Party drugs, also known as recreational drugs, are substances that are commonly used for their psychoactive effects, often in social and party settings. These drugs are designed to alter a person’s mood, perception, and behavior. Some of the most commonly used party drugs include ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine, and ketamine.
While these drugs can produce a euphoric or energizing feeling, they also come with serious risks and dangers to a person’s physical and mental health. Overdose, addiction, and long-term health problems are just a few of the potential consequences of using party drugs.
Additionally, the illegal nature of many party drugs means that their purity and composition can be highly unpredictable, putting users at even greater risk. It is important to understand the dangers of party drugs and to make informed choices about drug use.
COVID-19 may have shut down clubs and bars, but your teen or young adult could be attending a pharm party, increasing their chance of exposure to club drugs. Read our feature outlining and describing the 17 most common party drugs.
Party Drug Overdose and Death Rates
Party drug overdose deaths have been on the rise in the last five years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the following increase in overdose deaths from January 2015 to April 2020:
- Cocaine – 32 percent increase
- Psychostimulants – 24 Percent increase
The line graph below provided by the CDC shows these increases.
The CDC tracks overdoses by several drug categories. Both cocaine and psychostimulants fall into this group of drugs but are tracked separately.
Common Party Drugs List
There are three different types of party drugs you may encounter at dance clubs or private home parties, particularly among groups of youth and young adults from age 15 to 24: Stimulants, hallucinogens, and depressants and/or date rape drugs.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic when most clubs and bars are closed, there is still risk of seeing these party pills at what has been called a “pill party” or “pharm party.”
Some of these drugs appear in pill form even though that may not be the original state of the contents. Some are prescription pills while others are a combination of several drugs. Pills can also be ground into powder for snorting or smoking, made into a liquid for injecting, or dissolved into drinks.
To get specific information based on a pill, powder, liquid, plant material, or otherwise unknown substance, or to familiarize yourself with club drugs, use the DEA’s drug identifier.
In this article, we compare 17 club drugs based on category and type. We include legal psychoactive drugs, legal stimulant drugs, and synthetic party drugs. Not surprisingly, there are a few crossovers between and among categories.
Stimulant Drugs List
- Meth
- Cocaine and Crack-Cocaine
- Amphetamines
- Ecstasy, MDMA, and Molly
Natural Plant-Based Psychoactive Drugs List
- Mushrooms
- Salvia
- Peyote
- Marijuana
Synthetic Psychoactive Drugs List
- Spice or K2
- LSD
- PCP
- Flakka
- Bath Salts
- Ketamine
- Gray Death
Depressants and/or Date Rape Drugs List
- Ketamine
- Roofies
- GHB
- Poppers
Is your teen or young adult attending pharm parties? They could be using one or more party drugs. Call Asheville Recovery Center at (828) 518-6996 to inquire about our addiction treatment services.
Party Drug Comparison Charts
In this ultimate club drugs comparison guide, we examine more closely each of the party drugs by type and compare the following characteristics.
- Party drugs chemical names
- Party drugs street names
- Forms and methods of use
- Short term effects of party drugs
- Overdose symptoms of party drugs
- Party drug withdrawal symptoms
- Long term side effects of party drugs
All information provided in the following tables is sourced from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Stimulant Drugs List
Did you know Ritalin is a party drug? Ritalin is a very common household medication and some stimulants are made with a combination of household medications along with some household cleaning products.
What’s scary is that some types of stimulant drugs come in pill form. From there, they can be crushed and snorted, melted and injected, or even just dissolved in water.
Here are examples of the top 4 stimulant drugs often seen at a pill party. Be sure to skim the list of street names for stimulant drugs to familiarize yourself with some keywords you may hear among friends or in passing.
| Chemical or Brand Name | Street Names | Forms and Methods |
|---|---|---|
| Methamphetamine (Desoxyn) | Meth, Speed, Ice, Shards, Bikers Coffee, Stove Top, Tweak, Yaba, Trash, Chalk, Crystal, Crank, Shabu | powder, pill – smoked, snorted, injected |
| Cocaine and Crack-Cocaine | Coca, Coke, Crack, Crank, Flake, Rock, Snow, Soda Cot | snorted, Dissolved in water and injected, Crack cocaine is smoked |
| Amphetamines (Adderall, Ritalin) | Bennies, Black Beauties, Crank, Ice, Speed, and Uppers | pills, powder, rocks, and injectable liquids |
| Ecstasy, MDMA, and Molly | Adam, Beans, Clarity, Disco Biscuit, E, Ecstasy, Eve, Go, Hug Drug, Lover’s Speed, MDMA, Peace, STP, X, and XTC | capsules, powder, and liquid |
The stimulant drugs definition is, loosely, a medication or substance that temporarily quickens some vital process or functional activity. That leaves it pretty open to interpretation.
