I’ve Got The Deets On The Newest Party Drug..And It’s Not What You Think.

I’ve got the low down on the newest drug that all the teens and club goers in Europe are using to dance the night away and experience a euphoric high. No, it’s not molly – folks are using cacao as a party drug. Um what the freak?!

Chocolate is my favorite sweet, hands down. But now party people are turning to this sweet treat to snort for a good ole’ fashion high. 

We’re not talking about milk chocolate here, this is straight up raw cacao powder that people are using. I know there’s already a bunch of folks out there that will snort whatever looks snortable, so whoever started this trend of snorting cacao for a “natural” high – you cray. 

This new party drug is making waves over in Europe with reports that club goers are snorting lines of cacao in order to fuel their energy to dance the night away. Now there are even events that cater to this new trend.  Cacao powder, drinks, and all sorts of tinctures and pills are being intentionally served at these affairs and people are intentionally picking their poison in this form  over actual drugs and booze. Entrepreneurs are even starting to capitalize off of this trend by making snorting devices and all sorts of crazy products to help cacao addicts support their new hobby. 

But does it really do what the claims are or is this a placebo effect? 

After digging further into the WebSphere, there are some credible sites that do indeed discuss how raw cacao (chocolate powder) is filled to the brim with endorphins and a micronutrient, tryptophan, that increases dopamine.

The low down on using cacao as a party drug and its effects on our mood:

You can literally find cacao at any of your health food stores. Straight up pure cacao releases endorphins into your system which simply put, makes you feel happy.  Serotonin and dopamine are feel good chemicals we release when we are feeling like the sky is the limit.  Raw cacao also contains flavanols which is a powerful antioxidant that helps with our blood flow and supports healthy brain function.  Other components of raw cacao may stimulate the nervous system which can give us that slight burst of energy. 

So don’t think you can pull out a kit kat bar at your next girls night and induce a full-on cacao powered dance off with the guy you’ve been eyeing for the past 10 minutes. Straight cacao that is uncut with fillers or milk or really any additional ingredients comes with the biggest punch. Yet I want to STRESS that I am not endorsing the use of cacao as a snortable drug. I don’t think anything should be going up our nose (not even fingers to pick boogers – yuck), so don’t go ordering cacao online in bulk thinking that I’m jumping on this bandwagon. I’m definitely not. 

Also, don’t think that you’re going to hallucinate when you snort cacao. Using cacao during your clubbing experience will only enhance your time there, perhaps give you that extra pep in your step to bust out some moves. The effects are so subtle according to physicians however, that many people who consume probably get more riled up than they should. 

My opinion? Don’t snort or use cacao as a party drug, just eat it.

There are not any clinical studies done that support any sort of benefits of snorting cacao powder or using cacao as a party drug. There are however, tons of studies done on the benefits chocolate has (primarily dark chocolate and raw cacao) when you consume it. Natural News links to a few of these studies, so you can read more about them there. By enjoying raw cacao in the form of cacao nibs or blended in with a healthy snack, it can have a slew of health benefits in addition to being a natural mood enhancer. 

The flavonoids in raw cacao can help with cardiovascular health and can improve your circulation. Since cacao is potent in antioxidants it also protects you from free radicals in the form of air pollution and sun exposure. Oh and it turns out that it can also help stabilize our mood when we are PMSing so obviously that’s why we crave chocolate. At least I know my cravings are now justified.

Back in 2014 I wrote an article on the reasons I’m obsessed with cacao nibs (which today’s article can definitely piggy back from) – so who knew back then that cacao would become a new “party drug”? Not me!  So what do you think? Is the feeling you get from cacao a placebo effect, or do you think it’s really elevating the whole clubbing experience?