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Club Drugs
Club drugs* are a pharmacologically heterogeneous group of psychoactive compounds that tend to be abused by teens and young adults at a nightclub, bar, rave, or trance scene. Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), Rohypnol, and ketamine are some of the drugs in this group; so are MDMA (ecstasy) and methamphetamine, which are featured in a separate InfoFacts.
- GHB (Xyrem) is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002 for use in the treatment of narcolepsy (a sleep disorder). This approval came with severe restrictions, including its use only for the treatment of narcolepsy, and the requirement for a patient registry monitored by the FDA. GHB is also a metabolite of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA); thus, it is found naturally in the brain, but at concentrations much lower than doses that are abused.
- Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) started appearing in the United States in the early 1990s. It is a benzodiazepine (chemically similar to Valium or Xanax), but it is not approved for medical use in this country, and its importation is banned.
- Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic, mostly used in veterinary practice.
How are Club Drugs Abused?
Raves and trance events are generally night-long dances, often held in warehouses. Many who attend raves and trances do not use club drugs, but those who do may be attracted to their generally low cost and the intoxicating highs that are said to deepen the rave or trance experience.
- Rohypnol is usually taken orally, although there are reports that it can be ground up and snorted.
- GHB and Rohypnol have both been used to facilitate date rape (also known as “drug rape,” “acquaintance rape,” or “drug-assisted” assault). They can be colorless, tasteless, and odorless, and can be added to beverages and ingested unbeknownst to the victim. When mixed with alcohol, Rohypnol can incapacitate victims and prevent them from resisting sexual assault.
- GHB also has anabolic effects (it stimulates protein synthesis) and has been sought by bodybuilders to aid in fat reduction and muscle building.
- Ketamine is usually snorted or injected intramuscularly.
How do Club Drugs Affect the Brain?
- GHB acts on at least two sites in the brain: the GABAB receptor and a specific GHB binding site. At high doses, GHB's sedative effects may result in sleep, coma, or death. Rohypnol, like other benzodiazepines, acts at the GABAA receptor. It can produce anterograde amnesia, in which individuals may not remember events they experienced while under the influence of the drug.
- Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic, so called because it distorts perceptions of sight and sound and produces feelings of detachment from the environment and self. Ketamine acts on a type of glutamate receptor (NMDA receptor) to produce its effects, similar to those of the drug PCP.1 Low-dose intoxication results in impaired attention, learning ability, and memory. At higher doses, ketamine can cause dreamlike states and hallucinations; and at higher doses still, ketamine can cause delirium and amnesia.
Addictive Potential
- Repeated use of GHB may lead to withdrawal effects, including insomnia, anxiety, tremors, and sweating. Severe withdrawal reactions have been reported among patients presenting from an overdose of GHB or related compounds, especially if other drugs or alcohol are involved.2
- Like other benzodiazepines, chronic use of Rohypnol can produce tolerance and dependence.
- There have been reports of people binging on ketamine, a behavior that is similar to that seen in some cocaine- or amphetamine-dependent individuals. Ketamine users can develop signs of tolerance and cravings for the drug.3
What Other Adverse Effects do Club Drugs Have on Health?
Uncertainties about the sources, chemicals, and possible contaminants used to manufacture many club drugs make it extremely difficult to determine toxicity and associated medical consequences.
- Coma and seizures can occur following use of GHB. Combined use with other drugs such as alcohol can result in nausea and breathing difficulties. GHB and two of its precursors, gamma butyrolactone (GBL) and1,4 butanediol (BD), have been involved in poisonings, overdoses, date rapes, and deaths.
- Rohypnol may be lethal when mixed with alcohol and/or other CNS depressants.
- Ketamine, in high doses, can cause impaired motor function, high blood pressure, and potentially fatal respiratory problems.
What Treatment Options Exist?
There is very little information in scientific literature about treatment for persons who abuse or are dependent upon club drugs.
- There are no GHB detection tests for use in emergency rooms, and as many clinicians are unfamiliar with the drug, many GHB incidents likely go undetected. According to case reports, however, patients who abuse GHB appear to present both a mixed picture of severe problems upon admission and good response to treatment, which often involves residential services.2
- Treatment for Rohypnol follows accepted protocols for any benzodiazepine, which may consist of a 3- to 5-day inpatient detoxification program with 24-hour intensive medical monitoring and management of withdrawal symptoms, since withdrawal from benzodiazepines can be life-threatening.2
- Patients with a ketamine overdose are managed through supportive care for acute symptoms, with special attention to cardiac and respiratory functions.4
How Widespread is Club Drug Abuse?
Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey**
According to results of the 2007 MTF survey, 0.7 percent of students in the 8th grade reported past-year*** use of GHB, as did 0.6 percent and 0.9 percent of students in grades 10 and 12, respectively. This is consistent with use reported in 2006.
Past-year use of ketamine did not change significantly from 2006 to 2007—use was reported by 1.0 percent of 8th-graders, 0.8 percent of 10th-graders, and 1.3 percent of 12th-graders in 2007.
There was no significant change in the illicit use of Rohypnol from 2006 to 2007, according to 2007 MTF results, which report consistently low levels of Rohypnol use since the drug was added to the survey in 1996. Annual prevalence of use stands now at around 0.5 percent in all three grades surveyed.
1 Maeng S, Zarate CA Jr. The role of glutamate in mood disorders: Results from the ketamine in major depression study and the presumed cellular mechanism underlying its antidepressant effects. Curr Psychiatry Rep 9(6):467–474, 2007.
2 Maxwell JC, Spence RT. Profiles of club drug users in treatment. Subst Use Misuse 40(9–10):1409–1426, 2005.
3 Jansen KL, Darracot-Cankovic R. The nonmedical use of ketamine, part two: A review of problem use and dependence. J Psychoactive Drugs 33(2):151–158, 2001.
4 Smith KM, Larive LL, Romanelli F. Club Drugs: Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, flunitrazepam, ketamine hydrochloride, and γ–hydroxybutyrate. Am J Health-Syst Pharm 59(11):1067–1076, 2002.
Revised 8/08
Source: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) website
(http://www.nida.nih.gov/)
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Club Drugs Rehab and Drug Treatment Detox Facility
Seabrook, New Jersey (NJ)
Seabrook House is an internationally
recognized, private and exclusive, and CARF accredited inpatient drug rehab and alcoholism rehab treatment center. Our main facility is located in rural Bridgeton, New Jersey (NJ), convenient to New York (NY), Pennsylvania (PA), Maryland (MD), Delaware (DE), Virginia (VA), Connecticut
(CT), Rhode Island (RI) and Massachusetts (MA). Our extended-care luxury transitional living facility is located in Tioga County, Pennsylvania (PA), within minutes of the New York state border.
Our alcohol and drug rehab campus in New Jersey extends over a 40-acre manicured estate,
providing a serene and healing drug rehab environment. Our 90 day rehab transitional living facility in Pennsylvania is similarly situated on a 14-acre estate with rolling hills and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. For over
34 years we have been helping families find the courage to find
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Assessment form. Please be assured that your alcohol and drug
rehab addiction treatment records and information are protected
by Federal confidentiality laws and we cannot share your information
with anyone unless you give us written consent. Contact a Clinical Outreach Representative in your area if you have any questions or need further assistance.
Our main drug rehab facility
is located in southern New Jersey (NJ), approximately 1 1/2 hour
drive from Princeton, New Jersey (NJ), Seabrook House's residential
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Reading, Pennsylvania (PA), Wilmington, Delaware (DE), Dover,
Delaware (DE) or within a 2 to 3 hour drive from New York City, New York (NY), Long Island, New York (NY), Bridgeport, Connecticut (CT), Gaithersburg, Maryland (MD),Washington, DC, Virginia Beach,
Virginia (VA) and Baltimore, Maryland (MD), or within a 5 hour
drive from Boston, Massachusetts (MA), Worcester, Massachusetts (MA). We have treated individuals from as far away as Honolulu, Hawaii (HI) .
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or would like more information about detoxes, drug rehabs, heroin
detox, family intervention, substance abuse treatment or residential
addiction treatment in the New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA),
Delaware (DE), New York (NY), Massachusetts (MA), Connecticut
(CT), Rhode Island (RI), Virginia (VA) and Maryland (MD) areas.
Who
Are Seabrook House's Alcohol Rehab and
Drug Addiction Rehab Patients?
Seabrook House's alcohol and drug addiction rehab
patients come primarily from New Jersey (NJ), many from the Cherry
Hill / Haddonfield / Moorestown area, as well as the Princeton
area in central New Jersey and Montclair area in northern New
Jersey. In addition, from the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania
(PA), the mainline Philadelphia, PA suburbs, New York City (NYC)
including Manhattan (NY), Delaware (DE), Maryland (MD) and other
Mid Atlantic states, although we have treated many from as far
away as Connecticut (CT), Rhode Island (RI), Massachusetts (MA),
New Hampshire (NH), Vermont (VT), California (CA), Bermuda, Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands. They range in age from 17 to 80.
