club drug club drug club drugs, also called rave drugs or party drugs, are a loosely defined category of recreational drugs which are associated with discothèques in the 1970s and nightclubs, dance clubs, electronic dance music (edm) parties, and raves in the 1980s to today. unlike many other categories, such as opiates and benzodiazepines, which are established according to pharmaceutical or chemical properties, club drugs are a "category of convenience", in which drugs are included due to the locations they are consumed and/or where the user goes while under the influence of the drugs. club drugs are generally used by adolescents and young adults. club drug users take the drugs because the substances' effects enhance the experience of rave and electronic dance music clubs' pulsating lights, brightly colored projected images and massive sound systems with heavy basslines. a selection of mdma pills, which are often nicknamed "ecstasy" or "e". club drugs range from entactogens such as mdma ("ecstasy"), 2c-b ("nexus") and inhalants (e.g., nitrous oxide and poppers) to stimulants (e.g., amphetamine and cocaine), depressants/sedatives (quaaludes, ghb, rohypnol) and psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs (lsd and dmt). dancers at all-night parties and dance events have used some of these drugs for their stimulating properties since the 1960s mod subculture in u.k., whose members took amphetamine to stay up all night. in the 1970s disco scene, the club drugs of choice shifted to the stimulant cocaine and the depressant quaaludes. quaaludes were so common at disco clubs that the drug was nicknamed "disco biscuits". in the 1990s and 2000s, methamphetamine and mdma are sold and used in many clubs. "club drugs" vary by country and region; in some regions, even opiates such as heroin and morphine have been sold at clubs, though this practice is relatively uncommon. narconon states that other synthetic drugs used in clubs, or which are sold as "ecstasy", include harmaline; piperazines (e.g., bzp and tfmpp); pma/pmma; mephedrone (generally used outside the us) and mdpv. the legal status of club drugs varies according to the region and the drug. some drugs are legal in some jurisdictions, such as "poppers" (which are often sold as "room deodorizer" or "leather polish" to get around drug laws) and nitrous oxide (which is legal when used from a whipped cream can). other club drugs, such as amphetamine, are generally illegal unless the individual has a medical prescription. some club drugs are almost always illegal, such as cocaine and mdma. there are a range of risks from using club drugs. as with all drugs, from legal drugs like alcohol to illegal drugs like bzp, usage can increase the risk of injury due to falls, dangerous or risky behavior (e.g., unsafe sex) and, if the user drives, injury or death due to impaired driving accidents. some club drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines, are addictive, and regular use can lead to the user craving more of the drug. some club drugs are more associated with overdoses. some club drugs can cause adverse health effects which can be harmful to the user, such as the dehydration associated with mdma use in an all-night dance club setting. types ecstasy mdma (ecstasy) is a popular club drug in the rave and electronic dance music scenes and in nightclubs. it is known under many nicknames, including "e" and "molly". mdma is often considered the drug of choice within the rave culture and is also used at clubs, festivals, house parties and free parties. in the rave environment, the sensory effects from the music and lighting are often highly synergistic with the drug. the psychedelic quality of mdma and its amphetamine-like energizing effect offers multiple reasons for its appeal to users in the rave setting. some users enjoy the feeling of mass communion from the inhibition-reducing effects of the drug, while others use it as "party fuel" for all-night dancing. mdma is taken by users less frequently than other stimulants, typically less than once per week. effects include "reater enjoyment of dancing", "istortions of perceptions, particularly light, music and touch"; and "rtificial feelings of empathy and emotional warmth". mdma is sometimes taken in conjunction with other psychoactive drugs, such as lsd, dmt, psilocybin mushrooms and 2c-b. users sometimes use mentholated products while taking mdma for its cooling sensation. stimulants main article: stimulanta blue form of crystal meth. a number of stimulants are used as club drugs. various amphetamines and methamphetamines are used as stimulants, as is cocaine. these drugs enable clubgoers to dance all night. cocaine is a powerful nervous system stimulant. its effects can last from fifteen or thirty minutes to an hour. the duration of cocaine's effects depends on the amount taken and the route of administration. cocaine can be in the form of fine white powder, bitter to the taste. when inhaled or injected, it causes a numbing effect. cocaine increases alertness, feelings of well-being and euphoria, energy and motor activity, feelings of competence and sexuality. cocaine's stimulant effects are similar to that of amphetamine, however, these effects tend to be much shorter lasting and more prominent. depressants/sedatives main article: sedative a variety of quaalude pills and capsules. methaqualone (quaaludes) became increasingly popular as a recreational drug in the late 1960s and 1970s, known variously as "ludes" or "sopers" (also "soaps") in the u.s. and "mandrakes" and "mandies" in the uk, australia and new zealand. the drug was often used by hippies and by people who went dancing at glam rock clubs in the 1970s and at discos (one slang term for quaaludes in the disco era was "disco biscuits"). in the mid-1970s, there were bars in manhattan called "juice bars" that only served non-alcoholic drinks that catered to people who liked to dance on methaqualone. purported methaqualone is in a significant minority of cases found to be inert, or contain diphenhydramine or benzodiazepines. methaqualone is one of the most commonly used recreational drugs in south africa. it is also popular elsewhere in africa and in india. commonly known as mandrax, m-pills, buttons, or smarties, a mixture of crushed mandrax and cannabis is smoked, usually through a smoking pipe made from the neck of a broken bottle. the depressant ghb (also used by assailants as a date rape drug, in which case they slip it into a victim's drink) is intentionally taken by some users