Compare stimulant short-term effects to stimulant overdose symptoms.
| Drug | Short-term Side Effects | Overdose Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Meth | violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, hallucinations, mood disturbances, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, rapid breathing and heart rate, increased blood pressure, overheating | stroke, heart attack, or multiple organ problems caused by overheating |
| Cocaine and Crack-Cocaine | increased blood pressure and heart rate, dilated pupils, insomnia, and loss of appetite | elevated heart rate, rise in body temperature, nausea and vomiting, pain in the chest, tremors, panic, anxiety, delirium, paranoia |
| Amphetamines | increased blood pressure and pulse rates, insomnia, loss of appetite, tremors, headache, flushed skin, chest pain with palpitations, excessive sweating, vomiting, abdominal cramps | agitation, increased body temperature, hallucinations, convulsions, and possible death high fever, convulsions, and cardiovascular collapse may precede death |
| Ecstasy, MDMA, and Molly | confusion, anxiety, depression, paranoia, sleep problems, muscle tension, tremors, teeth clenching, nausea, faintness, chills, sweating, blurred vision, severe dehydration | sharp increase in body temperature, liver, kidney, and cardiovascular system failure |
Is alcohol a stimulant? No, technically it’s a depressant; however, alcohol can have adverse effects with some or multiple stimulants. And using stimulants only once can cause awful immediate side effects, not to mention the long-term side effects that sometimes lead to death.
| Drug | Withdrawal Symptoms | Long-Term Side Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Meth | jittery, dehydration, hunger, sleeplessness, fatigue, chills, anxiety, irritability, poor memory, vivid dreams | elevate body temperature, convulsions, cardiovascular collapse, extreme anorexia, memory loss, severe dental problems |
| Cocaine and Crack-Cocaine | mental and physical exhaustion, sleep, depression lasting several days | irregular heartbeat, heart conditions, cardiac arrest, convulsions, strokes, respiratory syndrome, erosion of the upper nasal cavity. |
| Amphetamines | depression, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, trouble concentrating, and increased appetite | schizophrenia, picking at the skin, rumination, hallucinations, aggression, suicidal and homicidal tendencies |
| Ecstasy, MDMA, and Molly | depression, confusion, anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, memory problems, changes in self-perception | damage to the serotonin system, inbility to feel pleasure. problems with memory and learning |
Are stimulants psychoactive drugs? They certainly can be if they intensify sights and sounds and distort reality.
Natural Plant-Based Psychoactive Drugs List
What is a psychoactive drug?
There are natural psychoactive drugs found in nature, particularly in Mexico and China; but they are still a risk considering the ease of smuggling drugs and selling them on the streets in your very own neighborhood.
Unlike stimulants, psychoactive drugs don’t often come in pill form. Natural psychoactive drugs are usually smoked, made into a tea, or extracted oils for vaping.
Here are examples of psychoactive drugs a teen or young adult may encounter, even at a pill party. Be sure to skim the list of street names for psychoactive drugs to make sure you keep your ears perked for some of the psychoactive drug lingo.
| Chemical or Brand Name | Street Names | Forms and Methods |
|---|---|---|
| Psychedelic Mushrooms (Psilocybin) | Magic Mushrooms, Shrooms, Mushrooms, Magic Mushrooms, Boomers, Zoomers, Mushies, Simple Simon, Little Smoke, Sacred Mushrooms, Purple Passion, Mushroom Soup, Cubes | ingested orally, Brewed as a tea, Added to foods to mask the bitter flavor |
| Salvia | Maria Pastora, Sally-D, and Salvia | chewed, smoked, or vaporized |
| Peyote (Mescaline) | Buttons, Cactus, Mesc, Peyoto | chewed, teas, powder, capsules, smoked |
| Marijuana | Aunt Mary, BC Bud, Blunts, Boom, Chronic, Dope, Gangster, Ganja, Grass, Hash, Herb, Hydro, Indo, Joint, Kif, Mary Jane, Mota, Pot, Reefer, Sinsemilla, Skunk, Smoke, Weed, Yerba | smoked, vaporized, brewed tea, mixed with foods, dabs (smoking and vaping THC-rich extracts) |
The psychoactive drugs definition is fairly general: a substance having a profound or significant effect on mental processes. Compare psychoactive short-term effects to psychoactive overdose symptoms.
