People who really appreciate the ecstasy high have found that alcohol delays its onset and reduces its clarity. They reckon that if you can't tell the difference you might as well just take speed.

There is a better reason though: when you take it with alcohol, ecstasy puts a greater strain on your kidneys; it can lead to dehydration and a much worse come-down and it makes overheating much more likely. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you go to the loo a lot and it also makes you sweat. That makes it harder to keep enough fluid in your body.

Here's another thing: alcohol reduces the amount of oxygen your heart carries around your body and it slows down your breathing, too. But ecstasy boosts your metabolism so you need more breath and more oxygen to feed all that energy. That combination weakens your heart and the arteries around it.

I'm glad you wrote to say you didn't die, but I'm not surprised to hear it: the strokes and heart attacks usually don't happen on the dance floor. Those weakened blood vessels sort of lay in wait until another time.

Ecstasy deaths are not common. However, when they do happen, alcohol is nearly always involved.