Written by CN readers who wanted to share their experience of Ecstasy use, so maybe you won’t have to experiment with it.

Hi, my name is Marla and I like Ecstasy, for the rest of this article I will refer to it as “E”. I am currently 19 years old, but I first tried E when I was sixteen. I live somewhere just outside of London, England. Here it is very easy to get E at raves, pubs and parties. I like to go to raves since I like to dance and meet new people. I work in an office all day, so I like to get out there.

For most people, the first time is the most amazing, but for me it got better each time I did it as I understood more of what its about. The first time I babbled away to people the whole night . We had these typical Ecstasy conversations, where everything is soooo amazing. I always have a wrap (gram) of speed when I’m doing E, taking dabs of it to stay awake. There’s nothing mental or emotional about speed, it’s a hideous drug, but it keeps your body rushing and keeps you awake enough to party and have a long night.

People always congregate in the toilets at clubs, especially at the Fridge, where the toilets are coed. Everyone’s sweaty and hot and looking at themselves while filling their water bottles. You look at each other and you just smile cause you know you have things in common with each other. I guess coed toilets (okay, you call them bathrooms) sounds strange, but it’s not uncommon here, especially in some of the dive clubs that are lucky enough to even have one, let alone two. I think E should be legal as should most drugs, but that is a whole other topic.

Anyhow, I’m not writing this to encourage you to try E, maybe this way you’ll know what it feels like and then you won’t try it. To me it’s a lot like marijuana, the same kind of mellow, but on pot I don’t want to talk to anyone, on E I’m the life of the party… and I love that, I love the attention and how I am able to be so intellectual. That’s the part of it that I find addictive, otherwise, I don’t think it is addictive and it I don’t want to take it anymore I won’t, but right now I like it. I always drink lots of water with it, that is important. I have seen people pass out from dehydration. Thanks, Marla from Britain.

I’m Brian from New York City! The best city in the world!! Here you can get any drug you want and I’m not using drugs, I just like to alter my state of consciousness from time to time. People drink and that’s legal, I don’t like booze, so I do Ecstasy. It is a nice buzz, I often do it alone, but it’s best to do it with friends and then have a really good chat session and people are so uninhibited, but no one does things that they wouldn’t do sober, that’s my opinion of it and how it reacts with my body. It might be very different for you and that is a choice you have to make. That’s all, thanks for listening. I’m 21, so I can drink in a club, but I chose to use this instead. I don’t do it that much and as far as I can tell it’s not hurting my body. I DON’T smoke weed anymore because it IS smoke and everyone knows smoking is evil for your whole body and being. Make your own choices in life. Be careful out there, that’s all. Brian, NYC

My name is Eve and I live in Ohio, it is so boring here I can’t wait to go to college in September since all of my friends are older than me. So… I’ve tried Ecstasy several times. Why several times, because I just don’t understand what’s so great about it. It’s a mellow feeling for me, but so what. It is made in somebody’s home or laboratory in Holland and who knows what the hell they put into it. So, I won’t use it again, maybe I will have a beer instead or smoke some pot which I think is safe, except for the fact that you are smoking something which is kind of gross, but the best way to use it really, otherwise I don’t get high. AND also, I would NOT want to get busted, it is so not worth it. IMHO. Eve, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Ecstasy and Club Drugs – from Carly – Student at the University of Arizona, USA

I think the number of deaths of ravers is amazingly low considering the overcrowded nature of clubs and the number of people taking substances produced under questionable conditions every weekend. The primary drugs of choice in the rave culture that I am familiar with are (MDMA) – Ecstasy and LSD (acid). Neither one of these drugs are toxic in the quantities normally consumed in a club setting, yes, I have done some research on this. The deaths associated with their use are generally tied to other drugs and or other environmental factors, like really hot conditions of raves or the heat of Arizona as I have witnessed. METHYLENEDIOXYMETHAMPHETAMINE is the chemical name of XTC for those who want to know.

While the neurological impact of Ecstasy is the subject of ongoing study, the most immediate physical effects of ecstasy use are an increase in heart rate and heavy perspiration. Among healthy people who have consumed no other substances, dehydration, heat stroke, or water intoxication are generally the cause of death. Unfortunately, ecstasy and acid are not the only drugs consumed by ravers. In fact, many of the tablets taken as ecstasy are a cocktail of related substances and other stimulants (amphetamine, ephedrine, caffeine). So, please be careful if you take Ecstasy or any other club drug. Thanks for listening and thank you for having this page so people can talk about this. – Carly –

More soon, I have to read them all. If you would like to contribute email me. Thanks, ~ Amy ~