An In-Depth Qualitative Examination of the Ecstasy Experience: Results of a Focus Group with Ecstasy-Using College Students

Abstract

This study examined ecstasy use in 30 college students who participated in one of four 60-minute focus groups with other participants who also had a history of ecstasy use. Ten topics emerged in the sessions: 1) pill ingredients, 2) mechanism of MDMA effects, 3) reasons for initiating ecstasy use, 4) risky behaviors and ecstasy use, 5) sexual activity and ecstasy, 6) positive effects from ecstasy use, 7) negative effects related to ecstasy use, 8) ecstasy and polysubstance use, 9) perceived risks of ecstasy use, and 10) motivational factors related to quitting ecstasy use. Most participants had a basic understanding of the contents of ecstasy pills, and the effects that ecstasy has on the brain and bodily functions. Participants reported positive effects on mood, social pressure, curiosity, availability, boredom, desire for an altered state of mind, desire to escape, self-medication, desire to have fun, and the ease of use of ecstasy in comparison to other drugs as reasons for initiating ecstasy use. They were divided regarding whether ecstasy increased the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors, including risky sexual behavior. Participants described their experiences of both the positive and negative effects (physical and psychological) that they attributed to their use of ecstasy. All participants were polysubstance users, consuming a number of other substances simultaneously and concurrently with ecstasy. The majority was unaware of specific types of problems ecstasy could potentially cause and discounted its potential harm. Participants varied in their motivation for quitting ecstasy use, including negative personal experiences while using ecstasy, health concerns, and addiction/tolerance. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Keywords:

• ecstasy
• X
• club drugs
• raves
• college students

Notes

^a“Substance abuse” is used as a diagnostic taxonomy in substance use and misuse. Substances can be and are used or misused. Living organisms are and can be abused. Editor's note.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kira B. Levy

Kira Levy is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests focus on recreational drug use in adolescents and young adults.

Kevin E. O'Grady

Kevin E. O'Grady is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. His research interests have focused on: 1) the etiology of substance abuse, particularly those individual, familial, and social factors that place an individual at increased risk for the development of a drug-abusing lifestyle; 2) the development of intervention programs that seek to impact at-risk individuals, where these programs are guided by the risk-factor information available from participants; and, 3) the development of conceptual models that explain differential responsiveness to substance abuse treatment.

Eric D. Wish

Eric Wish, Ph.D., is Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland, College Park where he advances CESAR's mission to inform policymakers, practitioners, and the general public about substance abuse—its nature and extent, its prevention and treatment, and its relation to other problems. He is also an Associate Professor in the University's Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Dr. Wish has conducted research and published reports on a variety of topics related to substance abuse, including drug use in Vietnam veterans, assessment of treatment services for marijuana users, the relationship of drug use at arrest to subsequent criminal behavior, and methods for identifying users.

Amelia M. Arria

Amelia M. Arria, Ph.D., is the Deputy Director of Research at the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland. She is the Principal Investigator of a NIDA-funded longitudinal study of substance use among college students and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study on predictors of treatment entry and recidivism among drunk drivers. She is an epidemiologist with special interests in the area of physical and mental health consequences of alcohol and drug use, effective methods of drug prevention, and the intersection between drug use and violence.