Be warned

A 19-year-old shares his near-death experience after trying party drugs last New Year’s Eve. Doctors warn against similar experimentation tonight.

Your party shoes are ready, the dress has been decided and you’re all set to ring in the New Year on a high note. But before you leave home, here’s a note of caution. New Year Eve parties can be notoriously wild, and youngsters are always game to experiment. HT City brings you the real life account of a 19-year-old boy, whose brush with party drugs almost cost him his life. Here is the story of Rahul Sharma (name changed on request), a resident of Lajpat Nagar.

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It was a great evening, and I felt on top of the world. When my friends insisted that I try cocaine, I couldn’t resist. Someone set up three lines, and showed me how to sniff, and I did. Suddenly nothing felt right anymore, I starting sweating, I felt anxious and afraid, and my chest felt like it would explode. I thought I was dying, but no one at the party took me seriously. Everyone was high; no one could even be trusted to drive. Somehow I managed to call my sister and brother, who were thankfully nearby and they rushed me to an emergency room and everyone thought I was having a heart attack. Thankfully, I was treated in time, but everyone may not be so lucky.

According to Rahul’s doctor Dr Neeraj Bhalla, Sr Interventional Cardiologist, Max Hospital, cocaine use, especially in the year-end party season, is an increasing trend among urban youth in India. “Such cases are on a rise in hospital emergency rooms. In 2008, US hospitals recorded nearly 4,50,000 visits after cocaine use.” Dr Bhalla adds that while most people know about the cocaine “rush”, the drug also severely puts the heart under pressure and can cause dangerous abnormal heart rhythms that lead to pain, heart attacks and even death. Dr Deepak Raheja, psychiatrist, Paras Hospital, recalls a case when a 17-year-old boy took party drugs on New Year’s eve and jumped off a third floor balcony, thinking he could fly. “He suffered sever spinal injuries and was in intense rehab for one-and-half-years. These cases are common as drug induced delusions cause several youngsters to become suicidal.” Dr Raheja also points out that a lot of youngsters make resolutions about quitting drugs in the New Year, and hence they overdose dramatically on New Year’s Eve.

Dr Ashish Srivastav, Senior Consultant, BLK Memorial Hospital recalls how last year two IIT Delhi students ended up with severe head injuries (one with a fractured skull) after drug induced incidents. “Around this time, we get lots of cases of head injuries — youngsters take drugs and meet with accidents after losing self-control. And interestingly, the number of cases from boys and girls is equal here!” he says.