Dancing with Death?

Tragically, Ecstasy is one of the most popular drugs among young people and is often linked with raves and electronic dance music.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that nearly 20 million people worldwide used Ecstasy in one year, and many Ecstasy-related deaths have been reported worldwide in hospital emergency rooms. More recently, MDMA* use has expanded beyond raves and is being consumed by a broader range of young adults as a party drug.

Mixed with alcohol, Ecstasy becomes more dangerous and can, in fact, be even more deadly.

* MDMA: abbreviation for the chemical name of an illegal man-made drug that alters mood and perception and is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens

Do You Really Want to Party?

Nikki was like many teens who go to raves. She wanted to escape her problems and have fun, so she planned to party all night with friends. One of her friends had a bottle of liquid Ecstasy in his car, and they all decided to take some. The drug soon took over. Nikki danced for hours, way beyond her usual limits. A friend later said in a police report, “Nikki wasn’t feeling anything.”

The next morning, Nikki was dead. The cause: Ecstasy poisoning.

“But that won’t happen to me,” you might think. Maybe not, but do you really want to take that risk?

Updated: 2025