For our Sociology of drugs unit, we were required to write a short research paper on a drug that we chose to focus on. Our subject could be everything from over the counter medications, prescription drugs, to caffeine or controlled substances. Once our topic has been approved, we needed to research and write a paper analyzing why people chose to use the drug we're studying. We also had to conduct three interviews to further understand why people chose to use the drug that we were focusing on and seeing how it affected them. We then had to create a short story that illustrates the use of the drug, its effects, and why people decided to use it. I chose Ecstasy because I know a few people who has used it and who is currently using it. The following is the short story that I wrote about the use of ecstasy.

Short Story: Well Done
Screams were getting louder as the time came for another performance. The George Mason University Ballroom was filled with hundreds of people to celebrate the festival of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month [APAHM] in Fairfax, Virginia. Seth stood three feet away from the stage, awaiting his cue. He stared out into the crowd, anticipating what their reactions will be as he walks out on the stage. As the performance before came to a finish, Seth firmly gripped his guitar and deeply inhaled. The night’s MC walked towards Seth to make sure he was set for his performance.
“Seth Pascual?” he tapped his shoulder and Seth quickly turned his head towards him. “Are you ready? I’m about to introduce you.” Seth slowly glances at the audience, this was his first performance in front of a huge crowd. He took another breath and replied. “I’m ready,” he lied. “Ok, I was wondering if you needed a few more minutes to take a breather,” the MC suggested. “So you’re really set?” he asked one more time. “I guess, I have to perform one way or the other,” Seth wore his guitar strap and grabbed a pick or two. The MC smiled at him and walked out onto the stage. The crowd grew louder as he walked out and introduce Seth.
“Thank you, AJ Rafael! Isn’t he just so talented?” applauds and cheers filled the whole ballroom. Seth licked his lips and closed his eyes. “I can do this, no pressure,” he encouraged himself. “Speaking of talented, our next performer is yet another Youtube celebrity. I think you know who I’m talking about. So put all your hands up high and welcome, for the first time here at the APAHM Festival, Seth Pascual!” Seth took one last breath and walked out onto the stage with his held up high. To his surprise the crowd was going nuts, people screaming his name and how much they loved him, people clapping as he became more visible on stage. Seth looked towards the crowd and into the bright lights. His eyes squinted from the brightness as he walked towards the microphone. “Yeah! Thank you, thank you,” his nerves started tighten from the tension he was feeling at that moment. “So, I’m Seth Pascual and tonight I will be singing a few songs that I personally compiled just for all of you and I hope you guys like it,” the crowd continued to scream as Seth began to play his first song, Long Distance.
*
Seth was born and raised in the Bay Area where he found his passion for music at the age of five. He was brought up in a modern Filipino home and aspired to be a great musician, just like his grandfather. However, growing up to parents where one is a doctor and the other is an electrical engineer, he didn’t get the support that he wished for. His family is your average Filipino family, where the parents want their children to find a career in either the medical, engineering, or even governmental field. Of course, there was the cultural barrier where the Filipino culture conflicted with the American culture that teenagers grew up to. His mom, who was a doctor, supported Seth in any way she could but his dad wasn’t the same. His dad wanted him to become something “bigger” than a musician and used every excuse in the book to discourage Seth from continuing his passion for music.
*
As Seth got ready to sing his last song, he looked out into the crowd thinking how it would’ve felt if his family was there to support him. “This last song goes out not only to all of you but to my family, especially my dad,” he cleared his throat. “This is my cover of Passion’s song Well Done and I just want to thank all of you again for the support you’ve given on Youtube and here tonight.” As he finished his song, he thanked everyone and walked back stage while the crowd cheered for him. The MC again approached him and congratulated him for a job well done. Seth headed to his dressing room and gathered his belongings to get out of there. Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. “Who is it?” Seth asked as he continued to clean his things up. “It’s Albert Chin,” said one voice. “And Justin Diamond,” said the other. To Seth’s surprise, he opened the door.
“Dude, I’m a huge fan of yours,” Albert fist punched Seth as he praised him.
“Thanks man, I’m glad to know that I got some supporters up here in Virginia,” Seth nervously brought up. “I never thought that people would actually be clapping for me and shit.”
“Naw dude, you kicked some ass up there. Like this being your first gig and all,” Justin added as he tapped Seth on the shoulder.
“Aye, well we didn’t want to hassle you but we were wondering if you wanted to attend the after-party. I mean everyone gon’ be there so what you say?” Albert asked.
“Uhhh. I guess I’ll stop by,” Seth replied unassumingly. “Where it gon’ be at?”
“It’s at the other ballroom, you can’t miss it cuz’ there gon’ be a shit load of people there,” Justin directed.
“I’ll go ahead and pass by when I finish, aight?” Seth replied.
