OBSESSED WITH NEED TO GET 'HIGH'

Concern over the Ecstasy pill has again surfaced with the Government
taking firm steps to curb the problem. But this does little to deter
its users, as K.S. USHA DEVI discovers from three who found the pill
easily available and non- addictive IT is an expensive indulgence, but
Ecstasy users do not mind the cost, which can sometimes come up to
RM100 a pill, for a 12-hour high.

Some who pop the pill for fun continue to do so believing that it is
not addictive.

This time round, the Government will raid more that 80 entertainment
outlets which are suspected of supplying and trafficking in Ecstasy
pills.

The first time 22-year-old Sunny Low took the pill was during a New
Year's party. He tried it out of curiosity.

"Within one hour, I was feeling very happy, and the moment loud music
was played, I was dancing like I never did before," said the
bespectacled Low.

"The pill made me lose all my inhibitions and I was not shy that
anyone was watching me, which is so unlike my introvert nature."

For Low, all he needed was half a pill to give him the "high" and he
did not mind paying RM60 for it.

Buying the pill was easy, he said, because the security guard at the
place was selling it discreetly and the pill was going like hot cakes.

"Though my neck felt like it would crack from all the vigorous
head-shaking, I wouldn't mind doing it again with my friends for the
fun of it," he said.

A frequent user of the Ecstasy pill is Danny Tay, 20, a VCD sales
assistant in Petaling Street.

Danny began using the pill in 1998 when the owner of a discotheque he
frequented offered him some.

"He encouraged me by saying that I would feel really wonderful after
taking the pill which he called 'Playboy.' I was feeling down that
day, so I thought why not?" said Tay.

True enough, he said he felt light-headed and happy that night. "I
rocked along with the loud music and relaxed when slow numbers were
played. And all the while, I could chat with my friend."

Two years down the road, Tay still takes the pill although he insists
that he is not addicted to it.

However, he almost lost his job because of his obsession with getting
"high" every day.

"After the high wore off the next day, I would have a major hangover
and feel very drowsy. Because of this, I couldn't go to work," he said.

Things got worse when Tay started to give the wrong change to
customers.

"Instead of returning the correct change of RM10, I would instead hand
over RM50, which made my employer very angry," he said.

This experience could not make him change his ways, though. "I just
take one pill nowadays, compared to three or four before," he said.

For Tay, that is compromise enough and he doesn't intend to quit. "It
is just too good to let go," he added.

Rahman Taib, 18, another victim of the Ecstasy mania, had his first
encounter with the pill through contacts outside school.

"My friend's brother was taking Ecstasy and used to boast how good he
felt," said Rahman.

Generally curious by nature, Rahman and his two of his friends took a
pill each on a Saturday afternoon in one of the classrooms.

"After half an hour, the three of us were lying on the desks very
relaxed and without a care in the world," he said.

However, their joy was shortlived when a teacher caught
them.

"She threatened to report us to the headmaster and have us expelled
immediately. Thankfully, that did not happen," he sighed with relief.

"However, we never stopped indulging after the first time because of
the relaxed and happy feeling the pill gave us," he said, describing
it as the jubilation of "scoring a goal but lasting six hours long."

The only problem was the pill was expensive and they had to find work
after school to feed their habit.

"We had to work to get extra money. Each pill cost about RM80," said
Rahman, who confessed that this was the main reason the three did not
do well in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exam last year.

For Rahman, the pill has become a source of happiness which he is
unable to give up. "As long as it is easily available, I don't mind
paying for it," he said.

All names of users have been changed to protect their
identity.