h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Ecstasy - A2037359
Author: Roadkill (ACE) - U185550

I'd like to submit this entry to be part of the the Edited Guide.

Hi Roadkill

I don't have time to do this justice right now, but I wasn't sure before I opened the entry whether we were talking E tablets, or extreme happiness. It might be worth amending the title to make it obvious.

I'll get back to you over the w/e with proper comments


F/b

Certainly.

Will "Ecstasy - The drug" do?

Should the word 'ecstasy' be capitalised throughout, as you've done? It looks odd to me...

It can be changed. I thought I had better do it to show that it is a name for a substance rather than the state of (non induced) euphoria.

Nice entry... quite educative...

Personally I'd stick with the Capitalisation of the name... not sure if it's grammatically correct but looks better to me.

Secondly, one paragraph I'd like to see would be

"How to recognise if someone is taking Ecstasy"

I know most of the information is probably already in the entry under the various 'symptoms' paragraphs, but it would be nice to see a short, snappy bulleted list of visible symptoms etc... (The inclusion of such a list would also highlight the fact that the entry is educational and not condoning drug use)

Finally, Just to cover your back I'd strengthen the disclaimer at the end - "It should be noted that the use of Ecstasy is not only illegal but can be extremely dangerous for the user's health - this entry in no way condones its use" or something like that

As usual, please feel free to ignore any or all of this waffle


Whisky

I do like the sound of that paragraph and I think it sends a good message, thank you.

I shall reinforce the ending paragraph.

Well done for putting the warning at the end. Might it be worth having it at the start as well?

To be completely clear, is MDMA another name for Ecstasy? If so, could you mention that at the start just after the long name.

You say it is not addictive but that people are compelled to take it. THat sounds like addiction to me. You should say it is not physically addictive.

Some typos etc:

adulerants --> adulterants
more than one Ecstasy tablets --> more than one Ecstasy tablet
rare, however --> rare; however

There's a sentence with "the day after use" in it twice. The second one is not really necessary and sounds cumbersome.

There are a few odd spaces:

high- profile --> high-profile
well- being --> well-being
rave/ night --> rave/night

Well done!

Roadkill,

I suppose an entry like this is just begging for argument concerning the wisdom of using MDMA, or any other recreational chemical, for that matter...

I've done my share of 'experimenting' in my youth, and like to keep an open mind, but this stuff bothers me.

I would regard dehydration as a negative side-effect. I feel it should be stressed that users should poke their heads out of the fog once in a while, to maintain some level of hydration. Particularly during raves.

Long-term effects have been discussed at medical and psychological forums, and it appears that some long-term MDMA users have developed symptoms akin to Parkinson's.
Irreversible. And sad to contemplate, naturally.

Since there is no real standard dosage or certifiable purity in the pills, the dangers of overdosing are real.

You can identify an e-tard (California label, rhymes with 'retard') by the pacifier in their face.

Keep it herbal, dude...Salvia Divinorum, anybody?

Silly American question, but what's a baby's dummy? Is it like a pacifier, that you give them to suck on or maybe a teething ring that they chew on or what?

Sorry, I just hadn't ever heard that term before.

most clubbers in this country - uk - just chew gum.

i would debate saying that ecstacy is dangerous. under 100 people have died as a result in 15 years. thats less than any other drug, including alcohol. also, the link with parkinsons is tenuous to say the least. the report was couched in very vague terms.

this reads like a drug information pamphlet, and therefore doesnt really describe what the drug does at all. its all very well mentioning euphoria, but would it not be better having one or two testamonials? i mean, the drug is a lot of fun...

i dont want to make this entry advocate heavy use or anything - my friend has really ruined his kidneys and liver raving too much, and also has cystitis, but he really has caned it for two years. it can be fun very rarely, tho. just a few thoughts anyway

I have to admit I tend to agree, it does just show one side of the argument. There must be a reason why people do it.

I know people who take escasty on a regular basis but are not addicted, they take it in normal clubs not raves, and are holding down good jobs. But I've also known people who have had problems as a result.

I think taking it is unwise because..

You don't know you're getting ecstasy
You don't know what dose, so it's easy to overdose,
and we don't know the long term effects.

Yes dummies are pactifiers, but carrying them was part of the tend of rave culture which is a bit out of fasion now, well completely out of fashion. I don't know anyone who does that,and I know quiet a few who take ecstasy.

There is more to it than "Drugs are bad kids - don't do them.."

I like this entry very much. It is informative in style, so that the Edited Guide will be able to use it, I think.

Having said that, here are a few nitpicks.

“with perhaps an "E" stamped into it.”
The “E” should be replaced with an ‘E’ according to the House Style.

You use the abbreviation MDMA to describe it, but you never explain what it is an abbreviation for. Is it an abbreviation for methylenedioxymethamphetamine? If so, you can simply follow that word with “(MDMA)” as a simple way of explaining the abbreviation.

“such as LSD, that induces” this should be “such as LSD, which induces” I think.

“seratonin” should be serotonin

That's all I can come up with now. But this is a very fine entry. I look forward to seeing it on the Front Page.

If I'm going to really nitpick, the British scientific term for seratonin is 5HT. But I think most lay people know it as seratonin anyway..

most e's contain a bit of speed, actually. mdma on its own is a different experience to ecstacy. and when you buy ecstacy from anyone except a monkey you met in cmaden market, you can pretty much garauntee that it will be ecstracy

Many thanks for comments and corrections .

I am trying to find some accounts of use at the moment, but am drawing blanks so far. If anyone happnes upon some, I'd be very grateful to know where.

Ecstasy will cause fewer deaths than alcohol; alcohol is legal, and therefore easier to get in greater quantities, quantities that might either on their own or in conjunction with unwise activities (driving for example) cause death.

I have tried to keep the Entry fairly neutral, so positive effects were the main sort of 'pro' bit. But does it come off as a sort of anti- Ecstasy tirade?

Thanks,
Roadkill.

less than 100 deaths in 15 years. hundreds of thousands of pills dropped every month. the proportions are still in favour of e...

i would be happy to give you a testimonial, if you like.

Yet more alcohol than Ecstasy is consumed.

Still if it is genuinely believed that Ecstasy could be said not to be dangerous, I will happily change it.

15 years - so most users are in their 30's now I guess - lets see what develops over the next 10 years before we decide its 'fun'

Incidently this must be a new definition of 'fun' - "here put this tablet in your mouth it may kill you, but it probably won't"

I know alcohol kills more people than any illegal drug on the market, but that is through mis-use - what alcohol needs is stricter controls.