The party pooper
Party drugs are not as fun as some people might think, Leesha Furse reports.

Hard landing: Party drugs are dangerous because of what people do under their influence, and have particularly harmful health effects when combined with alcohol or mixed with other drugs. Photo by Cpl Simone Liebelt

Ketamine is an anaesthetic used in veterinary and human medicine – and as a party drug. This is an example of party drug users experimenting with a wider variety of drugs than in previous years, going far beyond the standard cocaine, ecstasy, speed and LSD. Studies show that party drug users are also now more likely to take more than one type of drug and combinations considerably increase the level of risk to which they are exposed.

The greatest risk

Sam Koderitsch, of the ADF Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Service, says the greatest risk is not knowing what is in a party pill – and what that will do to your body.

“We don’t know what a lot of party pills actually contain,” she says, “so if someone was to have an adverse reaction and end up in hospital, the treating medical officer would only be able to treat the patient based on what substance was known to be in the pill or tablet they took and according to their signs and symptoms. You could have someone say to you, ‘This is ecstasy’, but it might not be just ecstasy.”

Your body

It’s hard to say for sure how the body will react to party drugs, but common negative reactions include dehydration, overheating and strong feelings of anxiety or fear (on “bad trips”).

Nothing major? Not so. A few bottles of water to quench your thirst can’t reduce the impact of party drugs. Why? “Because people do adverse things under the influence, the same as alcohol,” Ms Koderitsch says. For example, a survey last year found 60 per cent of respondents had driven a car within an hour of taking party drugs.

Put party drugs and alcohol together and you have an even more unpredictable consequence.

“For example, ecstasy is a stimulant and therefore speeds up (or stimulates) the central nervous system,” Sam says. “This may include an increase in heart rate, increased blood pressure and increased energy and alertness. Alcohol, on the other hand, is a depressant, which slows down the central nervous system.

“Then there is the issue that both substances cause dehydration. The combination of the two can have harmful effects on the body, which could lead to more serious problems such as severe dehydration, cardiac arrhythmias or possibly even heart failure.”

Poly-drug use (taking more than one type of drug at the same time) is common. Almost three quarters of a 2004 national sample reported that respondents typically used more than one type of drug. Just over half nominated ecstasy as their favourite drug. The majority of ecstasy users also reported using other drugs while taking ecstasy, most commonly alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, speed and crystal methamphetamine.

The affects

Ms Koderitsch says there has been a shift from cannabis to party drugs because many party drugs tend not to last in a person’s system for much more than 24 hours whereas cannabis can last for up to four to six weeks.

However, party drug use can not just affect physical health, but mental health and social networks.

More than a third of respondents in the 2004 national survey reported that their ecstasy and other drug use caused work or study problems, financial problems and social or relationship problems. A small number also reported legal problems.

The consequences

Party drug use is a problem the ADF is likely to inherit. Participants in the 2004 national sample first used ecstasy at an average age of 19 years and had been using ecstasy for a median of four years. Almost half of them had used between monthly and fortnightly, nearly one-third of them between fortnightly and weekly.

The ADF has a zero tolerance of illicit drugs and new legislation has enhanced drug testing powers in the ADF. Under the DI-G Pers 15-2, use of illicit drugs by members of the ADF may lead to disciplinary and/or administrative action to terminate the member’s appointment or initiate discharge.

Where to seek help

In an emergency call 000.

Contact your local ADF medical centre or psychology section.

Additional information sources: The ADF’s party drugs fact sheet, available from www.defence.gov.au/dpe/dhs, and the Party Drugs Trends December 2004 Bulletin from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. The research referred to was the Party Drugs Initiative. Last year 852 regular ecstasy users were interviewed for it.