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Australian professor claims ecstasy 'safer than booze binges'
Created On September 12th, 2008 by i_have_ADD
Professor Jake Najman, a leading Australian drugs expert, has said ecstasy is ‘cheaper, safer’ and a ‘lesser evil’ than alcohol following the publication of research showing young people are switching from alcopops following the new Government tax.
Ecstasy is “relatively benign if taken in small quantities,” the director of Queensland’s Alcohol and Drug Research Center told the Brisbane Times. “When young people switch from a substantial amount of alcohol to a small amount of ecstasy… I don’t think that’s a bad trade at all. It is not likely that one pill on a Saturday night poses the same dangers as frequent binge drinking,” he added.
The Professor’s comments coincided with a report in the Guardian on Britain’s escalating drinking culture which revealed that 15,000 people die from alcohol related conditions a year with additional health problems increasingly common. Liver expert Professor Roger Williams, who treated now dead soccer star George Best, warned that drinking even slightly over the official limits of 21 units for men and 14 units for women a week regularly poses significant health threats and reeled off a long list of horrific side effects.
“I see a lot of pancreatitis… a hideous, hideous illness,” the Professor noted. “Then there is atrophy of the brain and the early onset of dementia. Alcohol raises blood pressure. There is damage to the peripheral nerves of the legs and arms – people get foot drop, where they can’t pick their feet up properly,” he warned.
partydavo says...
Everything in MODERATION is fine! As soon as you abuse anything.. you will cause harm to yourself! Alcohol and Cigarettes lead to more premature disease and death than any other recreational substances! Plus, a club full of happy go lucky punters pilling is a far better atmosphere than one full of drunk, rowdy and negatively-influenced folk! I have proven this in my past 2 year of nightlife photography! I get hassled far less at your rave style club events and get far better happy-snaps than what I do at say your local where the boys gather and compete to see how many jugs they can skull.
BaileyLSD says...
Wonder what the damage on binge drinking plus x is?
the elektro kitten says...
Thank god not everyone is sucked into the mainstream government views. I'm glad someone can look at tax benefits the government receives, aside from their research. Bravo
sonicc says...
Safer??? I wanna live on the edge, screw it im switching to heroin.
tdub says...
Heavy!
i a i n g says...
yes but of all th ecstacy users in australia, i would imagine its a very very small percentage that have just ONE pill in a night.
dj joey says...
alchie makes me wanna bash people..Eeee makes me wanna hug and love people..cmon government..just legalise the stuff, sell it in petrol stations, and claim a tax on it..then itll be all good for youse!
fuze_crew says...
TAKE LOOT HOLLAND . MAYBE WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THEY ARE DOING AND THE UK.
SA_spec says...
haha dj joey should run the country (provided he has a responisble controlled supply of x). someone that overdoes x is far less dangerous than someone that overdoes alcohol, take it from fist hand experience. Most x users stop when theyve had enough, i used to do it way too much but now im just over it.
poonige says...
i a i n g, Im sure if pills were pure MDMA and were manufactured with controls on the quantity and quality of MDMA I am sure 1 to 2 pills would be sufficiant for a night. Most only take large quantities cause pills these days mostly have low quantities of MDMA if at all.
mcdoofus says...
i a i n g - I think if people could find pills that were a decent dose of guaranteed clean MDMA then a lot more would only take one in a night. And I'd be willing to bet that those who go overboard on ecstasy are probably going overboard on a lot of other things, including alcohol.
Fewsion says...
another ecstasy good alcohol bad news report? i'm shocked.
Captain Dance Floor says...
I have been saying this for years. The war on drugs is a pathetic attempt at medievil style control. The world would be a much better place and less people would die/be in jail for crime or be affected by crime if drugs were legalised. And the government would be rich. why cant they see this?
Cobbles says...
aha eky from a petrol station, that'l be the day...
dimeuleh says...
I actually would like to see the comparison in alcohol related deaths compared to ecstasy .. just ecstasy not mixed! Maybe that would actually shine some light to how "dangerous" and "harmful" such a illegal drug is in comparison to the so called "legal" drug.
AVB_No_1 says...
