The narrative of Ecstasy (MDMA)used by college students-Get through the foggy forest

• Main Authors: Shu- Hua Yu, 游淑華
• Other Authors: 程小蘋
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/71713416017567869073

博士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 輔導與諮商學系所 === 98 === The narrative of Ecstasy（MDMA）used by college students – Get through the foggy forest Abstracts This study consists of 21 in-depth interviews with four Taiwanese college students who have used Ecstasy for more than two years. These interviews are trying to explore the experiences of Ecstasy to college students. In this study, we found that there are 10 steps that those Ecstasy users would experiences, including the latent period, the bump period, the explore period, the entering period, the addiction period, the drowned period, the decay period, the dropping period, the introspection period, and the returning period. These steps are not singly linear happen to interviewees, but happen to them randomly back and forth. In the Returning period, they tend to treat Ecstasy as part of their lives, and using it more moderately, but we seldom to see a completely removal of Ecstasy in any case. They often are also experiencing suspension of schooling. On the other hand, when they are experiencing love from partners/ companions/ families, they tend to use less Ecstasy. Military service and stable career will also help them to use less Ecstasy gradually. The meanings of Ecstasy to college students are vary upon various phases that they are experiencing. In the beginning stage, using Ecstasy symbolize as using “drug”, reflecting as a crime. Therefore, users are often refused to try. However, in the middle stage, when Ecstasy has become part of users’ life, it becomes a pass to a fairy tale world. When they are entering the new world, their old connections to peers have been changed. In the late stage, Ecstasy has become a part of their life, regarded as a kind of “game” with their friends. People who use Ecstasy will feel relax, happy, more emotional, easy to approach peers, and more sensitive on any physical conditions. After continuous usage, they will feel changes of their personalities, become more confidence and relax when facing pressure. However, it will be soon followed by emotional instability from internal anxieties and worries. While after they start to use less Ecstasy, they tend to rebalance their physical and mental conditions, and continue to addict with Ecstasy but with more reasonable and peaceful manners. In this study, we suggest psychologists first to build up their abilities on telling if college students are using Ecstasy, and use stable structure and fixed time to trace and interview with them. Secondly, the psychologies should fully accept and realize that students who are using Ecstasy. Within the interview process, psychologies should help students to build up their abilities on human connections, time allocations, and learning management. Other than that, psychologists should also have abilities to deal with emergencies that brought by students’ internal anxious and feelings of melancholy when using Ecstasy. We found that college students who use Ecstasy are most likely to use other “drugs”. Therefore, in this study, the “Ecstasy” should also refer as “Ecstasy-related” drugs. Keywords: Ecstasy, MDMA, college students,