E for Ecstasy by Nicholas Saunders
Appendix 1: Reference Section

45 A survey of MDMA use in London, by Adam Winstock, a senior house officer in respiratory medicine at the Hammersmith Hospital Royal Postgraduate Medical School (unpublished)

From October 1989 to February 1990, Winstock conducted a survey of Ecstasy use in London. Out of 250 forms distributed, 89 were returned and analysed. 64% of respondents were male and the average age was 23. The youngest respondent was 17 and the oldest 31. Nearly all were single.

Frequency of use:=09

less than 3 per week 2.2% 2 per week 14.1% 1 per week 18% more
than 1/week 28% less than 1 per month 36% 

52% of respondents had used Ecstasy more than 20 times; 5.6% had taken it more than 100 times and 27% had used it less than 10 times. 62% of respondents - including many of the heavy users - had stopped using the drug for some periods of time.

75% took it on Fridays and/or Saturdays only; a mere 2% reported midweek usage. Only 19% said they would take more of it if it were cheaper while 59% said they would definitely not take more if it cost less. 65% said the effect of the drug was variable.

59% noticed the build up of tolerance, but none experienced withdrawal symptoms. For 4.5 per cent of respondents, MDMA was the first illicit drug they had tried. Over 75% had experience of cannabis, amyl nitrate, amphetamine sulphate, cocaine and LSD. In combination with MDMA, 79% of respondents had taken cannabis, 57% alcohol and 51% cocaine.

The most pronounced effect noted by users was sexual arousal (89%), and increased sexual activity (67%). [These findings are in marked contrast with the results of other studies which show MDMA suppresses sexual arousal and activity41, 42, 33, 44]. Other reported effects were unremarkable. 17% reported having had a 'bad E', usually meaning the pill had no psychoactive ingredient.