How Alice’s ‘wonderland’ rave turned into an MDMA nightmare
A first-time MDMA user has given a frightening insight into how her drug-induced dance party ‘wonderland’ rapidly turned into an addled nightmare. Her shockingly stark recollection to a friend is being used to bust open the common myth the drug of choice for Millennials is a pure and harmless drug.
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A first-time MDMA user has given a frightening insight into how her drug-induced dance party ‘wonderland’ rapidly turned into an addled nightmare.
Her shockingly stark recollection to a friend is being used to bust open the common myth that MDMA — the drug of choice for Millennials — is a pure and harmless drug.
“MDMA made me desperate for attention, desperate for energy, desperate for anything,” Alice said.
“I saw a guy, stiff as a board, being carried out on a stretcher. His arms were raised up like he had reached rigor mortis, the third stage of death”.
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Alice says she experienced Methylene DioxyMethAmphetamine at her first music festival. Previously she discussed the possibility of taking illicit drugs but didn’t seek them out.
However, if it happened to land in her hands, she decided she would do it.
“I wasn’t always interested,” she said.
“I was naive, unexposed to the scene. As I got older, peer pressure played a big role in why I tried them.”
A music festival is like existing in a completely different world. Alice said she “looked forward to them every year, and it’s the combination of awesome music and coming together with all your mates.”
The MDMA was given to Alice by two of her closest friends. “I was hesitant — I wasn’t fully aware of the risks,” she said afterwards.
“I was forced to swallow the pill right in front of them. Talk about peer pressure.”
Alice was nervous, breathing and panting after the first hour. But she reassured herself that she was with people she trusted and nothing could go wrong.
And like a pro with over-inflated confidence, she popped a second pill.
Before she had a chance to really let those two little pills work their mind-altering effect, she felt a heartbeat. But it was irregular, much like the sound of popcorn popping.
My friend finally found herself in Wonderland. Alice knew something had kicked in — and it took only 20 minutes.
“I felt aroused towards people that I wouldn’t really find myself attracted to if I were sober. My heart rate increased (like when you take protein powder) but it was intense. My heart was ripping out of my chest.
“People could tell I was under the influence and I was happy to admit it. I walked funny, only because I felt that I had to put more energy into effortless things like ‘walking.’
“I approached a stranger, looking to ‘hook up.’ He wasn’t interested, but I didn’t give up. He pushed me to the ground. I was laughing hysterically.”
“The drug made me desperate for attention, desperate for energy, desperate for anything.”
“My friends were no longer with me. I was all alone. Every music festival has an emergency tent — I was frantically looking for it. I knew something was wrong or could go wrong. Everyone continued to dance, completely oblivious to their surroundings.
“I almost fell over a guy lying on the floor. He was covered in vomit.
“I knew I was going to get caught. People always get caught. I became furious at the world. I could never forgive my friends for ditching me.”
The drug eventually left Alice feeling confused and drained of excitement.
“I got scared. I wasn’t prepared for this. I thought I was dancing, when in reality, I was holding my arms tight to my body as I slightly swayed, shaking in fright.”
A survey conducted by the National Drug Strategy Household showed about 3.1 million people aged 14 or older like Alice have used an illicit drug in the last year.
Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation president Dr Alex Wodak AM says we shouldn’t ignore the “painful lessons of hundreds of drug overdose deaths.”
“People are still dying,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“If we can’t keep drugs out of maximum security prisons, how the hell can you keep drugs out of a youth music event? The next objective is at least trying to save the lives of those people.”
