Cocaine
I’m a normal college student. I rent an apartment, go to class— so on the outside, I look like someone who is doing just fine. But the truth is, I started using coke about a year ago. To be honest, I didn’t think much of it— someone simply offered me a line at a party. We were at a pretty exclusive fraternity party, and I was happy even to be invited. I never expected cocaine to make me feel the way it did. As soon as I came down I was looking for more. I’m still surprised at the way I crave it— and what I say and do to get more. Now I use it at least every other day. I would use it every day if I could afford to— there never seems to be enough coke in the room. I’m proof that cocaine can mess with you even when you think you’re not an addict.

Ecstasy
These days, it seems like everyone is talking about E. I’d always heard about Ecstasy and how great it was, but I hadn’t tried it. So when a friend of mine offered it to me one night, I thought, sure, why not, it might be fun? Well, it was more than just fun— I had never felt so good in my life. After that night I started using E pretty much every weekend. Well, that was two years ago. I’m 20 now and even though I haven’t used any drugs for more than a year, a few months ago I started feeling anxious all the time. So I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. We believe it is directly related to my ecstasy abuse. The doctor told me my brain isn’t releasing enough serotonin (the chemical that prevents people from panicking all the time). I’m on medication now to prevent anxiety attacks. I still can’t believe that my one night of “Why not, it’ll be fun” has now affected the rest of my life.

Heroin
I first tried heroin when I went to college. By the end of the year, I was snorting it A LOT. By my sophomore year, I was starting to scam my parents and friends, sell or hock my stuff, and steal to get dope. I started dealing, but that only lasted about three weeks since I just used too much of the stock myself. I was kicked out of my apartment after stealing my roommates’ money and other stuff to buy smack. My girlfriend’s parents took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I wound up OD’ing while I was staying with them. Everything really spiraled downward after that. It’s three years later, and I’m in rehab. I’ve estimated that my habit has cost me $150,000. It’s also cost me the trust of my friends and my parents. Why I’m still alive, I don’t know. And I can’t even say I would never take those drugs again if I could— that’s the power of H.

GHB
We were at our local hangout and one of my friends brought GHB. He said that he’d taken it before and it was great— so we trusted him. My friend and I left the bar to go somewhere private to take it. And when we got back, I felt a hard rush, like one you’d get when you drink too many shots too fast. It felt like my head spun around. Soon after, the nausea started. I could barely stand up. When I felt like I could get up and walk, my friend put me in his car and drove me home. I immediately passed out, totally oblivious to anything that was going on around me. I know that anything could have happened— a friend of mine was raped once when she took GHB. Luckily I was with someone who didn’t take advantage of the situation. But, for a couple of weeks afterwards, I had trouble concentrating or maintaining a complete train of thought.