Addiction
Ecstasy is not addictive in the way that drugs like cocaine, nicotine and heroin are. Many users are, however, addicted to the emotional state they reach on the drug. Some feel they cannot live without it and become regular weekly users.
Ecstasy is seductive - many users secretly know they would have difficulty going without it in the future, but wouldn't like to admit to it in terms of addiction. Calling a regular ecstasy user an addict usually provokes a negative reaction.
Cocaine
Effects
Cocaine is very fast-acting but short-lived. The effects range from white knuckle, depending on dosage and purity of the drug. The effects of snorted cocaine can be felt within 10-15 seconds, peaking after five minutes, and fully wearing off after 20-30 minutes. Mentally, you feel alert, energized, buzzing. You feel a sudden burst of euphoria and self-confidence which makes you more sociable and talkative. Physically, you feel 'wired' - clenched jaw, wide-eyed, dilated pupils. Your heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature all tend to rise. If you're in poor shape, be careful. You may also feel strong and sexually aroused.
Addiction
Cocaine is a highly addictive drug. It works in the same way as heroin and nicotine by tapping into the brain's pathways. You experience pleasure every time you take it and a distinct lack of pleasure once and wears off, and reinforcing the urge to take more. Cocaine is a appealing drug that makes you feel confident, talkative, alert, quite a draw for those who find it difficult to feel that way normally. But, as the drug wears off, they are quickly replaced with the depression, anxiety and irritability of the come-down. You will not become instantly addicted. Some people can take the same amount over extended periods and not become addicted. Availability, lifestyle and personality are all factors. But like occasional cigarette smoking, occasional "harmless" recreational cocaine use can slip easily into regular, nasty long term abuse.
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
Effects
The LSD effect is described as a 'trip' because it is a long and powerful experience which takes you beyond normal observation and then back again. Simply put, it greatly alters and expands consciousness by loosening or - at higher doses- completely erasing the normal filters and screens between your conscious mind and the outside world. With these filters down, more information rushes in. You sense more, think more, feel more. You became aware of things normally filtered out by your mind, visual, auditory, sensory, emotional. The difficult details on surfaces, the richness of sound, the brightness of colours, and the complexity of your own mental processes. At higher doses, the rush of information becomes a flood and your senses actually begin to merge and overlap until you can see sounds or smell colours.
