{"id":2577,"date":"2013-03-05T12:42:05","date_gmt":"2013-03-05T11:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=2577"},"modified":"2023-03-04T13:14:12","modified_gmt":"2023-03-04T13:14:12","slug":"club-drugs-and-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/club-drugs-and-therapy.htm","title":{"rendered":"Club Drugs: From Rave to Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PartyThe Rise of Recreational ‘Club Drugs’<\/span><\/p>\n

Drug use within the UK has undergone a significant transformation over recent years. There has been a marked decrease in use of traditionally problematic drugs such as Heroin and Crack Cocaine, but matched by a sharp increase in a new group of substances called \u2018Club Drugs\u2019<\/strong>. This umbrella term has defined a number of substances ranging from drugs such as Ketamine, Mephedrone and GBL, to the so-called \u2018legal highs\u2019 that have featured so prominently within the media. Whilst in the past these drugs have often been defined as \u2018recreational\u2019 and largely unproblematic, the latest generation of \u2018club drugs\u2019 has witnessed new harms including bladder ulceration, psychosis and severe psychological and physiological dependence.<\/p>\n

Despite these significant harms, a pivotal issue has been the lack of engagement from club drug users with \u2018traditional\u2019 Heroin and Crack orientated services, with users feeling that these services have little knowledge of the newer drugs and their associated lifestyles. Consequently, over recent months attention has turned to improving both knowledge and treatment towards these drugs and exploring in more depth the harms they cause both psychologically and physically to their users. This blog hopes to bring to light some of the differences between these drugs and \u2018traditional\u2019 problematic drugs such as Heroin and Crack Cocaine and highlight some of the ways counselling and psychotherapy can aid those running into trouble with Club Drugs.<\/p>\n

What are Club Drugs?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cParty Drugs, \u201cClub Drugs\u201d \u201cRecreational Drugs\u201d \u201cNovel Psychoactive Substances\u201d \u201cUppers\u201d and \u201cDowners\u201d are all names we provide to a group of drugs that we commonly associate with clubbing, raving and dancing. These drugs are generally stimulants, although not always, and their general function is to increase energy, induce intense positive emotion and heighten sociability and sensory experience. Yet, none of the names really can do justice to the number of different contexts that these drugs are used. Festivals, parties, nightclubs, workplaces, homes and holidays are all contexts where these drugs are consumed and the list of potential new drugs grows week by week.<\/p>\n

For simplicity, the drugs listed below are what we are commonly referring to when we use any of the names listed above:<\/p>\n