| Drug | Short-term Side Effects | Overdose Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Mushrooms | nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, inability to discern fantasy from reality, panic, psychotic episodes | longer, more intense “trip” episodes, psychosis, poisoning |
| Salvia | disrupt sensory and cognitive functions, loss of coordination, dizziness, slurred speech | overdose is rare |
| Peyote | nausea, vomiting, dilation of the pupils, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, sweating, headaches, muscle weakness, impaired motor coordination | overdose is rare |
| Marijuana | problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem-solving, loss of coordination, Sedation, bloodshot eyes, increased heart rate, coughing from lung irritation, increased appetite, increased blood pressure, agitation, paranoia, confusion, restlessness, anxiety, drowsiness, panic attacks, time distortions, impaired judgment, reduced coordination, dysphoria, disorganized thinking | overdose is rare, no deaths from overdose reported, deaths may occur from car accidents while using |
Psychoactive drugs from plants tend to have milder withdrawal symptoms, but don’t often lead to overdose or death; however, prolonged use of psychoactive drugs can cause brain damage.
| Drug | Withdrawal Symptoms | Long-Term Side Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Mushrooms | confusion, difficulty determining reality | flashbacks, poisoning |
| Salvia | headaches, stomach upset, memory issues, sleep disturbances, emotional lows | depression, schizophrenia, flashbacks |
| Peyote | unknown | persistent psychosis, mood swings, visual disturbances, paranoia, disorganized thoughts |
| Marijuana | headache, shakiness, sweating, and stomach pains, nausea, restlessness, irritability, sleep difficulties, decreased appetite | slowed brain development (teens, young adults, unborn children when used during pregnancy), bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, suppression of the immune system, severe nausea, vomiting, dehydration |
You may feel a little more at ease knowing at least some party drugs don’t have the intensity of stimulant drugs. Unfortunately, both professional scientists and amateur scientists have discovered ways to produce the same psychoactive effects but with much more severe consequences.
Synthetic Psychoactive Drugs List
One of the types of psychoactive drugs is synthetic psychoactives. Sadly, unlike your Volkswagen or Audi that requires a very expensive synthetic oil change, synthetic psychoactives are cheaply made and cheaply sold.
A synthetic psychoactive drug can be made with any combination of chemicals, and the day one chemical compound is outlawed, another similar and sometimes more effective compound follows.
Synthetic psychoactives can also be mass-produced, similar to prescription drugs and stimulants. So, now psychoactive drugs are stimulants?
Here are examples of common legal synthetic psychoactive drugs that can be purchased down the street instead of on the street. Be sure to skim the list of street names for synthetic psychoactive drugs to keep an eye out for the wrappers that often say “not for human consumption” with little to no other information provided.
| Chemical or Brand Name | Street Names | Forms and Methods |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic Marijuana | Spice, K2, Blaze, RedX Dawn, Paradise, Demon, Black Magic, Spike, Mr. Nice Guy, Ninja, Zohai, Dream, Genie, Sence, Smoke, Skunk, Serenity, Yucatan, Fire, Crazy Clown | smoked, vaporized |
| LSD | Acid, Blotter Acid, Dots, Mellow Yellow, Window Pane | square blotter paper, tablets or capsules, occasionally in liquid form |
| PCP (Phencyclidine) | Angel Dust, Embalming fluid, Hog, Rocket Fuel, Sherms, Zoom | powder, tablet, capsule, clear liquid – Injected, snorted, swallowed, smoked |
| Flakka (alpha-PVP) | Gravel | eaten, snorted, injected, vaporized |
| Bath Salts | Bliss, Blue Silk, Cloud Nine, Drone, Energy-1, Ivory Wave, Lunar Wave, Meow Meow, Meph, Ocean Burst, Pure Ivory, Purple Wave, Red Dove, Snow Leopard, Stardust, Vanilla Sky, White Dove, White Knight, White Lightning | snorted, orally, smoked, injected |
| Ketamine | Special K, Cat Valium, Kit Kat, K, Super Acid, Super K, Purple, Special La Coke, Jet, Vitamin K | injected liquid or snorted powder – mixed in drinks, or smoked |
Compare the short term effects and overdose symptoms of synthetic psychoactive drugs with the short term effects and overdose symptoms of natural psychoactive drugs.