Albert and Justin smiled and walked off to attend the party. Seth continue to pack his things up and place them in his rent-a-car.
*
Seth slowly approached the ballroom that had a crowd of people hanging out. As he walked in, people started taking notice of him; asking for photographs and autographs. He later met up with Albert and Justin who were both hanging out in one of the corners of the ballroom.
*
The DJ was blasting out some music and beats as people danced the night away. Since the three couldn’t hear each other, Albert led the two to the nearest park located on campus. Seth didn’t really know anyone at the party, let alone any of the other performers. This made it easier for Seth to go along with two strangers that he met for the first time that night. The three continued to walk further away from the ballroom. While they were walking, Justin pulled out a prescription looking case out of his pocket and showed it to Seth.
“Have you ever tried these?” Justin opened the case and poured out a couple of small pills shaped like a gun onto his palms.
“Ecstasy?” Justin stared at the pills. “I know how high you get off of those but I’ve never tried it.”
“Dude, this gives you the best experience of you’re life. Maybe even better than performing in front of all them people,” Albert tried to persuade Seth in taking the pills. “Want to try it?”
“I guess one won’t hurt, right?” Justin wasn’t sure if he should try it or not but who else is to know except the three of them.
They headed towards a huge tree and sat in a triangle. Justin stares at Seth and gives him this smile that looks like the smile of evil. He then gives one pill to Seth and two to Albert. Justin stared at the small gun looking pill lying on the palm of his hand. Thoughts ran through his head whether or not he should take it. “Dude, one pill will make you feel like you’re on cloud nine,” convinced Justin. Seth gave one more good look at the pill and decided. “Fuck it, this is the first time I’m here so why not give it a shot.” Seth took the pill and after about fifteen minutes, he started to feel something different. He began to laugh at himself for no particular reason and feel that rush of energy run through his body. “How you feeling, dude?” Albert asked.
“I feel the campus lights drop like a crystal glass. I close my eyes at the smash of darkness. I see seams dash and flash. A pound of light glances, a thousand arms fire to every star. Whips of adrenaline rush and fly like escaping dreams. The beat possesses your feet. Arms thump. Skin tightens. Does any emotion defeat this euphoric dream?” Seth explained as he laid on the grass, looking at the stars.
“Haha. No. This is some great shit huh?” Justin laughed.
“The waves ripple unseen, they are heard and transform to feeling. I close my eyes to contain such greatness. To be alive is a furious explosion of feeling. Anticipation draws blue. A whirlwind of blood builds and blows. For one pure hour…dreams rain, angels rise and fly with the mystical power of rush, a blanket of ecstasy floats a floor coated in dream. Nothing matters when emotion is so true. One hand of fantasy, the other with reality, with one clap a cloud of euphoria is unleashed,” Seth laughed out loud.
“Dude, I didn’t know musicians were that wordy and crap.” Albert joked.
“It’s call poetry you dumb-ass,” Justin laughed hysterically at Albert.
“The stars look so damn bright. It looks like the stage lights that blinded me during my performance,” Seth explained. “This is legit man.”
*
Seth flew back home to the Bay Area. His mom greeted him as he walked out of the arrival section of the San Francisco International Airport. His mom, standing at a solid five feet, glances up at Seth and hugs him. “So how was your first gig?”
“It was good I guess. I’m just really tired right now.” Justin looked depressed and moody as he answered his mom. They headed home and the only thing that Seth can think about is the feeling he had that night. “That night was awesome,” he said to himself.
*
It’s been a month since he arrived from Virginia and a month since he has used ecstasy. Seth wanted more but he didn’t know where to get them. As he sat quietly on the sofa, watching an episode of That’s 70’s Show, he remembered that one of his friends used to always have a stash of ecstasy with him. Seth reaches for his cell phone and calls. “Hello?” the voice answered.
“Hey Drew, it’s Seth.”
“Oh wuddup?”
“I was wondering if you still have a stash of ecstasy with you because uhh, my friend is asking me for some.”
“Yeah. I have a huge stash. You know which one you want, man?”
“Uhh. You have any guns?”
“Fuck yeah. You know how many people asks for the guns?”
“How much you sellin’ it for?”
“I sell it for forty dollars a tablet but since you’re a homie, I’ll give it to you for twenty bucks a tablet.”
“Sounds good. I’ll take five tablets.”
*
Seth locked himself up in his room and poured the five guns onto his desk. “Nice, one tablet every two weeks,” he mentioned to himself. Seth fell in love with the feelings he gets from ecstasy. He loves the energy he boosts just from one tablet. Since he receives most of his energy from this one tiny pill, this was the only time he continued posting new videos of him on Youtube. This was the only time he felt like playing the guitar and laughing at himself. However, his mom started to notice something different about her son. It’s as if he is isolated his own world. “What’s happening to him?” she asked herself with such disbelief, “He was never like this until he left for Virginia. What happened to him up there?” Seth never told his mom of his use of ecstasy, especially now he has become dependent on it.