Watch, in 10 years Googs will be legal and the goverment will start putting their tax on pills lol. (They will make a killing)
humdingaling says...
i wonder who funds theses so called reports
Shatter says...
I've never met a person who has taken X in moderation... ever. And I know a lot of people on the scene. Every newcomer will hit that shit up every weekend and inevitably burn out and get depression after 6 months of use. And, no, I'm not claiming binge drinking is a lesser evil, either. I just think too many people try to down play the mid-term effects on esctasy.
Dyslexic JD says...
Green lighting x?? I wonder what the AMA would say?
Garthyboy says...
I have to agree with the instant effects of X abuse vs alcohol abuse Much rather have a munted guy on X being a tool around me than an agro boozed up bloke looking for a fight.
Spekman says...
the issue is they are speaking of clean ecstacy, not the rubbish a lot of pills have in them these days.. sure you can get clean, but a lot aren't... and its the stuff that isn't X which is really bad for you.. if the government legalised and regulated it, then the harm would be minimised as ppl would only be getting mdma, which, taken responsibly, isn't very bad for you... dam government
partydavo says...
Our bodies are equipped with a biochemical factory that produces chemicals and hormones to make us feel and act a certain way.. taking E.. releases seratonin and adrenaline.. natural chems that already exist in your body! Alcohol - is a poison! The effects you feel from them are the POISONING of your body! Everyone processes alcohol differently, some people have weaker kidneys and livers than others... such as the aboriginal population. They have such a lack of tolerance to alcohol that it takes them up to 3 times longer to process it! I think it is far better to take a precursor to release one's own natural biochemical concoction - than ruin the whole clockwork intricacy by killing your vital cells with alcohol!
its_mish says...
you silly, naive, ignorant people who use drugs, its the devil, think of the mothers at home crying and praying and the families you destroy by using this crap and dealing. Get a life and get off the drugs especially you professor Jake Najman. I'm at most events and not once touched any drug, u ppl are weak and not true fans of this industry!!!
mcdoofus says...
Shatter - I dunno who you're hanging out with but not everyone burns themselves out in 6 months. Do you know anyone with some self-control? In my experience, about half the people that use ecstasy do it the way you descibed, hitting it up every weekend until they burn out. The others though are generally educated, respect their bodies and brains and have enough self-control to use pills every few months.
Spekman says...
its_mish, its more dangerous to drive a car then take pills... get off your high horse...
dimeuleh says...
its_mish . your a tool. -end
mcdoofus says...
its mish - Ever had a drink in your life? Think of all the people who have had their lives ruined by alcohol! Get off your high horse.
johno_ast says...
it would be great if you only needed 1 pill a night..... gone are the days of decent pills..... anyone remember orange butterflys and red rolexs and even yellow doves
SA_spec says...
its_mish, thats hilarious, i lost t when i read ur comment, i cant believe ur serious and if you are then i still applaud you for playin tha 'tool of the devil' card, bah, anyways its fri, need ta get me some fuuuuurked urp!!
trancejunkii says...
normal people just don't understand this.... they need to be educated as this is a very well known fact already from within the dance community.... u definitely are likely to do more long term damage from binge drinking than from occasionally dropping an e pill or five lol
bobshled says...
Man, its all about where is came from. Most of th time it could come from anywhere, and have any additives in it. LEGALISE. Haha as if though.
harro41 says...
here here
amria_101 says...
Little does everyone know that some US doctor's tried to prescribe ectasy back in the 1970s for counselling methods. But I must agree burn out and depression after 6 months of use is a definate, the "after" far outweighs the "on" after a while, which leads one back into binge drinking..its a vicious cycle being young ;)
I Film Shit says...
Good work Jake Najman you idiot. Encourage people to take more drugs. Ever heard of selective listening? what uve said is SMALL AMOUNTS of ecstasy is ok and alcohol is bad. BUT any drug user who reads this is ONLY going to see DRUGS ARE SAFER THAN ACOHOL. GO NUTS
Suga05 says...
