Buzz-kill info

Yep, if you’re doing party drugs, at least be informed about the effects (or the best guess on effects, anyway).

Stimulants: speed up messages between brain and body plus give energy – often very addictive, may be fatal.

Ice (crystal meth, shabu, glass): sooo many scary long-term effects — psychosis, uncontrolled violence, heart and kidney failure and stroke are some of the worst. Web-search “ice mug shots”.
Speed (goey, whiz, fast): like ice but less potent. It keeps you awake, but have you ever seen an angry speed freak picking off chunks of their own skin? Better to grab a coffee.
Cocaine (coke, snow, Charlie, blow, nose candy), also freebase and crack: you’re alert and feeling fine, unless you’re paranoid, have hyperthermia, brain haemorrhage, stroke, seizures, sexual probs and/or heart and kidney failure.
Ecstasy (MDMA, disco biscuits, XTC, love drug): ok, so you love everyone, but you probably won’t love possible brain damage or being slower, fatter and depressed.
Emerging Psychoactive Substances (EPs), like synthetic cannabinoids, “bath salts”, MDPV, Mephedrone (meow meow, meph, drone, MCAT), BPZ (benzylpiperazine, A2, frenzy, nemesis): no idea long-term, plus potency, purity, composition and effects vary enormously — you could be alert and happy or quite possibly dead, especially if you mix it with other drugs and/or alcohol.

Depressants: slow down central nervous system and messages going between brain and body – often very addictive, an overdose can kill you (except cannabis, but it can make you nuts).

GHB (gammahydroxybuyrate, liquid Ecstasy, Liquid X, fantasy): high risk of overdose, incontinence, diarrhoea (eew), blackouts, seizures, stopping breathing.
Heroin (smack, H, junk, hammer): makes you happy, relaxed, sleepy and damaged — to heart, lungs, liver and brain among other things.
Benzos (benzodiazepines, downers, valium, temazepam, tranks): relaxed, happy, plus depressed, paranoid, fatter, more unco’ and possibly in a coma.
Alcohol (see info here)
Cannabis (see info here)

Hallucinogens: heighten sensory perception LSD (acid, trips): a bad trip leading to risky behaviour or (rarely) suicide; nasty flashbacks up to years later.

Psilocybin (magic mushrooms, mushies, gold-tops): same as for LSD.
Emerging Psychoactive Substances (EPs): not much is known about short or long-term effects of new synthetic hallucinogens such as N-BOM, since potency, purity and composition vary enormously. It’s a huge gamble — see the stimulants box for more on this.
Ketamine (K, horse tranquiliser, special K): same as for PCP (below).
PCP (angel dust): not-so-angelic possibilities are sedation, dissociation, coma, convulsions and death.

Inhalants: increase sensation/well-being – linked to brain damage, paralysis, heart or breathing problems or SSD (sudden sniffing death).

Nitrous oxide (laughing gas, bulbs): makes you light-headed, dizzy, giggly and blocks pain but dangerous if replaces oxygen in the lungs.
Amyl nitrite (poppers): used to increase/ prolong orgasm; can cause nose and mouth sores, chest pains, heart trouble and possible death, especially if combined with Viagra, Levitra or Cialis.
Butyl nitrite (bolt, rush): similar to amyl nitrite.
Volatile solvents (paint, glue, petrol): cheap, easy to find and linked to collapse, sudden death and neurological (including brain) damage.