It’s quickly evident how much more dangerous synthetic drugs can be, especially when there is a loss of perception, space, time, and distance. Many of those who use synthetic psychoactive drugs put themselves and others in harm’s way to include personal injury and accidental or intentional suicide.
| Drug | Short-term Side Effects | Overdose Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Spice or K2 | acute psychotic episodes, intense hallucinations, severe agitation, disorganized thoughts, paranoid delusions, violence, elevated heart and blood pressure, tremors, seizures, vomiting, agitation, anxiety, pallor, numbness, tingling | agitation, anxiety, seizures, stroke, coma, heart attack, organ failure. |
| LSD | dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, tremors | longer, more intense “trip” episodes, psychosis, death due to personal injury |
| PCP | delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, problems thinking, anxiety, increased blood pressure and heart rate, shallow breathing, face redness, sweating; numbness of the hands or feet, problems with movement | nausea; vomiting; flicking up and down of the eyes; drooling; loss of balance; dizziness; violence; seizures, coma, and death. |
| Flakka | violent aggression, jerking of muscle movements, self-injury, elevated heart rate, extreme agitation, delusions of superhuman strength, hyperstimulation, hallucinations, profound paranoia | self-harm, hyperthermia, dehydration, rhabdomyolysis, and eventual kidney failure |
| Bath Salts | confusion, acute psychosis, agitation, combativeness, aggressive, violent, self-destructive behavior | rapid heartbeat, hypertension, hyperthermia; prolonged dilation of the pupil of the eye, breakdown of muscle fibers, teeth grinding, sweating, headaches, seizures, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions |
| Ketamine | immobility, amnesia, agitation, depression, unconsciousness, hallucinations, rapid eye movement, dilated pupils, salivation, tear secretions, stiffening of the muscles | unconsciousness, dangerously slowed breathing |
Synthetic psychoactive drugs, unlike natural psychoactive drugs, lead to more severe and not-so-pleasant withdrawal symptoms. Both types, though, in teens and young adults especially, can cause memory loss and troubles with learning, and kidney damage on top of that.
| Drug | Withdrawal Symptoms | Long-Term Side Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Spice or K2 | nightmares, heavy sweating, nausea, tremors, headaches, extreme tiredness, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, problems thinking clearly | forgetfulness, confusion, paralysis, kidney injury |
| LSD | unknown | poor judgment, personal injury, acute anxiety and depression, flashbacks, persisting psychosis |
| PCP | headaches, increased appetite, sleepiness, depression | memory loss, problems with speech and thinking, loss of appetite, anxiety |
| Flakka | extreme irritation, mood swings, depression, suicidal thoughts or actions, insomnia, anxiety, seizures | permanent kidney damage, renal failure, reshaping of the brain, degenerated brain tissue |
| Bath Salts | anxiety, depression, abnormally low energy levels, inability to feel pleasure, sleep disorders, fatigue | increased blood pressure and heart rate, kidney damage and failure, liver damage, breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, brain swelling and brain death |
| Ketamine | agitation, confusion, psychosis, delusions, hallucination, loss of motor skills, rage, nausea, lung and heart problems, insomnia, shakes, hearing loss, fatigue, cognitive impairment | decreased sociability, attention dysfunction, impaired memory recall, flashbacks, excess fluid in the kidneys, bladder damage, incontinence |
One synthetic psychoactive drug actually falls into the category of depressants and a higher dose is often used as a date rape drug: Ketamine.
Depressants and/or Date Rape Drugs List
Drugs at a pill party aren’t meant for fun if someone doesn’t choose to take a specific party drug. The following drugs are ones found at a party but are used for exploitation of many sorts.