as a party drug and club drug. rohypnol (also used as a date rape drug) is a sedative/hypnotic that causes intoxication and impairs cognitive functions. this may appear as lack of concentration, confusion and anterograde amnesia. it can be described as a hangover-like effect which can persist to the next day. it also impairs psychomotor functions similar to other benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic drugs. the previously mentioned selection of drugs are generally categorized as club drugs by the media and the united states government, this distinction probably does not have an accurate correlation to real usage patterns. for example, alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, hard liquor) is generally not included under the category of club drugs, even though it is probably used more than any other drug at clubs, particularly those that are liquor-licensed nightclubs or bars. psychedelic drugs main article: psychedelic drug a psychedelic drug is a medication whose primary action is to alter cognition and perception, typically by agonising serotonin receptors, causing thought and visual/auditory changes, and heightened state of consciousness. major psychedelic drugs include bufotenin, racemorphan, lsd, dmt, and psilocybin mushrooms. not to be confused with psychoactive drugs, such as stimulants and opioids, which induce states of altered consciousness, psychedelics tend to affect the mind in ways that result in the experience being qualitatively different from those of ordinary consciousness. whereas stimulants cause an energized feeling and opiates produce a dreamy, relaxed state, the psychedelic experience is often compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as trance, meditation, yoga, religious ecstasy, dreaming and even near-death experiences. with a few exceptions, most psychedelic drugs fall into one of the three following families of chemical compounds; tryptamines, phenethylamines, and lysergamides. many psychedelic drugs are illegal worldwide under the un conventions unless used in a medical or religious context. despite these regulations, recreational use of psychedelics is common, including at raves and edm concerts and festivals. inhalants main article: inhalants a selection of small bottles of poppers, a volatile drug inhaled at dance clubs for the "rush" it can provide. "poppers" are small bottles of volatile drugs which are inhaled by clubgoers for the "rush" or "high" that they can create. nitrites such as alkyl nitrite originally came as small glass capsules that were popped open, which led to the nickname "poppers." the drug became popular in the us first on the disco/club scene of the 1970s, where dancers used the drug for the "rush" it provides, and because it was perceived to enhance the experience of dancing to loud, bass-heavy disco. the drug became popular again in the mid-1980s and 1990s rave and edm scenes. as with disco clubgoers, rave participants and edm enthusiasts used the drug because its "rush" or "high" was perceived to enhance the experience of dancing to pulsating music and lights. nitrous oxide is a dissociative inhalant that can cause depersonalisation, derealisation (feeling like the world is not real), dizziness, euphoria, and some sound distortion (flanging). in some cases, it may cause slight hallucinations and have a mild aphrodisiac effect. while medical grade nitrous oxide is only available to dentists and other licensed health care providers, recreational users often obtain the drug by inhaling the nitrous oxide used in whipped cream aerosol cans. nitrous oxide users also buy small "whippet" canisters of nitrous oxide intended for use in restaurant whipped cream dispensers and then "crack" open these canisters to inhale the gas. users typically transfer the gas to a plastic bag or balloon prior to inhaling it. ketamine ketamine from the street drug trade, in the form of crystals. ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, has a long history of being used in clubs and was one of the most popular substances used in the new york club kid scene. ketamine produces a dissociative state, characterized by a sense of detachment from one's physical body and the external world which is known as depersonalization and derealization. effects include hallucinations, changes in the perception of distances, relative scale, color and durations/time, as well as a slowing of the visual system's ability to update what the user is seeing. other in the 2000s, synthetic phenethylamines such as 2c-i, 2c-b and dob have been referred to as club drugs due to their stimulating and psychedelic nature (and their chemical relationship with mdma). by late 2012, derivates of the psychedelic 2c-x drugs, the nbomes and especially 25i-nbome, had become common at raves in europe. the drug organization norconon states that other synthetic drugs used in clubs, or which are sold as "ecstasy" include harmaline; piperazines (e.g., bzp and tfmpp); pma/pmma; mephedrone (generally used outside the us) and mdpv. though far less common than other "club drugs" like mdma, ketamine, or lsd, heroin can be found in some of new york city's clubs. marijuana and related cannabis products are used by some clubgoers; for example, some rohypnol and ketamine users mix the powdered drug with marijuana and smoke it. effects desired effects although each club drug has different effects, their use in clubs reflects their perceived contribution to the user's experience dancing to a beat as lights flash to the music. club drug users are generally taking the drugs to "enhance social intimacy and sensory stimulation" from the dance club experience. some club drugs' popularity stems from their ability to induce euphoria, lowered inhibition and an intoxicated feeling. some drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine, give the dancer hyperactivity and energy to dance all night. many drugs produce a feeling of heightened physical sensation, and increased libido and sexual pleasure. some club drugs, such as lsd, dmt, mdma, 2c-b and ketamine enhance the experience of being in a nightclub with pulsating lights and flashing lasers and throbbing dance music, because they cause hallucinations or unusual perception effects. risks and adverse effects although research continues into the full scope of the effects of illegal drugs, regular and unsafe use of club drugs is widely accepted to have damaging side effects and carry a risk of addiction. increased heart rate, a steep increase in body temperature,