Considering Australia is one of the world's fattest countries and alcohol makes you gain weight then I think ths would be a good way of solving both binge drinking and weight problems :-P haha
macky says...
they have AAA meetings for alcohol abusers, they have rehab centres for constant drug users. U will most likely find that more ppl are attending AAA meetings rather than joining a rehab clinic. Doing X, u r actually in a more controlled state than alcohol and as one of these comments mentions, ppl who use X know when to stop or if you do keep going in one night the effects lessen the more u take. Too many ppl pass out from alcohol and end up regretting their night (if remembered).
Kid A says...
It's wrong to say that everything in moderation is fine.. it's simply not true. And the argument that certain drugs are better than others because they aren't foreign from what is already chemically contained in our brains doesn't stand up. Chemical imbalances in our brain are potentially dangerous regardless of whether they are already apart of the bio-chemical make up or not. This isn't to say that i think drugs are necessarily bad, but i think the lesson to learn with drugs should be something more along the lines of- 'once you get the message, hang up the phone...not 'everything in moderation is fine.
macky says...
well theyve convince me! haha
Advice Dog says...
DON'T EAT PILLS SHELVE THEM INSTEAD
partydavo says...
Oh and its_mish - you'll note that the music 'industry' would be a very boring place if it weren't for the influence of drugs through its evolution..
partydavo says...
Macky is right - alcohol is a depressant - E is a stimulant. When you're influenced by a stimulant you are far more in control and aware of your surrounding environment. Plus being the precursor for the neurotransmitter Seratonin; its happy days all round! Of course alcohol does the complete opposite. Check out my blog on the Seven Somatic Levels of Consciousness - http://blogs.inthemix.com.au/partydavo
Rstavv says...
woohoo score one for the bad guys aaahahaha
rotisserie says...
party davo taking x is still taking something thats not 'naturally' in your body, its still affecting u in the long term, every time u take ecstasy, it quickly releases the serotonin u have, so u feel really happy for a short time - then it slowly replenishes it. but ur over all max level of serotonin u started with - ur "happiness" chemical in your body - drops on average. imagine after taking a few, you wil never be as happy as you were before you started. i can't believe how ridiculous you ppl who laughed at its_mish sound. you sound like 15 year olds who hav just discovered how cool drinking alcohol is. each to their own for all i care, ur only fuking with ur own happiness
stu_jacks88 says...
More and more we see professionals coming out with comments and reports like this. Doctors from my university (which will remain anonymous) have discussed with me and others many a time about the legalisation and control of specific party drugs for the purpose of overall safety. With regulation of ingredients and use (18 ) the legalisation of ectasy is a viable option for governments. They can keep selling them for $25 - $30 (MDMA Tax :D) making a large surplus to put back into the country as well as ensuring relative safety (as long as people are educated and as long as people don't use in excess like with alcohol). The only reason politicians do not back ideas like this is the political suicide. The general concensus from the Australian; and global, population are that drugs are bad and that anyone who supports them is thus a bad idea.
SlicyDicer says...
Drinking in moderation isn't fun
katie90 says...
if e's were legal, and government made. atleast they cud controll wats in it. and u wud no wat ur gettin and its not sumn made in someones back yard full of messed up stuff thats wat hurts u.. PLUS... 4 litres of alcohol compared to a tiny pill, i think ur liver wud rather a small pill to process...
UntilMonday says...
who has JUST one pill tho? I say both drink and drop... two negatives equal a positive right? that's wat i learnt in high school anyway!
mcdoofus says...
rotisserie - Have you got a link showing that on average your maximum serotonin supplies are lower after using ecstasy? Didn't think so.
Gspot says...
I've been partying for 10yrs and taking e's for 10yrs now. But it really takes a few more yrs of maturity before you realise what your body can handle and the individual effects it has on your body. We all know alcohol and drugs affect people differently. Like all freshies I started out taking 3-4 in one night sometimes 3 times a week! Got totally burnt out after 6mnths and got pathetically depressed, lost 10kg, my skin was disgusting, i loked like a zombie half the time. I even started getting bad migraines for days afterwards from dehydration! Some of the crap they put in pills can be so nasty and dirty it'll mess u up big time. But u only learn through experiences like these. These days i only do it once in a blue moon coz I'm totally happy to go without. If you can get your hands on Caps, that is my preferred option. Pure, clean MDMA - No hangovers the next day! Beats binge drinking and waking up feeling suicidal anyday!