HOW ECSTASY CHANGED 2 LIVES

LI Teens Testify At Senate Hearing

Washington - Two Long Island teenagers who are spending a year in a drug
treatment program told a Senate committee yesterday that teens and their
parents are uneducated about the drug Ecstasy and often perceive it as
harmless.

Philip McCarthy, 17, of Central Islip, and Dayna Moore, 16, of Ridge,
described their addiction at a Senate Government Affairs Committee hearing
examining governmental response to rising use of the drug. The two youths
are in an inpatient treatment program at the Phoenix House in Lake Ronkonkoma.

At 13, Moore said, she was an honor student who excelled at dancing. She
took her first pill when she was 14, and her life started "spiraling out of
control." She said she wound up 20 pounds underweight and would go days
without sleeping.

Moore said getting Ecstasy was as easy as ordering a pizza. "You just pick
up the phone and make one phone call and somebody would be at your house
dropping it off," she said.

McCarthy, tall, blond and athletic, said that before he started using
Ecstasy he was a center on the junior-varsity high school basketball team
in Central Islip and did well academically. But later in ninth grade, some
friends offered him the drug at a party and "pretty soon I was using
Ecstasy every night," he said. His $20-a-pill habit kept him away from
home, caused him to stop talking to his family, and led him to steal TVs,
VCRs and "and anything else we could sell," he said. "I was scared to death
of breaking into houses. Yet I wanted to get high so badly, I was willing
to risk it."

Ecstasy is a synthetic drug that comes in tablet form. It creates a
euphoric high by causing the brain to release large amounts of the
neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays an important role in regulating
mood, sleep, pain, emotion and appetite. After Ecstasy use, serotonin can
become depleted, and it may take the brain a long time to rebuild. Heavy
doses can cause panic attacks, loss of consciousness and seizures.

Both teens suggested that the government provide more education about the
mood swings, loss of appetite and depression that comes with Ecstasy use.
They said parents should learn to look for signs of Ecstasy use in their
children, such as dilated eyes and bad attitudes.

McCarthy and Moore said they plan to finish their treatment programs, earn
high school diplomas and go on to college. Moore said she wants to study
medicine and McCarthy said he hopes to turn his love of drawing into a
career in architecture.

After the hearing, committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) thanked
the teens and lauded their efforts. "You're both very impressive and you're
both good, normal kids," he said.

Everybody in life gets knocked down, Lieberman said. "The two of you,
thanks to Phoenix House and your parents, you're getting back up."