"Addicted to Euphoria": The History, Clinical Presentation, and Management of Party Drug Misuse.
Jenny Bearn, Matthew O'Brien
International review of neurobiology 2015 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2015.02.005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Gbh Party drugs |
| Key findings | Party drugs serve as a shortcut to euphoria, and each has distinct pharmacological and physiological actions that lead to specific clinical challenges. |
Abstract
Eating, drinking, sexual activity, and parenting invoke pleasure, an emotion that promotes repetition of these behaviors, are essential for survival. Euphoria, a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness, is an amplification of pleasure, aspired to one's essential biological needs that are satisfied. People use party drugs as a shortcut to euphoria. Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), γ-hydroxybutyric acid, and ketamine fall under the umbrella of the term "party drugs," each with differing neuropharmacological and physiological actions. This chapter seeks to survey the history and epidemiology of party drug use; we will then discuss the pharmacological characteristics of each drug to provide a platform for understanding the difficulties that party drug users encounter through intoxication, harmful use, dependence, and withdrawal and how these should be clinically managed.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Pharmacology of MDMA | 2004 | Review | |
| Human psychopharmacology of Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of 15 years of empirical research | 2001 | Review | |
| 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”): pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans | 1994 | Review | |
| (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity: Studies in Animals | 2000 | Review | |
| Amphetamine toxicities | 2010 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Ecstasy, molly, MDMA: What health practitioners need to know about this common recreational drug. Disease-a-month : DM March 1, 2025
- "Chemical Seduction": a narrative review of the complex impact of recreational drugs on sexual function. International journal of impotence research October 17, 2025
- Zolpidem-related euphoria, addiction and detoxification: A case report and review of the literature. Medicine November 1, 2024
- A comparison of self-reported sexual effects of alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy in a sample of young adult nightlife attendees. Psychology and sexuality 2018
Cites 25
- A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression Archives of General Psychiatry August 1, 2006
- Ketamine use: a review Addiction July 21, 2011
- Human Pharmacology of MDMA Therapeutic Drug Monitoring March 19, 2004
- Subjective Reports of the Effects of MDMA in a Clinical Setting Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 1, 1986
- Glutamate and the Neural Basis of the Subjective Effects of Ketamine Archives of General Psychiatry February 1, 2008
and 20 more in the library