Ecstasy: aka methylenedioxy methamphetamine, aka MDMA, aka rolls, aka X, etc. X is perhaps the most popular drug in the rave scene, and at least the most well known. It produces euphoric feelings, massive bursts of energy, and a "love-love" sort of outlook. It commonly affects the senses, causing lights and colors to stand out more and be more attractive, distorting sounds, making the taste buds more receptive, and heightening the sense of touch. X comes in waves, hence the nickname "rolls," and in the ups a person has a lot of energy, while in the downs a person might feel dizzy, tired, calm, or just like they want to sit down.

X does have long-term effects. It depletes the seratonin in your brain over time. For those who don't know what seratonin is, it's kind of the go-juice for your brain. For example, imagine that your thought is a toy sailboat. You represent one side of your brain, and your friend on the other side of the lake represents the other side of your brain. Seratonin is the lake. It provides a means for your thoughts to get around. However, most people believe that, when used in moderation (read: not every party, and not more than one when you do!) a person should be relatively healthy.

If you do X, be sure to eat a good-sized meal six hours prior to dosing or you will get sick. Be sure to take breaks during your downs, and don't overdo it. Get plenty of water, because X tends to dehydrate you, as well as make you ignore your body.

Don't do X unless someone you know who can take care of you is around. Don't get X from someone you don't know, and don't go up to strangers at parties asking if they can help you score. They could send you to a crack dealer (come one people! think!) or something. If you do X, don't go up to people and expect them to want you to hug them, even if you really want to hug them. If someone is going to give you a light show, *great* but don't watch it if you feel nauseated. Above all else, remember, anything funny you are seeing is because of the drugs, but you are still in control of your own body. If someone proposes something you don't think would be safe, then say, "No," without hesitation. Have fun and be safe.

Acid - aka LSD, aka papers, aka trip, etc. Acid was popularized by the hippie culture in the 60's, but has experienced something of a rebirth in the rave culture. It is sold by the "hit," although many people like to use more than one hit at a time (First-timers should stick to one of two hits as the intensity of the trip increases exponentially with each hit). It usually comes in paper form, bot can sometimes be found as a liquid or soaked into pieces of candy. The effects of acid are many and varied, but the most common are distorted vision or hallucinations, distorted or enhanced hearing, energy, and erratic or deep thoughts. Most audio and visual hallucinations are distortions of what is already there, but very rarely true hallucinations (when a person sees things which are not there, or has trouble remembering who or where they are) do occur.

The most common and well-known negative effect of LSD is the possibility of having a bad experience, or "bad trip." The best way to avoid a bad trip is to stay calm and strive to keep yourself out of stressful situations and away from people who might attempt to harm or confuse you, but this is sometimes difficult to do. There are several things that you can do to keep yourself from having a bad trip.

1. Above all else, try to remain in control. Remind yourself that anything odd that you are feeling or experiencing is just the drug, and it will eventually end. Try to remember that you can change the experience by changing your surroundings, and that anything frightening or weird simply isn't real.

2. Never trip alone. You should always have a friend to trip with, and ideally you should have someone there who is not tripping. First-timers should always trip with someone who has tripped before. Try not to have anyone around who might hurt or confuse you, even unintentionally.

3. Keep a close eye on your setting. A rave is probably not the best place to trip the first time; it is too noisy and wild. Remember, you can always have friends, loud music, and bright lights at home. If at any time you begin to feel weird or out of control, change your setting. Go outside, or to a bathroom, or out to your car (but don't ever go for a ride, no matter how relaxing you think it will be!). Whether you think you need dark or light, quiet or music, friends or solitude, go wherever you think you'll be comfortable, but don't be alone for too long. Remember, acid causes some really deep thoughts, and you probably don't want to be alone with those for too long.

DXM - aka Dextromethorphan, aka Robo, aka Robotripping, etc. *IMPORTANT* - It was originally reported on this site that Coricidin Cough and Cold was a safe source of DXM. This was due to the author reading older reports and somehow missing the newer ones which said that the 4mg of PCM could harm you. Please do not do Coricidin. Most DXM users find that the DXM high is not worth drinking Robitussin, and it is definitely not worth getting hurt over! DXM is a drug most often found in different cough medicines, but is also found in raves sold fraudulently as ecstasy. DXM is a very commonly used drug because of its availability and the lack of consequences for both selling and using it; while it is illegal technically to abuse it or use it in a manner inconsistent with the labeling, it is also very hard to prove this, as it is an Over-the-Counter (OTC) drug. Because of this, many people do it for the first time because they don't have anything else to do, and figure it to be an easy, mild high (see Ephedrine below). Do not do DXM for this reason! I cannot stress this enough. DXM is not a fun, mild sort of high. It is a drug only to be done by people extremely experienced with psychedelics and hallucinogens, and only by people who want to have an extremely intense experience.

