Club Drugs Guide
Club drugs are psychoactive compounds that are abused by both adolescents and adults. The abuse of club drugs is a common form of teen drug abuse. Club drugs are a group of drugs that is associated with nightclubs, bars, raves, and other types of all night parties. Club drug use began in the disco scene of the 1970s and has continued up until today. The term club drug can refer to any type of drug that is associated with use during nighttime parties. The types of club drugs that are abused vary from location to location around the world.
Club drugs are abused for their various side effects during raves and other all night parties. For instance, methamphetamine may be abused as a way to stay awake for days at a time. However, there are dangerous side effects associated with methamphetamine abuse along with other club drugs. Often times club drugs are mixed with alcohol or other drugs which can lead to dangerous and life threatening interactions.
Addiction and teen drug abuse are associated with club drug use, and many users of club drugs become addicts or are addicts. Club drug addiction can be treated at drug rehab centers. Drug rehab centers have treatment programs that can treat the addicts of club drugs using effective forms of psychotherapy, detoxification, counseling, and more.
Types of Club Drugs
The most common club drugs are GHB, ketamine, rohypnol, MDMA, LSD and methamphetamine. These particular club drugs are commonly used in both teen drug abuse and in adult drug abuse. All club drugs are used for their side effects; however each drug has a number of associated negative side effects. Club drugs have been associated with deaths from overdose, toxic interactions with other drugs, and suicide.
GHB is used to induce a state of relaxation, but it has potentially fatal side effects. It is used as a date rape drug because it is both odorless and tasteless. Rohypnol is also used as a date rape drug. Both drugs are often mixed with alcohol and can incapacitate a person making them vulnerable to sexual assault. MDMA, also commonly known as ecstasy, is a psychoactive drug that has hallucinogenic and amphetamine characteristics. It is normally swallowed as a pill, and it is taken for its stimulant properties.
Methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth, is a highly addictive stimulant that has severe short and long term effects. The drug is abused for its short term effects which include increased wakefulness, decreased appetite, euphoria, and increased respiration. Ketamine is a hallucinogen that is used as an animal tranquilizer. The drug is abused for its very powerful side effects including profound hallucinations, a lost sense of time, and visual distortions. The effects can last for up to 2 hours after ingestion. LSD is another hallucinogen that has varied effects depending on the individual such as visual distortions, altered cognition, and time distortion.
Effects of Club Drugs
Club drugs are known for having very dangerous side effects. Again, club drugs are often taken with mixtures of alcohol or in other combinations which may have synergistic effects and cause even more serious effects than if the drug was taken merely on its own. Each type of club drug can potentially be dangerous even at small doses, and when overdosed, club drugs may cause serious physical and psychological side effects, permanent organ damage, or death.
For instance, GHB has a number of harmful physical side effects including potentially fatal respiratory problems and liver failure. Coma and seizures have also occurred after the use of GHB. Methamphetamine highs can last for up to 20 hours and risks associated with meth use include heart attacks, malnutrition, strokes, and brain damage. Rohypnol can be fatal when it is mixed with alcohol or other CNS depressants which it often is. Ketamine can cause impaired motor function along with potentially fatal respiratory problems.
MDMA has been shown to cause damage to the parts of the brain involved in thought and memory. In the short term, negative serious side effects can include severe anxiety, paranoia, muscle tension, and more. LSD can have negative side effects include anxiety, severe psychological disturbances, panic attacks, and anxiety. Some people have been hospitalized with “LSD psychosis” or psychosis that may have been triggered in part by LSD.
Addiction to club drugs is a strong possibility as many of these drugs are either physically or psychologically addictive. Many club drugs start off with casual use among teens and adults. Later on, club abuse can develop into a full-fledged addiction. Addicts start off needing small doses to achieve an effect, but they develop tolerances and require larger and larger doses to have an effect. Club drug addiction is a serious problem that can affect both a user and his or her family and friends in many negative ways.
Treatment for Addiction to Club Drugs
Club drug addiction is a general term used to describe addiction to one or more of the category of drugs that is associated with use during nighttime parties, and thus each individual case is unique and treated differently. There are several types of treatments available for club drug addiction. Treatments typically take place at drug rehab centers which are capable of treating the specific and unique drug addiction that a person may have. Treatment involves drug detox for those who are physically addicted to the drug, psychological counseling, and group counseling.
Most types of treatment for club drug addiction start off with a detoxification phase in which the patient is treated by addiction specialists and doctors to help them detoxify as comfortably and safely as possible. Medications may be used in order to reduce the severity of the detox process. Club drug addicts may need to also be treated for anxiety, depression, and mood disorders that may result from club drug addiction. Detoxification is typically followed by further treatment from addiction specialists that will involve counseling and psychotherapy.
Club drug addictions are treated at drug rehab centers that may specialize in treating a wide range of drug addictions. Since there are numerous similarities between club drug addictions and other types of drug addictions, club drugs can successfully be treated at drug rehab centers that may not necessarily specialize in club drug addiction. There are local drug rehab centers that can offer customized and specialized treatments for each unique case of club drug addiction.
