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Ecstasy: The Complete Guide: A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MDMA

Ecstasy: The Complete Guide - A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MDMA
by Julie Holland M.D.

SWIM think about buying this book but he has bought some really dodgy drug manuals in the past, and felt really ripped off (twice).. Has anyone read the book? Is it to recommended?

cheers!

Quote:

Editorial Review From Library Journal

Holland, an attending psychiatrist at New York's Bellevue Hospital and an authority on street drugs, here compiles articles from numerous experts on Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (also known as MDMA, Adam, and Ecstasy). She succeeds admirably in her twofold goal of providing complete, reliable information to recreational users and educating the public about potential clinical uses for the drug.

MDMA was used as an adjunct to psychotherapy for over a decade until the Drug Enforcement Administration classified it as a Schedule I drug in 1985. It then went underground and is today increasingly popular as a party drug.

After looking at MDMA's history, pharmacology, and legal status, the text discusses its potential clinical uses in the treatment of such psychiatric conditions as depression, schizophrenia, and post traumatic stress syndrome. Various chapters also address MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, current international research, and political issues.

Finally, risks of recreational use and ways to mitigate them are discussed.

Well researched yet written in very understandable language, this volume makes a strong case for studying and legalizing MDMA for therapeutic purposes, without minimizing the potential dangers of abuse. An important contribution to the literature on illegal drugs; highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.

Eris Weaver, Redwood Health Lib., Petaluma, CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This is a good, thorough book. A bit of the information may be outdated, but it's well worth the cover price.

Cool! Just wait until I teach Bongo how to type! I love a good fist-fight at a conference.

Nagog - I almost always get your jokes, but I'm at a loss with this one. Throw me a bone here.. :)

Bongo was one of the First-Crew to use MDMA on the East Coast - out of Harvard. It's an esoteric joke about those who write the books first on a subject in acedemia. The first writer/publisher gets the glory. Then the people he stole it from arrives. Hence - a fist-fight on stage. You'd have to be there. But now you get the idea.

I hated Harvard.

hmmm. Some of it may be a bit outdated.. Is it important subjects which are a bit old?

thanks, by the way

Nah, don't worry. It's been perhaps 4 years since I read it, and I think it contains a few ideas such as the "SSRI neuroprotective plan" which have been superceded by newer research. Any such book will contian an outdated idea or two once it's been out for several years.

Just take a look at the contributors! Andrew Weill, Rick Doblin, Ralph Metzner...it's a solid book.

Re: Ecstasy : The Complete Guide : A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nagognog2 (Post 185781)

It may be that ThinkCooper's friends were in on those early groups as well. TC grew up just outside of Boston, and in the early 70's swim and friends were given MDA/MDMA by a Harvard researcher, as an alternative to the more commonly available psychedelics of the day. TC missed out on the fun that weekend, and by the time the substances appeared back on the scene, TC had given up taking those voyages, for the time being.

Re: Ecstasy : The Complete Guide : A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of

SWIM has this book on his computer. He has it as an ebook. He would try an upload it but he dosent know how or if he can. Maybe a mod could let SWIM know what he can do?

Re: Ecstasy : The Complete Guide : A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of

So, since the thread's been bumped...did you get ahold of this book, WCT? I'm wondering what you thought about it. I forgot to mention earlier that, if I remember correctly, this book contains a chapter by Ann Shulgin, which would be worth the cover price by itself IMO.

Re: Ecstasy: The Complete Guide: A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MD

Just finished most of this book. I read about 2/3 because I wasn't all that interested in the info about using MDMA to treat schizophrenia, PTSD and depression. Well not in reading the whole chapters anyway. That had all been touched on earlier in the book.

It really is a very well researched book. I have respect to the author. As well as the enormous amount of research and studies and experiences shared in this book there are some good ideas/insights. Not anything new really, but it's well presented in terms of the goal the author was pursuing and arguing for (and against prohibition and the ridiculous fervor which drugs tend to get caught up in). She has sound medical arguments and it all sounds like it could convince most sensible people who are willing to listen. But there is a bit of stuff on spirituality and such that isn't so convincing to skeptics. Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed the bits that I read and would recommend this to those with an interest in a good history of MDMA as well as it's seemingly vast medical potential. It covers harm-reduction for recreational use as well as guidelines for therapeutic use. Other drugs in covers a bit are 2C-B, MDA, MDE, MMDA, MBDB. Mostly the empathogen class. And yes, Ann and Sasha Shulgin contribute to the book. It'd be nice to see an updated edition.