Many of our patients are referred by family members, employers,
large union health & welfare funds, health insurance companies,
small local unions, employee assistance professionals (EAP), and
managed care companies. Many patients transfer directly from hospitals,
other detoxes, community mental health centers, intensive outpatient
programs (IOP), union member assistance programs, and primary
care physicians. We have provided them drug detox, drug rehab,
alcohol detox, alcohol rehab, and many other forms of addiction treatment. Substance abuse treatment is our specialty.
Because of our close proximity to Manhattan, New
York (NY), New York City (NYC) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(PA), Seabrook House addiction rehab center has for many years
provided alcoholism and drug addiction rehab treatment to members
of the arts & entertainment communities. These have included radio,
television, stage and film industry associates from the east coast
as well as California (CA). We understand that high profile individuals
with substance abuse and alcoholism problems may have special
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Protecting the anonymity of alcoholic or drug addicted patients
in rehab and controlling media takes experienced addiction professionals.
Many addiction rehabs cannot address these special needs. We understand
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have sought our alcohol rehab and drug addiction rehab treatment
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Contact
800.761.7575 for Immediate Admission for Alcoholism Detox and
Drug Treatment or Family Intervention
Seabrook House addiction rehab center is a licensed
residential addiction treatment facility with 125 beds and provides
alcohol and drug detox treatment and inpatient rehab treatment
through its Adult Rehab Program for both men and women, and its MaterLiber Program, for alcoholic
and drug addicted mothers and their dependent children. We specialize
in detox treatment for opiates such as heroin, morphine, oxycontin,
vicodin, codeine,demerol, fentanyl, methadone, percodan and percocet.
In addition, Seabrook House addiction rehab center offers professional Family
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The family education and drug information programs, family intervention
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of Seabrook House have been nationally recognized.Our addiction rehab center and detox program accepts
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follow the CARF
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Call
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Transportation Services for Alcoholism
Detox and Drug Rehab Centers from New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY),
Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA), Rhode Island (RI), Pennsylvania
(PA), Delaware (DE), Maryland (MD), Virginia (VA), Washington,
DC, California (CA), Washington (WA), Oregon (OR), Nevada (NV),
Idaho (ID), Utah (UT), Arizona (AZ)
Seabrook House will provide private and discreet
individualized transportation to and from all airports to ensure
the safety and confidentiality of all of our patients. Please
speak to your Admissions Counselor for more information on how
you may qualify for direct airport pickup. Seabrook House also provides "sober escorting"
if the patient is clinically and medically appropriate. This specialized
service offers a Seabrook House staff person to fly to the home
location of the patient and personally pick them up and accompany
them directly to our drug rehab treatment facility. The escort
is an experienced addiction professional, also in recovery from
chemical dependency. Upon discharge the escort will then accompany
the patient to the next level of care at a transitional sober
living environment. Flight times to Seabrook House are brief from many east coast and Midwestern
airports (see chart below). The Philadelphia International Airport
located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA), is the closest airport
to our alcohol detox and drug rehab facility
From Boston, Massachusetts
(MA) - 45 minute flight time
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From Providence, Rhode Island
(RI) - 45 minute flight time
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From Columbia, South Carolina (SC) - 60 minute flight time
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From Atlanta, Georgia (GA) - 90 minute flight time
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From Miami, Florida (FL) - 2 hour flight time
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From US Virgin Islands (USVI) - 3 hour flight time
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From Columbus, Ohio (OH) -
45 minute flight time
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From Hartford, Connecticut
(CT) - 45 minute flight time
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From Bermuda (BM) - 90
minute flight time
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From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
(FL) - 2 hour flight time
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From Indianapolis, Indiana
(IA) - 2 ½ hour flight time
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From Los Angeles, California
(CA) - 5 hour flight time
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From Chicago, Illinois (IL) - 3 hour flight time
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| From Honolulu, Hawaii (HI) - 10 hour flight time |
Patients coming from out of state may fly into
a variety of airports at discounted airfare rates. All airports are conveniently
located within minutes of the Seabrook House addiction
rehab facility:
Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania (PHL) 45 minute drive
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Atlantic City International
Airport, New Jersey (ACY) 60 minute drive
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Newark International Airport, New Jersey (EWR) 90 minute drive
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Princeton Airport, New Jersey (PCT) 75 minute drive
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John F. Kennedy International
Airport, New York (JFK) 120 minute drive
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LaGuardia Airport, New York (LGA) 120 minute drive
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Baltimore Washington International
Airport, Maryland (BWI) 120 minute drive
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