*
It’s been about a two months and nothing has change. Later that day, while Seth was out, his mom entered his room, in search of something that is causing him to act this way. She search through his closet, inside his desks, under his bed, etc. but she couldn’t find anything. She tapped around his guitar bags to see if she felt anything different. To her surprise, she spotted a ziplock back on the floor, behind his collection of guitars. “What are these?”
When Seth arrived home around ten o’ clock, his mom sat in the kitchen table waiting for him. “Seth, can we talk?” she hesitated. “About what?” Seth answered insouciantly as he walked lazily towards his mom.
“Sit down, I want to ask you something,” she looked into his tired, hazel brown eyes and lifted up the ziplock bag she found in his room. “What is this?”
Seth stared at the bag, anxious to how his mom would react if he said it was ecstasy. “What is that? Why are you showing it to me?”
“Seth, I wasn’t born yesterday,” she stared madly at him. “I know these are ecstasy. I just want you to show some integrity. Your father and I didn’t raise you to be--”
“To be this irresponsible? Neglectful? Careless? Stupid?” Seth bursted. “What? That dad is right for not supporting me in my passion for music because he knew it was going to lead me to doing drugs? Mom, I wasn’t born yesterday too.”
“Don’t raise your voice at me like that,” she was aggravated at this point. “If you dad was still alive--”
“That’s the point. Dad is gone so stop bringing him up in the conversation,” Seth hated mentioning his dad during an argument with his mom.
“Do you even know what ecstasy can do to you?” she began to explain. “Even though ecstasy has its positive effects to the human body for a certain period of time, it also has its effects that takes place after the drug wears off. Ecstasy is thought to work by boosting the levels of two important brain chemicals, serotonin and dopamine, that affect mood and muscle control and add to feelings of well-being and pleasure. Ecstasy causes changes in the signals sent by the brain. In short, it ‘fries’ a person’s brain. It raises a person’s body temperature and heart rate. If combined with hot conditions like “the physical activity of dancing in a party or club, and not drinking water, and the greatest immediate danger of MDMA is heatstroke. Ecstasy causes the release of norepinephrine, which increases the heart rate dramatically and can be hazardous for people with cardiovascular disease or weakness. Because a person’s serotonin supply is limited, repeated doses cannot produce a stronger or prolong high after all the serotonin has been disposed.”
Seth sat quietly as his mom explained these facts to him. He didn’t know how to react. He knew he was guilty and he knew what he did disappointed his mom. He tried his best to avoid eye contact with his mom as much as possible.
“Why are you taking ecstasy?” his mom calmly asked after an awkward silence.
“I don’t know,” Seth began. “It started up in Virginia, after the festival. I met these two guys and they offered it to me. I wanted to resist but I was pressured. They told me how it will be the best experience of my life and it was. All my life, I had to hide my passion from dad just so he doesn’t stress out during his chemotherapy. I lost who I really was. But when I took that first pill, I felt like the person I wanted to be. Someone who is happy, energetic, relaxed, and doesn’t have any problems. I just felt like the person I used to be before dad tried to interfere with my goals in life.”
“This is not the answer Seth. Using ecstasy or any type of drug doesn’t make you the person you want to be. That’s just what you think. In fact, it makes you the person that people don’t really want you to be. I mean even your music is affected by your drug use,” she lays her hand on his shoulder as he still looks down to the floor.
*
Seth took in everything that his mom said that night. He knew his mom was right from the start.
He then took the liberty to visit the cemetery where his dad lays. It’s been six months since he passed away and it has been six months since he last visited. Seth placed the flowers on top of his nameplate and stood back.
“I know you haven’t been really proud of me, especially when I killed your dreams for me. I’ve been giving mom a hard time too. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. I just wanted to follow what I felt was best for me and that’s music. I guess I ruined with my ecstasy use but I am promising that I will do everything to be successful in life and both you and mom will be proud of me. I’m still trying to find myself but one day I guarantee you will be looking down at me and say well done.”
*
Seth continued to follow his dreams of being a musician and is currently attending Berklee College of Music. He is on the path of finding who he really is and what he is capable of doing. During his breaks, Seth goes home to his mom who continues to support him every step of the way. He is no longer using ecstasy, especially after what his mom explained to him. Seth realized that drugs aren’t the answer for happiness because even though you don’t use drugs, you can still find happiness in the people and the things you love.
-----------------------------------

We were also given the choice to either do an art piece, poem, song, etc. that relates to our story and drug as extra credit. I did an art piece that somehow illustrates the different world that ecstasy takes you to.
*image currently not available

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