We have to start this whole thing off with the khat plant. It’s a small shrub that grows in eastern Africa and southern Arabia near the Red Sea. In the mostly agrarian setting, it’s common, even popular for folks to chew the leaves—a social custom going back thousands of years.

The experience induced from this is a sense of euphoria and stimulation. The new drug commonly called “bath salts” is created to mimic (and enhance) the effects of the khat plant. So no. When someone struggling with substance abuse mentions bath salt, they are not referring to the designer Epsom salts you find at boutique shops downtown.

The non-street term is synthetic cathinone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). Big words that basically mean the drug known as bath salts is a derivative of the khat plant and made in a “lab” (not naturally extracted from a plant). They get a person high and they have a high potential for overdose among other dangers.

This cheap, addictive, and potentially deadly substance looks a lot like the soaking salts. Hence the street name.

Quick Reference Guide to Bath Salts

Bath Salts are manmade chemicals that get people high, created to mimic the chemical effect of a plant in Africa. Often used as a cheap substitute for meth and coke, two other stimulants.

Why are they called bath salts?

If you are familiar with common bath salts (the ones you put in the bath tub) you know that they are small crystals. Well, once a synthetic cathinone is cooked up, guess what it looks like? Bath salts (small crystals usually white or brownish in color).

Are They Legal?

Technically, no. However, the family of drugs bath salts belongs to are being referred to as “new psychoactive substances” (NPS). Because they are “new,” they had a stint where they could be purchased in convenience stores or gas stations. However, in 2012 the chemicals found in bath salts were placed on the Schedule I controlled substances list.

Since they are synthetic, manufacturers are likely going to avoid this by creating substances with similar effects under different names. Like what happened this case: “After mephedrone was banned … a chemical called naphyrone quickly replaced it and is now being sold as “jewelry cleaner” under the brand name ‘Cosmic Blast’ (source).

How do people consume them?

Inhalation, snorting, huffing, injecting, or smoking. Bath salts affect the brain in a way that creates dopamine (the pleasure chemical). Users have reported that the drugs trigger intense cravings—uncontrollable urges to use the drug again.

Other street names:
Bliss, Bloom, Blue Silk, Charge Plus, Cloud Nine, Drone, Energy-1, Flakka, Hurricane Charlie, Ivory Wave, Lunar Wave, Meow Meow, Ocean Burst, Ocean Snow, Plant Fertilizer, Plant Food, Pure Ivory, Purple Sky, Purple Wave, Red Dove, Scarface, Sextasy, Snow Leopard, Stardust, Vanilla Sky, White Dove, White Lightening, White Night, White Rush, Zoom.

Recovery Topics

Bath salts are sometimes seen as an experiment. Something to try because it works, and it’s available. However, they are addictive, and they are dangerous.

Someone who is looking to get high on bath salts is on a path of self-destruction. One that cares little for detrimental effects on life and can only see the immediate benefit of a moment of pleasure. This is an essential addiction trait. The deeper issue is, of course, that the addict feels the deep need to separate from their current life. They must erase the pain they feel, and they will do whatever they can to make that happen.

The truth: Using bath salts to escape the world will end up in tragedy.

If you are caught in the desperate struggle, looking for a fix to cover your life, or you know someone who is experiencing these classic symptoms of addiction and substance abuse, please call us today. Our specialists want to hear your story and find a way to get you the right help that will bring about lasting transformation.

Call us today, 888-590-0777.

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