Club drugs and raves – what you need to know

All-night dance parties and clubbing. They’re great until you’re encouraged to try club drugs to keep you awake and energised. Maybe Ecstasy, GHB or Rohypnol? Don’t be hoodwinked. They are not fun-drugs, they don’t just give you more energy, and they are not harmless. Research shows that side effects include paranoia, brain damage, amnesia, depression, hallucinations and sometimes even death.

Club drugs can be tasteless, they often don’t smell and they may have no colour, so they are simple to pop into drinks, and have been associated with date rapes and gang rapes.

And just when you think you know all about them, another dangerous substance hits the streets, and some drug lord out there is making money at your expense – at your health’s expense probably even more than your pocket’s.

Ecstasy masquerades under the names of X, MDMA and Adam and substantial evidence shows that it is damaging to the brain. GHB or G, Liquid Ecstasy may relax the user but increased doses can result in coma or death. Rohypnol or Roofie mixes easily into drinks, has no smell and it’s tasteless. Among other things it can lead to memory loss, dizziness and confusion. Ketamine, Special K or K is an anaesthetic and results in loss of attention and learning ability. It affects memory and can cause many other problems including depression and severe breathing problems.

Methamphetamine can cause memory loss, aggression and psychotic behavior, to name just a few side effects. Slang names include; Ice, Chalk, Speed, Meth. LSD or Acid causes unpredictable behavior and has many undesirable side effects including flashbacks, sleeplessness and increased heart rate.

The word is out that even experimenting with club drugs is dangerous and the effects are unpredictable. Be wise, be safe, you have your whole life ahead of you.

Want to find out more? Visit: www.adolescent-substance-abuse.com

Cosmetic Database

There’s been some pretty bad press in the green news recently about cosmetics and beauty products. Yip, our vanity has a price … not always just the hole in our wallets, but also our health. There are, allegedly, some evil chemicals out there masquerading as face creams and shampoos which we slap on without a thought about the damage they might be doing. You might want to check some of them out on this website and see how the products in your bathroom score. www.cosmeticdatabase.com

Quotation

“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there’s love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (1917 – 1996) Jazz vocalist.

Source: Foundation for a better life

Smoking, weed and me.

“I'm in love with a guy who smokes weed, but I don't agree with it. How can I help him to give up without losing him?”


Dr Fixit has her say
Oy….a hard one this and I must ask you some hard questions. Up for it? I take it you care a lot for this guy but not for his dope habit? Have you told him so?

And was his answer a sort of “soft-sell” of dope along the lines of “it’s safe and recreational” and “everybody does it” and “the laws are stupid” and “lots of research shows how it relieves pain” ……(is he in pain?) …..and, best of all, he can stop anytime he wants to.
Have you asked him to do just that for you? And did he?

So whose needs are more important in this relationship? Unless you are the kind of girl who likes a lot of space, as in blank space when he is out of it, you need to ask yourself why you are hanging around here.

Are you perhaps a rescuer of broken wings and lost puppies? Become a counsellor or join the SPCA.

Having said all of that, many young people do experiment with dope whilst they are looking for themselves and eventually get their stuff together. Which is he going to be? The one who loses motivation for life or the one who grows up? I guess that is the question. What do you think?

Till next time,
Dr FiXit.

Dr Fixit is a clinical psychologist (PhD) who works in private practice in Cape Town. She loves to laugh, and is a bit scatter-brained.

Got a relationship problem? Want Dr Fixit’s advice? Write Dr Fixit in the subject line of your email and maybe she can help. galactictimes@mxit.com