‘Every high has to have a low’

When we enter 23yearold Harshita Patelrsquos name changed home the first thing we notice is how spick and span it is Everything sits neatly in its place We settle into her bedroom where she offers us chocolate cake the perfect munchies snack though wersquore both completely soberWhat was your first encounter with drugs we ask ldquoDoes weed countrdquo she says We say yes ldquoI was 15 I was already smoking cigarettes but thatrsquos when I tried my first jointrdquo How did it feel ldquoI was smoking greens cheaper strain of marijuana back then so everything just felt slowrdquo Why try it ldquoIt feels silly now but at 15 you feel just so much Still it wasnrsquot about coping It always came from a place of curiosityrdquoFor many Gen Zs drugs are ubiquitous If you werenrsquot using someone around you was When this writer was in college just a year ago it wasnrsquot uncommon to hear of someone who showed up to an 8 am lecture coked up Some classes were even recommended ldquobest when highrdquoPatel is now a public relations executive juggling a highpaced profession along with all the other demands of adulting It leaves less time and bandwidth than college life so her drug use has reduced mdash weed a few times a week MDMA about once a month or whenever she goes for a concert And shersquos not the only oneThe MBA students who recently overdosed on MDMA were at an EDM gig in Goregaon Increased sensitivity to sound and colour and a surge in mood and energy make Molly a top party drug ldquoSuddenly it feels like everyone is on drugsrdquo Patel saysWhy the sudden rise ldquoEvery day you see influencers your age on yachts buying BMWs travelling Europe It feels like yoursquore always behind Then you scroll a little further and US President Donald Trump is quite literally starting World War III Climate change is eating our planet Therersquos an impossible goal and no time to reach itrdquo she says ldquoIf a pill can make you feel grateful to be alive for eight hours why wouldnrsquot you take itrdquoA couple of years ago Patel was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder BPD a condition marked by extreme emotional swings and impulsivityldquoI will always remember my first trip on ecstasy aka MDMA or Molly I did it with someone I really liked at that point and he was a very guardsup kind of person When the drug hit us it was like all our walls came down I remember being grateful to even be aliverdquo she recalls ldquoWe were both just open and we had the best conversation of our lives When you take ecstasy all ego goes away You have ego death Itrsquos like you understand how the other personrsquos mind operates how their gears go round Itrsquos like having sex with minds but betterrdquoEuphoria which recently returned to OTT platforms for a third season is one of the most graphic representations of drug abuse among teenagers PICPINTERESTldquoBecause of BPD the lows have always felt so extreme But when I took ecstasy I realised that I can feel the good at extremes too On ecstasy you feel things you have felt before mdash like gratitude or happiness mdash but itrsquos so elongated Yoursquore reminded that those feelings were inside you all alongrdquo she saysHow does she ensure safety ldquoI donrsquot go over one tab That is generally considered safe And I never buy from an unverified source I source from a dealer who is verified by friendsrdquo she saysOver the last few months she has cut down her usage of X but weed continues to help her ldquoThere was a weird time in my life when a lot was going on mdash break ups in relationships and friendshipsAttachment mdash especially with BPD mdash is very intense for me With weed I had this feeling of lsquoIt really doesnrsquot matterrsquo There was so much anger I was holding on to and I could just let it gordquoBut dependence and addiction are a very real risk ldquoThatrsquos the sad reality Anyone who says otherwise is in denial Drugs are unnatural I am very vigilant of the fact that this is not real and it is going to endrdquo she saysldquoIrsquove crashed really badly two times after Molly I got really depressedrdquo she recalls ldquoIt felt like things have gone really bad in my life All my insecurities became 10 times worse Sometimes the after effects of the drug are more fatal than the drug itselfrdquo she saysldquoItrsquos a cliche but every high has to have a low You know how when yoursquore young they tell you lsquoDonrsquot laugh too much or yoursquoll cry laterrsquo Itrsquos literally thatrdquoHow is addiction curedAddiction remains a deeply misunderstood mental illness Many donrsquot recognise it as one even though ldquothe WHO has termed this as a mental illnessrdquo says Khalid Khan counsellor at Hands For You Rehab Centre in MaladWith easy access to drugs and information on ldquomicrodosingrdquo or ldquostackingrdquo