MDMA or Alcohol Worse

A new debate is taking place as we speak on the effects of well known drugs and those of the more common – and legal – alcohol and tobacco. The debate has been fired up lately by the official statements made by health care professionals basically saying that drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy are actually less harmful than drinking alcohol or smoking every single day. One of the drugs in focus is MDMA, also known as ecstasy, which enjoys a large popularity among young adults, due to its properties of stimulating the natural antidepressant release in the brain. However, in order to give a sound answer to the above question, looking up some MDMA information as well as facts on alcohol consumption is needed.

Deadly or not

One of the most important MDMA effects any possible consumer should be warned of is the deadly potential of the said drug. It seems that the numbers are reassuring, since only a few deaths occur annually because of drug abuse. On the hand, alcohol consumption provides a different take on the problem; at least one person dies of alcohol poisoning every day, and there are thousands of deaths due to prolonged use each year. As far as the rate mortality is concerned, it seems that the MDMA information that is available, statistically speaking, points out that ecstasy is less deadly than alcohol.

Effects on the brain

It is almost common knowledge that MDMA effects include some nasty ones that have to deal with brain activity. It is believed, even by qualified health specialists, that ecstasy can cause neurotoxicity in the brain, due to the large quantities of natural antidepressant that are released when using the drug; because the feedback mechanism of serotonin release is messed up, temporary or even longer term MDMA effects are possible. Alcohol, on the other hand, has a larger impact on other parts of the body, such as the liver, and, prolonged use leads to severe complications. As one can easily see, according to the MDMA information that is now available, ecstasy can have a more negative impact on the brain than alcohol, but it does not affect other internal organs in the same way alcohol does.

Addiction

According to recent studies on MDMA effects, it seems that ecstasy is less likely to cause addiction than alcohol and tobacco. While getting high on the release of natural antidepressant can be very pleasant, the body response is not as powerful as in the case of alcohol. Cutting the story short, a person that gets used to drinking has a tougher time going through rehab than one that uses MDMA as a recreational drug.

Last words

The above MDMA information may lead people to believe that ecstasy is a safe drug, but that would be a little farfetched. Effects of ecstasy on the brain should not be neglected, and, even if MDMA causes fewer deaths and less addictive behaviors in its users than alcohol, abuse and prolonged use can lead to severe complications as well.