The street names of these types of party drugs may be a little more on the hush-hush, but one manufacturer redesigned the pill to dye a drink blue if unknowingly dissolved in a victim’s drink.
| Chemical or Brand Name | Street Names | Forms and Methods |
|---|---|---|
| Ketamine | Special K, Cat Valium, Kit Kat, K, Super Acid, Super K, Purple, Special La Coke, Jet, Vitamin K | injected liquid or snorted powder – mixed in drinks, or smoked |
| Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam) | Circles, Forget Me Pill, La Rocha, Lunch Money Drug, Mexican Valium, Pingus, R2, Roach 2, Ruffies, Rophies, Wolfies | tablet, swallowed, crushed and snorted, can be dissolved in liquids, when the green version is placed in a light-colored drink, it will dye it blue |
| GHB (Xyrem) | G, Georgia Home Boy, Goop, Grievous Bodily Harm, Liquid X, Scoop, Liquid Ecstasy | liquid or powder in mixed drink |
| Amyl Nitrates and other Inhalants | Bold, Laughing Gas, Poppers, Snappers, Whippets | gases or gases from liquids – sniffing, snorting, bagging, or huffing |
One depressant, an inhalant, is coined as the “gay party drug.” Poppers are also used at parties when intentions are high and inhibitions are low. Other inhalants are usually common household products that offer a quick, intense high but can cause severe brain damage even in the short term. Overdose symptoms are easy to spot though if teens and young adults are encouraged to stay in pairs at parties.
| Drug | Short-term Side Effects | Overdose Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Ketamine | immobility, amnesia, agitation, depression, unconsciousness, hallucinations, rapid eye movement, dilated pupils, salivation, tear secretions, stiffening of the muscles | unconsciousness, dangerously slowed breathing |
| Ruffies | drowsiness, amnesia, sleep, slurred speech, loss of coordination, confusion, decreased anxiety, amnesia, increased or decreased reaction time, impaired mental functioning and judgment, aggression, weakness, respiratory depression | combined with alcohol and heroin, can cause severe, sedation, unconsciousness, slow heart rate, and suppression of respiration |
| GHB | drowsiness, decreased anxiety, confusion, memory impairment | unconsciousness, seizures, slowed heart rate, slowed breathing, lower body temperature, vomiting, nausea, coma |
| Poppers | slurred or distorted speech, lack of coordination, dizziness | seizures, coma, heart could stop, suffocation |
If your teen, young adult, or friend comes home showing any of the following withdrawal symptoms of date rape drugs, having a serious conversation quickly can lead to finding the offender.
| Drug | Withdrawal Symptoms | Long-Term Side Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Ketamine | agitation, confusion, psychosis, delusions, hallucination, loss of motor skills, rage, nausea, lung and heart problems, insomnia, shakes, hearing loss, fatigue, cognitive impairment | decreased sociability, attention dysfunction, impaired memory recall, flashbacks, excess fluid in the kidneys, bladder damage, incontinence |
| Ruffies | flulike symptoms, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, difficulty sleeping, nausea, vomiting, irritability, weight loss, and insomnia, anxiety | seizures, behavioral changes, anxiety, and insomnia |
| GHB | vomiting, confusion, delirium, hallucinations, and insomnia | insomnia, anxiety, tremors, increased heart rate and blood pressure, psychotic thoughts, skin and eye irritation, nausea, vomiting, incontinence, loss of consciousness, seizures, liver damage, kidney failure, respiratory depression |
| Poppers | nausea, loss of appetite, sweating, problems sleeping, mood changes | liver and kidney damage, hearing loss, bone marrow damage, nerve damage, delayed behavioral development, brain damage |
Asheville Recovery Center is Here to Help
We certainly hope you never have to search for drug rehab for teens or young adults. Know that addiction treatment is close by. Asheville Recovery Center understands the devastating effects that party drug abuse can have on an individual and their loved ones.
Our experienced and compassionate team is here to help those who are struggling with addiction to party drugs find the support and resources they need to begin the journey to recovery. We believe that recovery is possible, no matter how hopeless a situation may seem. That’s why we offer a range of evidence-based treatment programs designed to meet the unique needs of each of our clients.
If you or a loved one are struggling with party drug addiction, don’t wait to seek help. Contact Asheville Recovery Center today to learn more about how we can support you on your journey to recovery.
