Club drugs include a wide variety of different drugs which are commonly used at night clubs, bars, raves, campuses, and sometimes even in school systems.  Many of these drugs have no taste, smell and are colorless, meaning that it is impossible for people to detect them.  As a result, club drugs are often linked to sexual assault crimes where people use these drugs to render people unconscious or sedate them.

Club drugs include:

• Ecstasy

• GHB

• LSD

• Roofies

• Ketamine

Because many club drugs are created in underground street labs, each batch which is released to the public has a different level of toxicity.  Club drugs can cause massive health problems, including long-term or even permanent damage to serotonin-containing neurons within the brain, memory loss and other cognitive consequences.  The use of these drugs can also lead to death.

• Ecstasy.  This drug is a stimulant with some hallucinogenic properties when taken in large doses.  Effects last from between 3 to 6 hours.  Users report feeling of euphoria and contentedness.  The after effects can include feeling depressed, confused, anxious and paranoid.  These effects may last for weeks after the drug was taken.  Ecstasy can result in an increase heart rate and higher blood pressure.  It can also cause dehydration, organ failure and hypertension.  People using Ecstasy have experienced heart attacks, seizures, strokes, and in some cases, death.

• GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) is found in a clear liquid or as a white powder.  It is easy to overdose on GHB due to the inconsistency of the manufacturing process in street labs, and because the difference between a recreational dose and a fatal dose is not very high.  GHB works on the central nervous system, sedating the body.  GHB use can also cause nausea, vomiting, headache, impaired breathing, coma, and sometimes death.  GHB is a very addictive substance, and has frequently been the reason why people have had to consult addiction therapy services.

• Ketamine.  Was originally developed for use in medical and veterinary settings.  It can be snorted or injected, and produces potent psychedelic effects for users.  Can cause amnesia, depression and fatal respiratory issues.  Frequent use of ketamine can also cause bladder problems for users, and some users have had to have their bladder removed in the past due to ketamine abuse.

• Rohypnol is a benzodiazepine, which means that it is in the same family as Valium and Xanax.  It comes in a pill form.  Users either take the pills, crush them and snort them, or inject them.  As it is almost undetectable when put in drinks, it has been used often to commit sexual assault, which has given it the reputation as a date rape drug. 
  
  The effects can impair users for up to 12 hours.  It may cause confusion and amnesia.  Continued use of Rohypnol can lead to addiction.  As with all other benzodiazepines, weaning off the drug must be done very carefully and in a controlled environment, because coming off cold turkey can lead to death.  For this reason, it is a drug for which addiction therapy services are recommended when the user is ready to quit.

Signs of club drug use

As club drugs are commonly used in Georgetown DC in conjunction with alcohol and other drugs while in a recreational environment, users might not show signs of addiction in their everyday interactions.  There are, however, several health issues that might be visible following frequently club drug use.  These include:

• Mood swings

• Memory loss

• Weight loss

• Headaches

• Altered personality

When someone takes a drug on a regular basis, they will often develop a tolerance, where the brain and body require higher doses of the drug to feel an effect.  If this is left untreated, individuals can progress into full-blown addiction, they become willing to take severe risks so that they continue taking drugs.

When individuals choose to stop using drugs, they usually go through withdrawal, which is when the body and brain make an attempt to return to a normal level after drugs have been removed from the system.  As club drugs involve many different drugs, there is not one standard withdrawal experience for people seeking to recover.  However, withdrawals from club drugs often include:

• Anger

• Stress

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Chills

• Sweating

• Strong cravings for drugs

Club drugs in Georgetown can pose a serious health threat for those that take them.  As a result of the unpredictable composition of these types of drugs, the consequences of taking them will be both unpredictable and dangerous.  If you or someone you love is unable to stop taking club drugs, please get in contact with a treatment professional as soon as you can.