First, some first aid: A rave is not the place to do DXM. If you suspect that you have been sold a pill containing DXM, leave if you have anyone sober who can possibly take you home. If this is not possible, go outside, make sure you have plenty of water, set up in a safe place with lots of friends, and prepare to just lean back and chill. DXM is very much a downer, so do not expect to want to dance. You want to have friends and a safe place because you will most likely not be very aware of your surroundings for quite a while. If you intentionally take DXM, do not mix it with true ecstasy at the risk of serious liver damage. It is best to take it at home, in bed or some other place where you can sit for several hours. It is probably best to have whatever you may need nearby.

DXM can be found in most cough medicines, but most cough medicines contain DXM mixed with several other active ingredients. Taking DXM mixed with any other active ingredients is extremely dangerous, especially acetaminophen! Overdoses of acetaminophen can cause extreme liver damage, and anyone who does not heed this risk is likely to suffer a long and painful death. Cough medicines which are relatively safe in this regard include Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough and DexAlone. There may be others, but I haven't heard of any other safe ones in all my research. The best advice is to check all packages for a list of active ingredients before consumption.

DXM takes a long time to kick in, anywhere from an hour and a half to four hours. The DXM trip also lasts a long time, the peak effects lasting from four to six hours, and the "come down" lasting anywhere from 12-48 hours. Doses of DXM are broken up in "plateaus." There are four plateaus, generally defined by the experiences you have while there. (Warning - there are plenty of resources available to help you calculate the dosage of DXM you'll need to acheive you desired state, such as the DXM Calculator. This drug is extremely dependent on body weight, and short of using one of these resources, or doing a lot of research, there is no way to safely determine how much to take. Do not trust any site that gives you general figures for how much DXM to take. And never, never take more than a gram.) The different plateaus represent radically different experiences, with first plateau being an oddly disorienting, mildly psychedelic, and profoundly strange experience, and second plateau excompassing a dream-trance, hallucinations, complete lack of awareness of one's surroundings, spiritual visions, other-wordly travels, and astral trips. For this reason, one should be very, very careful about the exact milligram dosage that one consumes. Remember, all cough medicines list the number of milligrams of DXM in each dose.

So how is DXM? Is it good or bad? Well, the answer varies from person to person, from dosage to dosage, from trip to trip. A third of people who do DXM love it, a third hate it, and a third like it OK, but not enough to drink Robitussin again, which is profoundly unpleasant and can intensely aggravate DXM nausea. Interestingly, many people have commented that it would be better for spiritual use, as in religious trances and journeys, rather than "just to get high." One user suggested that, if used in this way, the user sleep through the peak, and then just try to use the after effects, which are prolonged and profound.

Ephedrine - aka 2-ways, aka White Crosses, aka OTC speed. Another in the class of OTC drugs, Ephedrine is one that actually lives up to its reputation as a mild high. It is sold over the counter in small doses as asthma medication, or sometimes as a pill to keep one awake. It is sometimes sold at raves fraudently as ecstasy, sometimes in larger doses than can be found OTC, sometimes in the same dosage. However, the drug is pretty different from ecstasy - most find it more accurately compared to speed (see Methamphetamine below). Like speed, it keeps you awake when used in higher doses, speeds up your heart rate, causes dehydration, and can cause an increased sex drive. Unlike speed, it can cause eerie scalp-tingling that some like and some find to be unpleasant.

Ephedrine is characterized by an extremely bitter taste, but is most often taken orally. Some people prefer to snort it, but this is needless to say extremely unpleasant and considerably more dangerous. There is no agreement on what is considered an "active dose," as different people's bodies will respond differently. Most agree that there is a delicate balance to acheive with ephedrine to keep from getting sick. The best advice is to take a few at first. Also, while it is important to drink plenty of water, drinking too much water on this drug will definitely cause nausea. It's a good idea to drink juice, soft drinks, and sports drinks as well.

Ephedrine speeds up your heartrate and your bodily systems, so, you are always at risk for over-exertion, exhaustion, dehydration, or heart-failure if you do too much and do not keep a close eye on your body's systems. Many people like to mix ephedrine with other drugs, which is never a good idea. Do not mix ephedrine with ecstasy - both drugs put a tremendous strain on your heart, and together they can be too much for your body to handle.

Methamphetimine - aka Speed, aka Crank, aka Ice, aka Shards, aka Glass, etc. Meth is a very strong stimulant, which speeds up your body, mind, heartrate, sex drive, and other bodily systems. It is usually snorted, although it is sometimes smoked, swallowed, injected, or taken rectally (needless to say, the most unpleasant method of consumption). As with all drugs, the risk of accidental overdose, sexually transmitted diseases, and other fatal eventualities is exponentially increased if the injection method is employed, and, as with most drugs, this is to be strictly avoided.

Meth is a very dangerous drug, and, right now, a very popular one. It's presence has truly inundated every aspect of our culture. A typical user can be anything from a raver to a truck driver. It basically comes in two forms, although that is a generalization: a loose, yellow, often powdery