Near Death Experiences Exploring the Mind Body Connection by Ornella Corazza

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.5For instance, according to Jamie, a regular weekend user:9780415455206_4_004.qxd 6/6/08 4:44 PM Page 8484 Meeting God in a nightclub?The right amount is really enjoyable.It feels like you are floating out ofyour body, but if you see someone else who has taken ket they are usu-ally staggering around.I suppose it s a bit like having all your armsand legs pulled off and put back on the wrong way round.6He commented that ketamine had become in the past few months the drugof choice for a lot of clubbers. It has been around on the gay scene forquite a while but now it is everywhere.People often combine it with ecstasyor cocaine or use it at after-club parties. 7The popularity of the non-medical use of ketamine has led to its place-ment in Schedule III of the United States Controlled Substances Act in August1999.In some European countries, it became a controlled drug morerecently (for example, in February 2001, ketamine became a Class A drugin Italy).8 In the United Kingdom, it became a Class C drug on 1 January2006, a development that produced a range of media commentary.Is ketamine a fun drug?It may seem difficult to understand why an anesthetic can become such apopular recreational drug.After all, what fun is to be had by lying down ona dance floor? According to Mr B., a recreational user that I interviewed afew year ago, ketamine: is an ideal drug because it comes up very quicklyand it only lasts for 10 15 minutes or so.I used to take it at parties, butalso before going to work.Several reasons can be identified for the popularity of what I prefer to callthe non-medical use of ketamine.First, it has a short duration of action,from 20 minutes to 60 minutes, depending on the amount taken and how itwas taken.9 Second, it is low cost, although new legal controls are likely toraise prices.According to an annual survey in the UK, the price of ketaminestarts from �15 for a wrap of a gram (DrugScope 2005).Third, it isconsidered suitable to be taken in combination with other drugs (Morganet al.2004c), since it moderates the coming down effects of stimulants,empathogens and hallucinogens.It is also appealing for its stimulatingeffects at recreational low doses, because it allows the person to dance, walkor even go to work, as in the case of Mr B.Those who crash on the floorare those who have fallen into a K-hole , or have taken high doses of thesubstance.Finally, it is probably a popular drug because of its intriguingeffects.Before exploring these in greater detail, I would like to focus on thenumerous risks of taking ketamine in non-controlled clinical settings.Pondering the risksAlthough taking ketamine in a recreational environment seems to be funfor many, it also exposes the user to a large number of risks.The most9780415455206_4_004.qxd 6/6/08 4:44 PM Page 85Meeting God in a nightclub? 85immediate one is probably the risk of an unwanted experience.For instance,Miss L., a 23-year-old who tried ketamine only once in her life at a discoclub, observed:I felt a bit paranoid, I was going to die.The first effects started verysoon.I felt very confused and normal reality just disappeared.I wasdizzy and unable to walk.I started bumping against walls.I wanted togo out from the room where I was, but it was very cold.I had no-oneclose to help me.The risk of physical harm from accidents, such as bad falls, is also very high.Evidence has emerged from the National Poisons Information Service in theUK, according to which cases of ketamine intoxication rose from 10 in 1995to more than 100 in 2001.10 Ketamine does not lead to physical dependence,but it can generate a strong psychological dependence, similar to cocaine.Tolerance can be developed quickly, hence a larger quantity is required inorder to achieve the same effects.This can lead users to take it in intense binges.An immediate risk of taking ketamine in recreational settings isaccidents, such as bad falls.The disconnection from the body can be dan-gerous in almost any situation other than lying down in a safe environment.In addition to this, ketamine is a powerful painkiller, which blocks normalsensations of pain.Other adverse effects can include panic attacks anddepression, and when taken in large doses it can exaggerate pre-existingmental health problems.Stimulant-like weight loss and loss of appetite havealso been reported after periods of heavy use.The risks of ketamine use areincreased if it is used with depressant drugs, such as alcohol.It can suppressbreathing and heart function in rare cases, although more commonly itstimulates these functions.It is more likely to suppress breathing (i.e.giverise to a period of apnea) if taken as a fast intravenous injection.When usedwith stimulant drugs such as ecstasy (MDMA) or amphetamines, it can alsocause high blood pressure.A number of reports in the media suggest thatketamine can be used as a date rape drug as high doses can cause amne-sia for events that happened while under the influence of the drug.Threedays after consumption of ketamine, impairments of working, episodic andsemantic memory have been reported (Morgan et al.2004a; 2004b).Oneresearch study has shown that semantic memory impairments associatedwith recreational ketamine are reversible after people stop or substantiallyreduce use.However, impairment to episodic and possibly attentionalfunctioning is longer lasting (Krystal et al.1994; Malhotra et al.1996;Morgan et al.2004b).A problem with these studies is that the authors rarely,if ever, provide urine or hair test results to prove that their subjects arenot affected by other drugs at the time of testing.Cannabis and alcohol areparticularly likely culprits as many ketamine users smoke cannabis anddrink alcohol daily (Jansen 2001).Some users also experience mild forms of9780415455206_4_004.qxd 6/6/08 4:44 PM Page 8686 Meeting God in a nightclub?schizophrenic-like symptoms and perceptual distortions associated withthe use of ketamine for a short period after they have stopped taking thedrug (Morgan et al.2004c).Initially, from its anesthetic use, cliniciansreported confusional states, vivid dreams and hallucinations as well asflashbacks (Siegal 1978).The risk of death in general is not high [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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