multiple microdoses paced out young users often justify their behaviour ldquoThey become defence mechanisms To a child who is using their reasons feel genuine They donrsquot see the distorted and damaged reality of substance abuserdquo Khan saysGroup therapy helps addicts come to terms with their addiction PICISTOCKHow do we rehabilitate users then Khan explains ldquoThe first stage is a confined environment where the patient has no access to drugs Users may become aggressive abusive or experience hallucinations during withdrawalrdquoOnce the detox is complete ldquoWe begin physical activities mdash yoga meditation sports games Initially the person is placed in group therapyrdquo Khan says ldquoThen we begin oneonone sessions with a psychotherapist following the Minnesota Model of Addiction TreatmentrdquoldquoThe hardest part comes after you leave rehabrdquo says Khan ldquoThatrsquos why it is important that one stays in touch with a psychiatrist even after the programme is done and follows the 12step Narcotics Anonymous programmerdquoCan drugs helpPsychedelics are reentering medical conversations albeit cautiously Substances like Ayahuasca ketamine and LSD are being studied for treating depression PTSD and addiction under strict clinical settings Ketamine for instance is already used in controlled doses for treatmentresistant depression offering rapid relief Ayahuasca and LSD have shown potential in guided therapy helping patients process trauma and emotional distressIn How to Change Your Mind journalist Michael Pollan documents both scientific research and his own experiences describing how psychedelics when supervised can aid mental health mdash though risks remain outside regulated use He argues that substances like LSD or psilocybin temporarily disrupt rigid patterns of thinking what he calls the ldquodefault mode networkrdquo of the brain This can help people break out of negative loops like depression or addictionHow does an overdose happenKhalid Khan medical counsellor and life coach at Hands For You Rehabilitation Centre Malad tells us ldquoTime perception changes when yoursquore on drugs You might think five hours have passed but itrsquos just been five minutes Users think enough time has passed for them to take another dose and then end up overdosingrdquoKhalid KhanDrug use is highly prevalent at raves ldquoThe lights the sweat the overall high of the energy of the place also contributes to how yoursquore feeling You feed off the high in your environment and want to keep indulgingrdquo he saysSince supply is unregulated drugs are often laced with other possibly dangerous substances to add bulk This can also lead to an accidental overdose or reaction ldquoYou can buy MDMA anywhere between Rs 1000 to Rs 5000 per doserdquo says Khan ldquoThe cheaper ones are laced with fentanyl sometimes even glass fibre or ajinomotordquolsquoNeed to switch from shame to educationrsquoAnish Gawande national spokesperson for NCP tells us how policy can helpDrugs are not a new problem in India argues Anish Gawande national spokesperson for the NCP The issue he says is denial ldquoOur response has been shaming people denying the problem and refusing to consider global best practices for harm reductionrdquoGawande calls for a shift from a ldquoshamefirstrdquo to a harm reductionfirst approach built on three pillars ldquoFirst is education People must understand risks and how to respond to overdoses You need to know how to take somebody to the hospital and describe their symptomsrdquo he says ldquoHospitals too need to recognise symptoms as stigma often prevents honest disclosurerdquoAnish GawandeldquoSecond is infrastructure First aid kits should include naloxone and venues like concerts and nightclubs mdash which are fully aware that individuals using drugs frequent these spaces mdash must have doctors on callrdquoldquoThe third is policy The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 criminalises users instead of helping them We need to treat them first as human beings and only then if necessary as criminals The simplest approach is mental healthcare facilities for those struggling with addictionrdquoWhat the numbers sayAccording to the National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India 2019gtgt thinsp31 crore individuals are cannabis users and 72 lakh people suffer from cannabis problemsgtgt thinsp118 crore individuals are users of sedatives nonmedical usegtgt thinsp17 per cent of children and adolescents are inhalant users as compared to adults of 058 per cent Nearly 18 lakh children need help for inhalant usegtgt thinspIt is estimated that about 85 lakh people are injecting drugsDrug abuse is highly underreported in India hence the onground numbers are likely much biggerRs 1KRs 5KCost of one dose of MDMA3 to 6 hrsHow long the high lasts30 to 45 minsWhen MDMArsquos effects begin to show