Club Drugs

Info

To learn more about club drugs or obtain referrals 

to programs in your community, contact one of the 

following toll-free numbers:

SAMHSA’s Health Information Network 

1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727)

(English and Spanish)

TTY 1-800-487-4889 

The bottom line: If you know someone who 

uses club drugs, urge him or her to get help. If 

you’re using them—stop! The longer you ignore 

the real facts, the more chances you take with 

your life. It’s never too late. Talk to your parents, 

a doctor, a counselor, a teacher, or another adult 

you trust.

Do it today!

Curious about the TV ads of the National Youth

Anti-Drug Media Campaign? Check out the Web site at

www.freevibe.com or visit the Office of National Drug

Control Policy Web site at www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov.

 A& Q 

Q. If somebody slipped a club 

drug into your drink, wouldn’t 

you realize it immediately?

A. Probably not. Most club drugs 

are odorless and tasteless. 

Some are made into a powder 

form that makes it easier to slip 

into a drink and dissolve without 

a person’s knowledge.

Q. Are there any long-term 

effects of taking Ecstasy?

A. Yes. Studies on both humans 

and animals have proven that 

regular use of Ecstasy produces 

long-lasting, perhaps permanent 

damage to the brain’s ability to 

think and store memories.

Q. If you took a club drug at a 

rave, wouldn’t you just dance 

off all of its effects?

A. Not necessarily. Some of 

Ecstasy’s effects, like confusion, 

depression, anxiety, paranoia, 

and sleep problems, have been 

reported to occur even weeks 

after the drug is taken.
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The Truth About Club Drugs 

Slang—Ecstasy: E, X, XTC. GHB: Liquid Ecstasy, Liquid X, Grievous Bodily Harm, Georgia 

Home Boy. Ketamine: K, Special K, Ket, Vitamin K, Kit Kat. Rohypnol: Roofies, R-2.

Get the Facts...

Club drugs affect your brain. The term “club drugs” 

refers to a wide variety of drugs often used at all-night 

dance parties (“raves”), nightclubs, and concerts. 

Club drugs can damage the neurons in your brain, 

impairing your senses, memory, judgment, and 

coordination.

Club drugs affect your body. Different club drugs 

have different effects on your body. Some common 

effects include loss of muscle and motor control, 

blurred vision, and seizures. Club drugs like Ecstasy 

are stimulants that increase your heart rate and blood 

pressure and can lead to heart or kidney failure. Other 

club drugs, like GHB, are depressants that can cause 

drowsiness, unconsciousness, or breathing problems.

Club drugs affect your self-control. Club drugs like 

GHB and Rohypnol are used in “date rape” and other 

assaults because they are sedatives that can make you 

unconscious and immobilize you. Rohypnol can cause 

a kind of amnesia—users may not remember what they 

said or did while under the effects of the drug.

Club drugs are not always what they seem. 

Because club drugs are illegal and often produced in 

makeshift laboratories, it is impossible to know exactly 

what chemicals were used to produce them. How strong 

or dangerous any illegal drug is varies each time.

Club drugs can kill you. Higher doses of club drugs 

can cause severe breathing problems, coma, or even 

death.

Before You Risk It...

Know the law. It is illegal to buy or sell club drugs. It is 

also a Federal crime to use any controlled substance to 

aid in a sexual assault.

Get the facts. Despite what you may have heard, club 

drugs can be addictive.

Stay informed. The club drug scene is constantly 

changing. New drugs and new variations of drugs appear 

all of the time.

Know the risks. Mixing club drugs together or with 

alcohol is extremely dangerous. The effects of one drug 

can magnify the effects and risks of another. In fact, 

mixing substances can be lethal. 

Look around you. The vast majority of teens are not 

using club drugs. While Ecstasy is considered to be the 

most frequently used club drug, less than 1 percent of 

12- to 17-year-olds use it on a regular basis. In fact, 98 

percent of people this age have never even tried Ecstasy.1

Know the Signs...

How can you tell if a friend is using club drugs?

Sometimes it’s tough to tell. But there are signs you can 

look for. If your friend has one or more of the following 

warning signs, he or she may be using club drugs:

Problems	remembering	things	they	recently	said	or	

did

Loss	of	coordination,	dizziness,	fainting

Depression	

Confusion

Sleep	problems

Chills	or	sweating

Slurred	speech	

What can you do to help someone who is 

using club drugs? Be a real friend. Save a life. 

Encourage your friend to stop or seek professional 

help. For information and referrals, call SAMHSA’s 

Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 

(1-877-726-4727).

For more information or for references to facts found in this Tips for Teens, 

go to www.samhsa.gov/SHIN.

Revised in 2008.