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Published August 20, 2020. Accessed August 10, 2022. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/commonly-used-drugs-charts
2. MedlinePlus. Club Drugs. Published October 8, 2019. Accessed August 10, 2022. https://medlineplus.gov/clubdrugs.html
3. Alcohol and Drug Foundation. Ketamine – Alcohol and Drug Foundation. Published July 1, 2022. Accessed August 10, 2022. https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/ketamine/
4. Drugs.com. LSD (Acid): Effects, Hazards & Extent of Use. Drugs.com. Accessed August 10, 2022. https://www.drugs.com/illicit/lsd.html