College is always a time for letting go and trying new things. You have the freedom to set your own rules and guidelines to live by, which often leaves college students to live a bit more rambunctious lifestyle. We stay up late, drink on weekdays, get tangled up (sometimes literally) in the hook-up culture and explore the nightlife of the city.
I am not saying that we must remove all these fun adventures from our college lives, but we must make sure that the little voice in our head that warns us something we are doing has dangerous effects is wrong be heard. One warning I want to make sure echoes clearly in your head is not to fall into the addictive trap of the drug Molly that has become popular on college campuses nationally. Molly has gained popularity in the past couple of years, partly due to cultural references — like in Kanye West’s “Mercy”, and the return of the electronic dance music scene. Molly, which includes MDMA found in Ecstasy pills, are known for inducing feelings of euphoria, closeness and diminished anxiety.
College students across the country are drawn to the allure of this ‘happy pill’, but do not fall into this tempting trap because there are serious health dangers behind it. At the least detrimental level, MDMA has the common side effects of muscle tension, nausea, blurred vision, increased hearth rate, and feelings of sadness, anxiety, depression and memory difficulties that can last from several days to a week or longer. On a more dangerous level, people that use MDMA become dehydrated which can lead to dangerous overheating. This, in turn could lead to serious kidney and heart problems.
Despite myths and rumors that the drug Molly is a pure form of MDMA so cannot become addictive and cause serious danger to you, the recent spike in MDMA-related emergency room visits and deaths of college students should be enough to keep your college experience Molly-free. In major cities, including Boston, there have been unfortunate Molly-related deaths of college students, and school districts, college administrators, and local Prevention Council representatives are warning students about the drug.
Sure it may be a campus, concert or club near you but please do not put Molly on your college bucket list for the effects of this experience can have detrimental consequences that extend far beyond college. The drug Molly should always spark that voice in your head to say, “It is popular, it is prevalent, but it is also dangerous and deadly.”
Article Sources:
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/mdma-ecstasy-or-molly
Image Sources:
http://madmikesamerica.com/2013/03/drug-molly-called-epidemic-across-college-campuses/